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Cast aside in favour of more glamorous highlighters and bronzers, blusher slipped out of make-up bags across the nation. Now, it’s time to bring it back.
It’s funny, isn’t it? I’ve never had more time to sleep yet I’m more tired than ever. Blame it on the late-night TikTok binges or the incredibly sticky weather, but I’m staying up later, and waking up early too. Thankfully, I can turn on the peppiness for work meetings. And that would be all well and good if my face didn’t completely give the game away.
Right now, my hereditary dark circles are a deeper shade of purple, and while concealer would take the edge off my under-eyes, a slick of mascara would make my eyes look more awake and foundation would tone down my grey complexion, I just can’t be bothered with any of that. So that’s exactly why I’ve reignited my love for blusher.
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“I’ve ditched bronzer for this creamy, highly-pigmented, orange blusher”
The most underrated product in your make-up bag, blusher holds the power to perk up the complexion without much effort at all. It adds a shot of health back into lifeless skin and can even distract from tired eyes — no concealer necessary. Plus, it has the added bonus of making you look as though you’ve gone for a run when really you’ve just sat on the sofa. Ideal.
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So that’s why most days, the only thing you’ll find on my face (besides serum and SPF, of course) is a dab of blusher. Applied directly to the real cushiony part of the apple of the cheek and blended out, it is unbelievably easy to do.
With a handful of different blusher formats out there, I thought I’d run you through just a few of my favourites so you too can utilise this very simple shortcut to radiant skin. And as a final aside: when it comes to shade selection, I always advocate choosing a colour you love, rather than worrying about restrictive rules. However, the darker your skin, the more colour payoff you’re going to need, and the below blushers all deliver in that department.
13 best blushers for a healthy-looking flush
Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush
You’d be forgiven for thinking this water-based blusher would have less pigment or colour pay-off than powder and cream-based blush alternatives. In fact, the lightweight, serum-like blusher creates a wash of natural-looking colour, the robust tones melting into the skin. One to reach for in this summer of insufferable heat, it comes in six tones ranging from light peach to deep bronze.
Shop Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush, £42
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Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher
French beauty brand Bourjois is one of the most nostalgic and iconic beauty brands to have entered and then exited the UK market. Just relaunched at Superdrug, the signature round blusher has finally returned and with it a slew of memories. Available in five shades, with tones ranging from a toasted blush/bronze to pale pink.
Shop Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher at Superdrug, £8.99
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Suqqu Melting Powder Blush
A super-fine powder blusher, Suqqu has engineered a high-oil content formulation that sinks into the skin seamlessly, creating the most beautiful, even flush.
Shop Suqqu Melting Powder Blush at Cult Beauty, £39
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Benefit Terra Terracotta Bronzer
Part of the new Benefit blusher collection, Terra Terracotta is a brick-red blusher infused with soft shimmer and golden tones for a deeply warm, earthy glow.
Shop Benefit Terra Terracotta Bronzer at Cult Beauty, £15
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Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
A TikTok viral product from Selena Gomez’s brand Rare Beauty, this liquid formula transforms from a moveable, blendable cream to a matte-finish blusher.
Shop Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush at Space NK, £19
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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush
A marbled powder, Hourglass combines the bestselling Ambient Lighting Powder with blush tones to create a nuanced, dimensional flush of soft-focus shimmer on the cheeks, nose and high points of the face.
Shop Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush at Cult Beauty, £39
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Saie Dew Blush
A cream blusher that’s been described as ‘butter-like’ in texture, Saie’s Dew Blush is weightless, buildable and best applied with fingers.
Shop Saie Dew Blush at Cult Beauty, £20
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Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush
Formulated with crushed pearls, Charlotte Tilbury’s powder blusher contains two shades to add pigment and shimmer to your flush.
Shop Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush at Space NK, £32
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Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush
This is blusher made extremely easy. With a stick format, you just need to swipe onto the cheeks and blend. Use your fingertips for this — the warmth will help melt the creamy pigments into the skin. The first layer of Chanel’s blush comes up much sheerer than it looks in the stick, but swipe again for the perfect amount of colour payoff.
Shop Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush at Boots, £35
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My Beauty Brand Pure Power Blush
Powder blushers are best for those who have oily skin, or prefer a matte finish to their make-up. I really like My Beauty Brand’s formula; it’s super finely-milled, making it almost undetectable on the surface of the skin, but also the shade range is great.
Shop My Beauty Brand Pure Power Blush at My Beauty Brand, £14.50
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Jillian Dempsey Cheek Tint
Cream blushers, on the other hand, are best for those who want a dewy skin finish. Jillian Dempsey’s are foolproof, offering a subtle flush of colour in a balmy texture that seems to meld with skin, rather than sit on top of it. If you want a really natural, just-back-from-my-daily-walk flush, then this is the one for you.
Shop Jillian Dempsey Cheek Tint at Naturisimo, £26.50
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Glossier Cloud Paint
You only need a teeny-tiny amount of Glossier’s gel blusher on each cheek, and my advice is to use a fluffy blush to really blur out the edges for that cloud-like effect.
Shop Glossier Cloud Paint at Glossier, £17
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Daniel Sandler Watercolour Fluid Blush
Now, for the most authentic-looking blush, a liquid blusher will simply tint the skin like an almost-invisible layer of cellophane. Daniel Sandler’s are especially effective, leaving skin looking juicy, too. Plus, it comes in an incredible range of shades. I want to try this neon fuchsia next.
Shop Daniel Sandler Watercolour Fluid Blush at Lookfantastic, £18.45
Shop Daniel Sandler Watercolour Fluid Blush at lookfantastic, £16.50
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