A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Updated on Dec. 02, 2024
The right blush can wake up your entire face—but finding the best shade is essential. These tips from beauty pros will make it simple.
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Sometimes it feels like lipstick and eye shadow get all the love when it comes to color cosmetics. But, the truth is, blush deserves some serious accolades too. The best blush for you can bring warmth and vibrance to your complexion. “Plus, if you apply blush correctly, you can accentuate your cheekbones and give your face a more sculpted look,” says Emily Brafford, a celebrity makeup artist in Telluride, Colorado. Just like with foundation, concealers, mascara, and lipstick, there are tons of different formulas, from buildable powders to sheer gel formulas that give a natural makeup look. But perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing a blush is the shade: You want whatever you put on your cheeks to complement your skin tone.
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Porcelain skin is easily overwhelmed, so a soft pink shade is the way to go. This light, rosy hue from Jane Iredale will warm up cool undertones and give you a soft flush. Ulta reviewers praise the silky way it glides onto cheeks and leaves behind dewy color.
This formula contains golden flecks to give you a lit-from-within glow. It also contains jojoba oil, which helps this stick glide on smoothly and allows the blush to sit softly on the skin. Translation: no cakiness here! Apply a little bit for daytime activities, then dab on a little more for a night out—but not too much, as overloading blush is a common makeup mistake. “Just be careful how many layers you apply; too much can overwhelm fair skin,” warns Shanell Sorrells, a celebrity makeup artist in New York City.
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If you’re fair and have a mix of warm and cool undertones, you’re considered neutral—just like Drew Barrymore. When it comes to picking the best blush shade, anything too light will wash you out, and anything deep will overwhelm. A pinky-nude shade is just right.
“A cream blush can look really natural and pretty,” says Brafford. This pink shade isn’t too bright or rosy, so it looks nice on neutral undertones. The matte texture is great for those who prefer a more velvet finish. It’s highly pigmented, which helps it last all day, but this also means a little goes a long way. Here’s a makeup secret for applying: Brafford suggests using your ring finger to dab it on. By using a non-dominant digit, you are less likely to be heavy-handed.
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Get in the mood for mauve! Kassajikian says it’s the best blush shade for you, because it adds a bit of warmth in your otherwise cool skin. This option from Maybelline may have a budget price, but it wears just as nicely as a luxury formula. The award-winning blush is both blendable and buildable. Amazon reviewers appreciate that you can layer on the color, so you can keep it lighter for day and add a bit more punch for a night out. It’s also lightweight, so you never feel like you’re wearing a pound of makeup on your face.
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If your skin tone is similar to Jennifer Aniston or Jessica Biel, you’ll want to consider getting a little peachy. The reason: It will give you a warm, skin-brightening glow. With more than 23,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon, this selection from Milani is definitely one to consider. The richly pigmented powder has great color payoff, so it really pops on your skin. It’s also got a pretty shimmer to it, so you look extra radiant after applying it. Many of the five-star reviews note the golden shimmer, saying it gives them the perfect sun-kissed look. Use the best makeup brushes to apply this powder blush just right.
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Think about it: If soft pink works for fair skin, it only makes sense that a slightly deeper pink would be ideal for medium skin. And because you have neutral undertones, a straight-up rosy blush will give you a sweet, flirty vibe.
This rosy shade from Charlotte Tilbury should be applied to the center of your cheeks and blended outward for a natural-looking flush, says Sorrells. The pressed powder formula is made with finely crushed pearls so it goes on light, allowing you to customize your look and slowly build color until it looks just right. Swirl both shades together for an all-over rosy glow, or for a face-slimming makeup trick, use the brighter center shade on the apples of your cheeks and the outer color across cheekbones for a sculpted look.
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The good news: Olive skin is the most versatile, and lots of shades will work on you. If you want to warm up those cool undertones, consider dusting a berry shade across your cheekbones. It will add warmth to cooler skin tones without looking clownish.
This selection from Mad Hippie looks deeper in the pot than it goes on. It’s made with jojoba oil and shea butter, giving it a creamy texture that blends easily. The buildable formula makes it super versatile—you can dab on just a bit, or layer more for a bigger pop of color. The brand is also beloved for its clean beauty standards, like these natural beauty products free of silicones, petrochemicals, parabens, phthalates, and animal ingredients.
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Play up honey tones in your skin with a peachy bronze shade—as Kassajikian points out, peaches and coppers pop against warm, olive skin. You’ll notice celebs like Eva Mendes wearing this color too, because she’s got olive skin with warm undertones.
This formula from It Cosmetics is infused with blurring pigments, making your skin look poreless. The color is buildable, and it’s infused with skin care ingredients like collagen, antioxidants, and peptides. The result: a smooth powder that works on all skin types. You can prep skin with the best primers for an even more flawless look.
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As we already mentioned, olive skin is incredibly versatile when it comes to the best blush shades—and that’s even more true if you have neutral undertones like Selena Gomez or Jessica Alba. A poppy, reddish pink will be extra statement-making on you.
This favorite from Flower Beauty glides on so smoothly and leaves behind just the right amount of color. One Ulta reviewer loves how fast and easy the stick makes it to apply, while another raves that it gives a natural glow like you get after a nice yoga session.
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A deep plum is dark enough to show up on deep skin without trying to compete with it. Plus, a more purple shade will complement warm undertones without adding any ruddiness.
This Makeup by Mario stick has everything you need. One end contains a cream blush that leaves behind a dewy finish that never looks greasy. The other end has a brush to help you blend. Some of the five-star reviewers on Sephora highlight that it doesn’t fade all day.
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You’ll be berry glad you tried this blush! Inspired by the brand’s best-selling lipstick, this deep berry blush is meant to mimic the flush a night of passion leaves behind. The shade is dark enough to pop against deep skin tones while still being sheer enough to look natural and soft. The cream texture makes it easy to blend, and it has a slightly dewy finish that adds a youthful-looking glow. The blush is also formulated with raspberry leaf stem cell extract and vitamin E, both of which are known to hydrate. Reviewers call it a holy grail product!
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How gorgeous is this rose-shaped Winky Lux blush? But it doesn’t just come in pretty packaging: This mauve shade will give anyone the flirtiest flush. In terms of undertones, it’s neutral, which means it will work on people with warm or cool tones in their own skin.
The creamy formula is also pretty spectacular. It contains vitamin E to help nourish skin and give you a dewy finish that keeps you glowing all day long. Here’s an inexpensive beauty trick: It’s also highly blendable, so you can really work a small dab into your skin if you want just a faint hint of color.
Not sure what your skin tone is? No problem! There are a few simple ways you can narrow it down.
Chances are, you know whether you fall into the fair, medium, olive, or deep category. But you also need to know if you have warm or cool undertones. Urban Decay’s Global Makeup Artist Steve Kassajikian suggests thinking about whether you tend to burn in the sun or tan. If you get red, you likely have a cool undertone. If you get golden, you are warm. (Side note: You should always wear SPF to protect your skin. If you do want some overall color, opt for self-tanners.)
“Another way to figure it out is to look at the veins in your wrist,” says Kassajikian. “If they’re greenish, you’re warm. Purple indicates you’ve got cooler undertones.” Some people have a mix of both warm and cool undertones; if that describes you, you’re considered neutral.
In coming up with our curated list of the best blushes, we spoke with makeup artists to determine what different skin tones need. We also asked the experts for some of their top picks. From there, we considered beloved brands, including budget drugstore picks and clean beauty brands for clean skin care, as well as products with standout ratings and reviews. We also included a few shades that can work with all skin tones. Keep reading to find out what made our list!
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