I actually have cream blusher recommendations for a few different skin tones and types within this feature, I’m conscious that what I personally review and recommend (i.e. suitable for pale yellow dry-ish skin and very blonde hair combo) isn’t necessarily going to work for everyone.
Talking of dry-ish, at the moment my epidermis is just DRY. And really quite sensitive. The cold weather and central heating doesn’t help, neither does my aversion to drinking water during the chilly winter months (I like tea! and coffee! and hot chocolate!) This basically means most of my powder based products have to go into hibernation for a while (sad face) and I have to embrace all things uber moisturising.
I used to have a love/hate relationship with cream and liquid blushers, I love the initial “fresh glow” they bestow on one’s cheeks and the general longevity of wear but would often find they went decidedly patchy as the day progressed. I’m pleased to report it seems there are several “new generation” formulations that no longer have the latter issue. Hooray.
Givenchy Blush Memoire Rose Extravaganza £26.00
Let’s start with my favourite, I’d read about the amazingness of the texture in all sorts of magazines so thought I must absolutely give it a whirl. This pot of virtually “hot pink” watery gelee looks kind of scary, I won’t lie. But it blends like a dream and a little goes a long LONG way. It may be spendy but I swear it’ll last you a year – even if you wear it every day. The colour is universal in that it is a natural “flush”, it feels refreshing and light on the skin and appears as though you are not wearing anything apart from the remnants of a brisk walk or a tumble in the hay.
I’ve been wearing it on its own and also underneath my regular powder blush for extra staying power – which is excellent by the way. This would work as well for oilier skin as it does for dehydrated.
You can buy this pot of lushness from Debenhams.
Stila Convertible Colour £16.00
An oldie but a goodie. This is super creamy (dare I say a wee bit greasy) which is excellent for flaky faces. It is also very buildable so you can go from sheer to colour pop depending on how much you layer up. The colour choice is excellent, my favourite is petunia – a bright peachy coral. Lillium is a great “nude” delicate shade for very pale skins (I have a redhead friend who wears it and it looks beaut) and the red-ish shade “Poppy” is a cult favourite with celeb types apparently.
You can also wear it on your lips. Bonus.
You can find Stila in larger Boots stores.
Rimmel Stay Blushed £4.49
A reader actually mentioned this in the comments section of another beauty feature of mine and for the grand total of £4.49 it was worth a go. I have “pop of pink” which I would say pulls more peach but very pretty nevertheless. Billed as “Ultra Lightweight” this applies smoothly if not a little on the barley noticeable side for yours truly. You can build colour if you are careful though and for the price it’s a bargain.
You can purchase Rimmel at Boots.
Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Colour £20.50
This is a favourite of Rock My Wedding Editor Lolly (fair complexion, dark hair and eyes) – she wears “Oleander” a soft dusty rose-pink. I also have this shade, it is the best for perking things up when I am looking particularly pale and wan. I always used to take it on ski/snow boarding holidays in my jacket pocket for slope to bar touch ups. It’s lovely and soft on chilly cheeks, lasts well and you could also use it on your lips. The compact is cute and dinky with a useful mirror so it very travel friendly.
Laura Mercier is available at House Of Fraser.
Topshop Cream Blush £7.00
This is a firm favourite of my friend Perfect Kelly (looks like Pocahontas only in real life.)
Kelly has an oiler dark olive skin with very dark hair and eyes and recommends the shade “flush” – a coral pink. The formulation has super staying power and it very VERY natural looking. I need to admit something about the image above though folks…you see, when I went over to Kelly’s to borrow said blusher to photograph the compact was completely battered and there was hardly any product left at all. Turns out Kelly’s 4 year old daughter Grace had decided to use it as face paint. The version pictured is actually their powder blush which I also rate.
Sorry that it’s kind of cheating.
The shade “afternoon Tea” is my personal favourite from the range.
I’ve recently seen that Topshop now do a cheek jelly of their own?! I wonder if it’s as good as the Givenchy……..
Do share your liquid/cream blush favourites in the comments box below lovely people!
It’s more of a highlighter than a blusher I guess, but I have very rosy cheeks so blusher scares me somewhat. I have found that Rimmel’s Wake Me Up Instant Radiance (http://uk.rimmellondon.com/products/face/wake-me-up-instant-radiance-shimmer-touch) gives them a beautiful shimmery glow. I use Radiant Rose to compliment my already pinky hue, and it give a nice smooth colour over my complexion rather than fighting with it.
I’m going to be a bit braver and try the ‘Stay Blushed’ next though 🙂 xx
Sounds lovely Emma! I actually use a powder highlighter as blush as it’s very light and shimmery x
Any tips on applying? I’ve used before and blended as well as I can with fingers but still end up looking like I’ve been attacked by a child with a large crayon! x
start with a TINY amount on the pad of one finger and pat/press it on the apple of your cheek (while doing ‘fake blusher smile’ obviously), then use a clean finger to blend out the edges. You can always add more in the centre if you need to but I think they key is starting with a tiny bit.
My tips exactly Claire K! x
I use Oleander as well and love it! For winter time rosy cheeks, I mix it slightly with my Liz Earle cream blush in Camellia – http://uk.lizearle.com/cheeks/healthy-glow-cream-blush.html . Love the Liz Earle texture as well and on its own it’s a nice, more subtle glow!
Marianne I’ve never tried any Liz Earle make-up, have you tried many other products? mixing textures sounds like a great idea x
No I’ve not actually, although I am a huge fan of their Cleanse and Polish, so it’s only a matter of time before I’m lured into buying more make up!
Apparently the mascara is good! I’m a sucker for a good mascara 🙂 x
I’m a huge fan of cream blushers, so much so that it’s been at least a decade since I used a powder one!
