Archived Post
5 Blushes to Try for Fair Skin Tones
I’m often asked for recommendations for blushes, and I thought I’d put together an updated, three-part series on blushes for fair, medium, and dark skin tones (I’ve done this at least once before). I’d love for you to share your favorites for your skin tone as well 🙂 The more suggestions, the better! (Keep in mind, this is only a jumping off point–five recommendations at various price points, finishes, and undertones, but there are certainly many more that would suit!)
- NYX Flamingo — a cool-toned, matte pink
- Illamasqua Peaked — a cool-toned, pink-plum
- Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane — a muted, rosy brown with a matte finish
- Makeup Geek Spellbound — a soft, warm-toned pink with a satin finish
- Make Up For Ever #310 — a medium, warm-toned pink
Mac Peaches, NYX Mauve, and Hard Candy’s Fox In A Box are my go-to’s when I’m suuuuper pale. Highly recommend!
Thank you for sharing your recs, Kelsey! 😀 I can see Peaches working well on fair skin!
NYX Pinched, MAC Dainty and Benefit Coralista are favourites of mine! I love my blushes to have a golden tone.
I can see a love for coral 😉
Hee. This was probably inspired by your site!
I’m pretty sure I need ALL of those blushes, especially the NYX one! Currently I’m switching between NARS Orgasm and a Tarte Amazonian Clay blush that I can’t remember the name of. I need some variety! 🙂
I hope you give one of them a try 🙂 Keep me posted!
Some of my favorites are Hourglass Luminous Flush, Clinique Plum Pop, and Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink.
What do you like to use to apply Pale Pink, Ashley?
Becca Gypsy. It’s a cool pink with a gold sheen. The sheen makes me (fair and neutral to slightly warm) look nice and healthy) and the pink is very subtle. My go-to right now.
Illamasqua Naked Rose is the best completely natural looking blush I have.
Naked Rose is really nice! I wish Illamasqua was easier to find.
NARS Gaeity is my go-to blush, especially when I wear a more yellow-based foundation to cover up all my redness.
Great pick, Aubri!
In warmer months, I love Illamasqua Tremble- a light but bright pinky-coral. In cooler months, I like Illamasqua Thrust (with a light hand, of course). It’s a vibrant cool-toned plum. Deep plums are surprisingly natural on fair skin, but for some reason it’s difficult to find plums that lean more purple than brown.
I see you’re an Illamasqua fan! 😀
I love seeing bolder blushes on fair skin – so pretty!
I am! They have a great mix of slightly unusual shades. I would love to see Urban Decay do something similar with blush.
I love that Ilimasqua one!
I’m currently using MAC Full of Joy and a tarte Flushed stain for cooler looks or Benefit Coralista for a warm glow.
Very nice! 🙂
Yess, Spell Bound. I also like MAC Dainty.
Nice picks!
Love the colors coral pinks in live with
Yay!
I’m more on the medium side in terms of skin tone, but Illamasqua Peaked looks soo pretty! I would definitely wear that myself. 🙂
Definitely could work for medium skin, too 🙂
My absolute favorite is MAC Tenderling! It it the first blush i’ve ever bought, and even though i’ve got plenty blushes now, i use this one almost every day…
Aww! 😀
Burberry Peony is my go-to, and Rose and Misty are similar. 🙂 I have a couple others I love but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.
I can see Misty being a nice blush for skin!
I love NARS Douceur and Sex Appeal. Also, Benefit Dandelion.
Perfect picks for fair skin for sure!
I haven’t tried most of these; I’ll have to give them a shot!
My favs for my pale skin are Tarte Exposed & Dollface, Benefit Coralista, Mac Pinch O’ Peach, Burberry Tangerine, Nars Luster. My only chanel cream blush was LE but I love it and would really like to try more!
Neopolitan Lane is a lot like Exposed! 🙂 I prefer the formula from Tarina Tarantino, but I know Tarte Exposed is more popular/more accessible.
Lately it’s benefit’s rockateur, rimmel sunkissed cherry, mac cream soda, lancome sheer amourose and clinique peach pop.
I almost picked Rockateur for this!
detrivore cuncubine:Matte, muted purpley-beige., it s more a plum beige to me.
Sounds pretty!
It is pretty 🙂
I have the MUF 310 and truly love it. Sometimes I set it with NARS Sin to amp it up.
I really like that Illamasqua and the Tarina Tarantino one. Thanks for the post. Hope you are having a restful sunday.
Happy to share, Andrea! Hope you had a lovely weekend 🙂
Some of my favourites are MAC Dollymix and Her Blooming Cheek (which was LE), Tarte Natural Beauty (my standard answer to any blush question), Bobbi Brown Pale Pink and Too Faced La Vie en Rose (discontinued – I’m sort of hoarding the one I have). I need to try the MUFE cream blushes – all the shades look so unappealing to me in the display but I guess it’s how they transform on the skin that is the key factor.
