Archived Post

Rant & Rave: Powder Blush

Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Powder Blush!

my answer: Powder blush is my personal go-to and preference for blush, just because it’s easy to apply, blend out, and lasts well (overall). I don’t like them when the texture is too stiff, though, especially with bolder shades, as blending is difficult.

18 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
xamyx Avatar

While I love the ease & convenience of a powder blush, I prefer the result of creams, as they tend to look more natural. I don’t mind having to touch-up products through the day, so “staying-power” isn’t a factor (when I first started with makeup, “long-wear” products didn’t exist, so we had no expectations, and got used to it, LOL!).

As for “bold” shades, again not an issue, since I prefer blush to look natural. However, I do have some shades that take a bit of extra “effort” (then again, makeup in general could be considered an “extra effort” by some…), it’s nothing a bit of translucent powder on the brush can’t take care of. If it’s *too* “bold”, then it just doesn’t belong in my stash. There are too many other options available.

Kenzie Avatar

Powder blush is definitely my favorite type of blush. I prefer a satin finish to matte so that it doesn’t have that “powdery” look. My only “rant” would be that certain powder blushes are a bit harder to blend but honestly that’s not really a problem that I run into often.

Mariella Avatar

Basically, I love everything about powder blush. It’s my blush of choice and Tarte Amazonian Clay is my powder blush of choice! I guess if there’s anything I don’t like, it’s blushes that are powdery/chalky and lacking in pigmentation. Also, I wish I could find a half decent retractable blush brush. Most of the ones I’ve checked have had lousy ratings so I might as well stick with the 2 crummy ones I own now. Anyone have a recommendation for a good one that is retractable?

Joyce Avatar

I like how blushes are easy to apply and blend. However, even with liquid foundation (& primer), powder blush doesn’t last very long on me (3 hours maybe?) In order to have longer staying power, I have to use a small layer of cream blush or cheek stain first and then apply powder. Any ideas on how to make powder blush and highlighters stay longer on my skin? I think its due to the fact that I have extremely dry skin.

Wwendalynne Avatar

Yes, most know blush is a big weakness for me and I am always adding to my collection. At this point, the vast majority are in powder form. My preferred cheek, however, is a powder blush layered over a cream blush for added depth and freshness, particularly when the powder blush itself lacks depth and reads as one single colour. I think a cream base really helps to soften the whole look, whereas powder can come off very contrived especially when the texture is stiff and the powder isn’t fine enough to diffuse properly.

Jennifer Avatar

My cheeks are rosy enough I’m usually trying to hide red, not add it. This has led to an ongoing fascination with blush where I can’t help but research all the products and colors and application techniques even though I know I will never have cause to use them.

Unless pancake foundation comes back. Maybe I’m preparing for the pancake foundation apocalypse?

Laurie Avatar

I love powder shade simply because some of my all time favorite blushes are powder formula. However, I find that when I go travel I prefer bringing cream blushes because I can apply them using my hands 🙂

Jan Avatar

My love affair with blush changes with the seasons. We’ve just gone from incredible heat and humidity to San Francisco like weather here, so I spent some time rearranging my drawers to pull my autumn favorites closer to the front. Farewell, sheer sun-kissed shades, hello berries and plums.
I have a small but very wearable selection of autumn powder blushes that don’t require a cream underneath them (although I do occasionally still use a cream underneath). I’ll also tend to wear cream blushes solo as well. In the cooler months, the choice of powder vs cream is driven by the foundation I chose (cool here is mid-60s to high 70s so I’m a bit spoiled).
It’s shaping up to look like NARS Dolce Vita, MAC Plum Foolery, MAC Love Joy, and NARS Taos as my autumn favorites – so far. . . I also have an unnamed powder blush in a very inexpensive palette that has incredible texture and gorgeous coloring. It’s a matte creates that gorgeous glow when used with just about any shimmer blush.

Astrogherkin Avatar

I absolutely love powder blushes; they are my favourite makeup product. There’s so much colour and texture variety with them and you can get many different effects with them. If you use a duo-fibre brush you can get a very subtle and buildable application.

I feel like cream blushes too often all end up looking the same on your skin, or even disappearing into your skin even if you apply them generously. I am interested in exploring more cream blushes though.

What I don’t like about powder blushes is sometimes I have dry patches or blemishes on my cheeks, and they sometimes stick there and look horrible. I try to use a primer before (Catrice’s Prime and Fine) and moisturise and hydrate my skin very well so this doesn’t happen. Cream blushes tend to stick on those patches too. :/

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!