Urban Decay Spring 2011: Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tints

Urban Decay Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tints ($24.00 for 0.14 oz.) are a new way to get a hint of color with the “glow of a cream without any greasy feel.” The shades have “lightweight, sheer, buildable color” that can be used on bare skin or over foundation. There are seven shades: Bang (sheer coral red), Crush (sheer hot pink), Fetish (sheer mauve with fine pearlized finish), Greedy (sheer blackberry), Indecent (sheer apricot with pearly gold shimmer), Quickie (sheer bubble-pop-electric pink), and Score (sheer pink lemonade with fine pearlized finish).

• Bang is a sheer darkened orange–almost like a burnt orange but not burnt in a bad way. I think this is a shade suitable for medium to dark skin tones, likely with yellower undertones.
• Crush is a semi-bright Barbie pink. It seems to blend seamlessly against my warmer complexion in a way that makes it look natural, and I think it’s due to the very subtle blue undertone.
• Fetish is a pinked mauve with soft white shimmer. It looks more like a soft rose on my cheeks, and the shimmer is detectable but not overpowering.
• Greedy is a cool-toned purple-berry. It looks intimidating in the pan, but like all of the shades, it is sheer, so it is more workable. I think this is a shade that suits cooler skin tones in particular.
• Indecent is a shimmering peach-orange with soft gold shimmer. On me, it kind of disappears, but it gives a natural glow/flush that I do like. Lighter skin tones will see more color pay off, though.
• Quickie is a cotton candy pink with blue undertones and a light white shimmer. Despite the bluer undertones, it doesn’t look too cool or pale on my skin tone.
• Score is a rosy pink-brown with pale champagne shimmer. I’m not sure what about this is really “pink lemonade.” On my medium skin tone, this gives a slight rosiness to cheeks, but it would work better on lighter skin tones.

I always find that cheek stains/tints always do better on bare skin than on foundation-covered skin, and it held true (for me) when I was testing out these new tints. They are touted as a tint, and there is nothing in the marketing materials that speaks on expected wear time. With shimmering shades, wear definitely seemed reduced with three to four hours of nice wear, but then some fading as the day worn on. For the shimmer-less shades, wear was better and gave four to six hours of color and began fading thereafter. I could extend the wear (for either finish) by another hour or so by applying it directly on bare skin. (I, unfortunately, do not have perfect or anywhere close to perfect skin, so I don’t see myself wearing the tints on their own very often.)

They are very easy to use, and Urban Decay is right when they say they are difficult to mess up. These blend into the skin very well, just with fingertips alone, but they also worked well with a small stippling brush (I used MAC’s 188). My preferred method of application is to use a brush to deposit the color on the cheeks and a (clean) fingertip to blend out the edges.

These can be used on the lips, but they work best on freshly exfoliated lips. I also felt like I needed several swipes of product to get enough to give my lips a boost in color. I don’t feel like it works much like a stain, because it easily wipes off (napkins, coffee cups). The consistency is also thin, so it does not seem to lock moisture in. It has a slightly creamy, but more gel-like consistency and texture–I would say they are a cross between MAC’s Cremeblends (that were limited edition) and Tarte’s Cheek Stains. They would also be comparable to Stila’s Convertible Color.

When compared to Tarte’s Cheek Stains, these are a lot less for your money, but against other high-end brands (like NARS, Stila, etc.) for cream or gel blushes, Urban Decay’s pricing/quantity seems to be right there on average.

All seven shades looked natural, and all but Indecent gave my medium skin tone noticeable color. I see Crush, Fetish, and Quickie being popular amongst most skin tones. Indecent is lovely for fairer skin tones or as a highlighter on medium to dark skin tones. I like Bang and Quickie for cooler skin tones, while Bang and Indecent seem best for warmer skin tones.

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• Product: 25/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: If you are a fan of Tarte’s Cheek Stains, I think you will like these. They have a similar consistency, but they come in pot form.

AVAILABILITY: January 2011 @ urbandecay.com, early February 2011 @ Beauty.com, Macy’s, Sephora, ULTA

See more photos & swatches!

Urban Decay Bang Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Bang Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Bang Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Crush Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Crush Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Crush Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Fetish Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Fetish Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Fetish Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Greedy Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Greedy Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Greedy Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Indecent Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Indecent Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Indecent Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Quickie Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Quickie Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Quickie Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Score Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Score Afterglow Cheek Tint

Urban Decay Score Afterglow Cheek Tint