The MUFE blushes definitely are underwhelming in the pans – worth swatching/applying for sure – but I can totally see why they’d get overlooked in-store.
I’ve used Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane a few times now and I’m surprised by how much I like it on my skintone. It’s a great choice 🙂 I also really like Josie Maran’s Everlasting Honey (rosy nude), I also think the Too Faced Candy Glow heart blush is nice and versatile 🙂
It’s a really lovely neutral!
these are beautiful choices. I am light skinned versus fair, but think Illamasqua Naked Rose is a great choice for powder blush as it can work on both cool and warm skin and the colour is soft enough to be pulled off by fair skin too.
I love Naked Rose!
MAC Cream Soda, NARS Gilda, Estee Lauder Peach Nuance, NARS Boys Don’t Cry, NARS Exhibit A (with a very light hand) and Chanel Rose Initiale are my favourites right now. I have been considering Chanel Canaille a purchase of lately because I don’t really have anything like it in my collection right now. They have it in stock at a shop close to me, but I have yet to try it. *ponders*
Love that you wear Exhibit A! 🙂
Canaille is a very pretty shade!
Thanks for your recommendations, Christine and everyone else! I like Bobbi Brown Powder Blush in Nude Pink and Nude Peach — the latter especially for the summer. I’m searching for a great red blush now, and I’m not even sure what I want exactly, but I’m hoping I’ll know it when I see it! 🙂
My pleasure, Christine!
Heh, I want to try all of these brands!! ALL OF THEM *heavy breathing* 😛
This is an awesome idea for a series (update), and I like your selections! My current favourites are (no surprises) Chanel Affinite and Clinique Peach Pop!
Both great picks, but you knew that 😉
I’m fairly pale and I love Illamasqua’s Katie and Lover. MAC warm soul. Physician’s Formula Happy Booster in Pink. I need to check out that Tarantino looks like it would be such a flattering neutral.
It is a great neutral! If TT is too hard to get, Tarte Exposed is also similar!
I’m an NW10/15 and my favorite blush is Bobbi Brown Nude Pink – though it does require a gentler hand in the winter months or even it can go on too strong. I’d love to find a shade as light as NARS Sex Appeal in a cooler tone. The new Makeup Geek blush is looking like a good option!
Let me know if you end up trying the Makeup Geek option! 🙂
Benefit’s Hervana is my favorite!
That’s a great one for lighter complexions!
I am caramel with yellow undertones and find that Nars Dolce Vita and Exhibit A go well with my complexion.
Great choices, Donna!
I’m extremely pale and my favorite daily blush is NYX Red, which is actually very pigmented but I just lightly touch it with my blush brush and then get rid of excess by brushing twice on the back of my hand, it gives the most beautiful naturally pinched look on fair skin! Other favorites of mine are MAC Desert Rose and NYX Pinched.
Sounds super pretty, Irene! I’m a total believer in even the richest, most pigmented, darkest blush shades as wearable for the very lightest of skin tones – it’s all in the application!
Even though I’m not really a blush person, I think that Milani Luminoso, Tarte Glisten, and Benefit Rockateur are all good picks for lighter skintones!
I almost picked Rockateur, but the list was leaning too warm already, lol!
I have very fair skin, and I love Benefit Dandelion. On darker skin it’s invisible or at best a highlight, but it’s so pretty on fair skin.
Oh, yeah, that’s definitely a shade most suitable for lighter skin tones 🙂
NARS Sex Appeal is hands down my favorite.
Very pretty on fair skin!
I like NARS Orgasm, Illamasqua Hussy, Two old ones now, Lancome Blush Majeur in Rose Aurore no 09, Clinique Rich Texture Blush in Rich Plum. Two creme, MUFE in 225 and YSL Crème de Blush in 7, the YSL is from last summer.
I’ll have to check out NYX Flamingo and Illamasqua Peaked. They look amazing, Spellbound is already on my musthave list.
I love Peaked in particular, because the cream formula is so easy to work with!
Definitely passing these recommendations onto Mum!
Yay!
Thanks for this post! I’ve been eyeing that NYX one. I’m extremely pale, so I usually prefer a blush that is sheer, so I can’t accidentally put too much on. Tarte’s Amazonian ones are great, I love Doll face (similar in color to NYX Flamingo, maybe a touch less blue). I just got Sleek’s Life’s a Peach (sheer orange) which is great for a warm/coral tone look.
Oh, I also love the original Benetint (the red one). Really natural looking and comes out pretty neutral tone on me–love to wear it with my neutral/cool red lipsticks.
Totally hear ya! I’m medium in tone, and in general, I reach for blushes that are about medium in coverage – I don’t want to have to layer a lot on, but I don’t want to have to worry about just barely touching the brush to the pan or else getting way too much product!