At the moment I really love the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge – I’m pale, blue eyes, blonde hair, with neutral-to-cool undertones, and I use both the Pale Pink (a very pink pink!) and the Fresh Melon (more of a peachy colour). Really love them both, and the Fresh Melon was a shade I would never normally have tried only that the sales assistant recommended it for my skin tone.
I find them very easy to apply and blend (just did mine in front of my computer at work – comes in a compact with a mirror!) and they last well.
I think pot rouge is quite similar to Laura Mercier in terms of formulation and compact design but I’m yet to try. Fresh Melon sounds amazing! x
I’m with you on the water thing, I find it tough to meet the daily recommended on frosty days…tea is so much more appealing! I have to drink hot water with lemon instead as my spot prone skin would not be at all forgiving otherwise!
I love Laura Mercier, it blends really well and feels light. the choice of colours for various skin tones is fab too!
Benefit Lolly-tint all the way for me! I love it – similar to Stila it goes on your lips too and I love the colour – a sort of baby pink but stronger if that makes sense? A little goes a long way and after I got a quick lesson from the girl at the benefit counter on how to apply (i.e. NOT with your fingers – it’s a stain after all!) I think I’ve mastered it…!
Ouh how did she say to apply? I have a couple of benetints but end up with stained fingers and blotchy cheeks! X
So, there is a slight knack to it – but basically for cheeks you need to use a dry blusher brush, apply the stain directly onto the brush and apply in a circular motion on the apples of your cheeks. You have to be VERY careful not to overload the brush (I just add one tiny blob per cheek) as if it gets too wet the only place for it to go is directly onto your skin! I then use a foundation brush over the top just to blend it in to make it more subtle. As for lips, I use the brush it comes with and Vaseline on my finger to blend it in 🙂
Fab thanks I’ll have a bash! X
I don’t really have many cream blushes as I struggle with applying them well but my skin is dry so could do with trying more. I have a couple of Mac ones, one in a pinky pink “so sweet so easy” (nice!) and one in a peachy tone which I can’t remember the name! Use them rarely. Then I got some benetints bi struggle with the texture and how to apply! Recently got a Topshop shimmery creamy looking blush which is ok but very very subtle and use it more as an eyeshadow! Def gonna have a butchers at these and the Bobbi brown ones too! X
I just bought my very first cream blush after Christmas! My future M-i-L recommended Mac so I bought this one: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/156/15668/Products/Face/Cheek/Cremeblend-Blush/index.tmpl
I really love it although I have had to get used to using my fingers (and the process seems to take longer than with a brush) but I absolutely love the look, it’s so fresh and pretty.
Love the sounds of that Topshop cream blush, will have a look!
Hi Kate. my friend uses MAC – it’s very natural and glossy x
No.7 has a cream blush in a stick formula (think it’s called Pop n Glow) that is pretty good and reasonably priced. Obviously I apply it with my fingers and not directly from the tube! I’m also a fan of the Topshop and Stila options.
When I was getting used to applying cream blush, I found it helped to swish my finger in it and then rub it on the back of my hand before applying to the cheek. Stops it from going on scarily bright and allows you to build it up from what’s left on your hand if needed. Once you get used to it, it’s easier to go straight from finger to cheek. As an aside, kudos to anyone who’s figured out how to apply the Benefit stains – I chucked mine cause I could never make it look good, even with a brush!
Benetints don’t work well on drier skin I don’t think Tracy. I like Posey tint but literally can only use it in summer, and you have to blend REALLY quickly. Ii only really works for me on moisturised skin (i.e. no other make-up underneath otherwise it smudges the tinted moisturiser etc) sorry – not particularly helpful! x
Charlotte, I feel your pain!
The skin on my face at the moment is horrendous! (My boss even asked me today if I was ok as it’s so red!)
Was hoping mine was just bad weather, heating etc. But am going to try and get derma appointment to see, as it looks pretty yuck!
I used to be really good at drinking lots of water but once again have got into bad habits! The only way I usually manage to get me drinking enough water is to have a big 750ml bottle of water on my desk & try and ensure it is refilled at least once during the day. Maybe I need to start that again!
Blushes look pretty, don’t have any cream blushes so may have to give them a try 🙂 xx
I’m the same with water Rebecca, I need to keep some on my desk!
At the moment I am wearing layers and LAYERS or Aveeno, trying not to put too much on my face at all so there’s not as much risk of inflammation x
Glad you liked the Rimmel one, I like the fact that it’s quite light, I prefer just a hint of blush but I do like to build it up if I’m feeling particularly pale! 🙂
I haven’t tried cream blush before – I have a powder blush from MAC that the assistant picked out for my skin tone, but I feel like I’m wearing clown make up when I put it on! I’m fairly pale, but with red/brown hair (it’s just a shade or so darker than full on red-head!), so I don’t know if that plays a part. If anyone’s got any recommendations for something subtle, I’m all ears!
JO try the Stila, or if at your local Boots the Rimmel – they also do a peach shade x
Thanks charlotte! I’m popping into a big Boots later so will have a nosey round the make up 🙂
I also suffer with the curse of dry skin, I’ve found that Clarins HydraQuench serum and face cream are great for deep winter and Olay 3 point serum and day cream are marvellous too! I also like Maxfactor cream blush,creams are way better for dry skin.
Nothing beats Benefit’s Dandelion for me. It’s so perfect it’s almost disappointing as I have no excuse to try other products?
Love this feature as I’m a sucker for rosy blusher. Charlotte, what blusher do you use most often, in your pics you’ve always got a lovely light pink cheek? 🙂