I have light-medium skin with warmer, yellow undertones, but I am not super yellow-toned (a lot of true-yellow foundations are TOO yellow for me, as I have learned lately!). That being said, Chanel Jersey is my absolute go-to. If I don’t know what blush to pair with an eye/lip, this one always works!
— Christine
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NW0: Clinique Nude Pop, The Balm Cindy-Lou Manizer, MAC Tenderling.
I have a light medium olive skin tone and Tarte Exposed is my pick. I find myself reaching for it before I’ve even really thought about it! For me it’s just one of those blushes that I know will work with pretty much any look.
A very pale, cool-toned pink (like Benefit’s Dandelion). I switch brands depending on what formulation I’m looking for at the time. I use it like a highlighter to brighten up my face – it makes a bigger difference than you’d expect.
I like Jersey too. But, I reach for Nars madly a lot as well lately. My skin tone is pretty close to Christine’s for reference. I tend to go in phases with my “go-to ” blushes.
My past go-to was Bella Bamba, but now that it’s been discontinued (SOB!!), I’m kind of struggling!!! I’ve been using an ulta blush, and Becca Beach whatever in Lychee/Opal, but they are just not quite the same!!!
And isn’t it funny about skin tones? Like I am super cool-toned in terms of what colors I can wear–I look like blotchy red & green death in yellow, orange or beige– so I always assumed my skin was, too…but now that I’ve started to wear foundation regularly, I went to Sephora & got color matched, and it turns out my skin is neutral. Go figure.
I don’t think the Sephora system is good at picking up cool undertones in lighter-skinned people. I think it reads the melanin on the surface of the skin more. Anyway, it seldom matches me quite right.
My skin is a lot like yours (based on your foundation shades, I’m a juuust a shade lighter) so I will have to try Jersey out! My go to blush is Chanel’s Revelation cream blush, but that’s because it’s the only blush I own. I always say I’m going to pick up some new colors, but I find blush difficult to apply artfully and lipstick always gets first dibs on the makeup fund…
Yes, Chanel Jersey is a perfect go-to blush! Also Benefit Rockateur, Nars Madly, Milani Romanic Rose (pretty good dupe for Tarte Exposed)
TheBalm’s Frat Boy is my favorite “goes with everything” blush! Makeup Geek’s Spellbound is another of my favorites!
Christine our skin tones are nearly identical, so thanks for this post!
My question, for both yourself and other readers is, what are the deciding factors for choosing a blush shade? Is it matching to lips and/or shadow? Plum with plums, reds with reds, etc…. Or? Something entirely different? I’d love to hear other people’s opinions and experience with this. Lately I’ve needed “more color” and just don’t know how to choose blush!
I had a hard time trying to figure this out too. I was like, “but, how?” So my first suggestion would be to experiment. Try things out. Sometimes you might find things that work great together even if you don’t know why. Secondly, I’d suggest that if you need a starting point, try sticking within the same color family. So if you wear a red lipstick try a pink blush or maybe even a pinky coral one. And thirdly, try to find a great neutral blush for you. For Christine, that seems like Jersey. For me, it’s Tarte Exposed. So if you’re a similar skin tone, maybe try something within that realm. That way even if you don’t know what to pair with what you’re wearing, you know you can reach for that shade. Hope that helps!
I will definitely check out the Tarte Exposed shade this weekend, as well.
I’ll be 37 this year, and have started to notice a need for makeup (to look awake, rested, younger) as opposed to just wanting to wear a pop of color on my lips and eyes. (Oh, to be young again and only need a blotting of Chanel Vamp on my lips to be weekend-ready)
I’ve never given much thought to blush but now I can’t ignore it 🙂 thanks for your help 🙂
Yep, me too! I’m 45, and as we get older, we tend to get paler and lose that natural flush in our cheeks, so I really need blush. And since I’m cool toned, I really need a warmer blush to “warm up my face” and pull off warm shadows and warm lipsticks. And a soft purple blush can do wonders for pulling off purple lipstick. If you want to experiment, Colour Pop has a great range of colors/finishes, only $ 8 a blush, and they usually have swatches on their website with different skintones.
I like to have my blush and lipstick in same color family, not necessarily exact match, but similar. I think it just looks more coordinated, less chance of colors clashing.
Clashing is what I have been afraid of! I have been keeping the lipstick in step with my blush, but never really sure if I could possibly be too matchy-matchy. You are right that keeping similar does work better 🙂 thanks for your help 🙂
Hi, Kelly. I’ve found looking at a color wheel/using color theory is very helpful when choosing what makeup shades to wear together. Like today, I wore eyeshadow in shades of green (Happy St. Patrick’s Day!), so I chose a plummy blush. Red is green’s complement, but a red blush would have been too jarring and Christmas-y, so plum is the complement-adjacent.
Also, I think it’s perfectly fine to find one or two blushes in colors that look really nice on you and just wear those.
Hope that helps.
The color wheel idea is a great one and easy to work with as well. I think that I also need to look into better blush formulations, because I’ve always went *cheap* with blush and that just doesn’t cut it any longer. Thanks for the ideas 🙂
For me, #1 is that I have to like the color, and think that it looks good on me. Fortunately, with my fair skin and neutral undertones, I can get away with most blush colors, and I can go cool, neutral, or warm. I have to be cautious with anything too bright or dark: I have to be able to sheer it out.
I don’t always match my blush to my lip color, but I do try to keep them harmonious.
It might be a good idea for you to got to a Sephora or department store, and try on shades and see what strikes your fancy. Otherwise, I’d say get a few inexpensive drug store blushes, and try out a few different colors. Even if some are a fail, you haven’t wasted much money. Or if you like a color but not the drug store formula, you at least have an idea where to start when you buy mid-range or high end.
MAC Warm Soul, the old formula! My skintone is maybe slighty lighter than yours, Christine.
I second this, exactly what i was going to say!
I have pale pink toned skin. The blush I can wear with anything is Nars Sex Appeal. Its a very pale pink that makes my skin glow and compliments any lip or eye look.
Same reply as almost always when it’s about blush: Tarte Natural Beauty or MAC Sweet Sentiment. IT Cosmetics “Love” Blush Stain (don’t think it’s available except in a face powder trio) is a really close third, however. I just need to remember to use it more often.
I’m extremely cool toned so I naturally gravitate toward pinks as most peach/coral blushes appear orange on me.
My personal go-to blush for any lip colour and eye look is MAC Mocha. It’s a natural pink that gives my face colour, shape and dimension but neutral enough to go with every lip (as red lipstick look great, it can sometimes be difficult to pull off without looking overly made-up which is the case when using most of my other blushes).
I second MAC Mocha. I’m cool toned (NW15-20) and MAC Mocha has been my go-to this winter too. It gives me a natural flush without being too made up and nice definition, as you mentioned Chelsea. In Spring/Summer I prefer a brighter PPP of colour like MAC Pink Swoon or Tarte Dollface.
Agreed Georgina! I’m the same skin tone as you and I love MAC Stay Pretty for spring and summer which is similar to Pink Swoon and Doll Face.
I’ll have to try MAC Mocha! I’m NW20-ish
I fluctuate between neutral fair (winter) and warm light/golden (summer). I find Kevyn Aucoin Tansoleil (apricot) and MUFE 320 (rose) work all the time. I actually stopped buying blushes once I discovered those.
For me it’s 39-Cinnamon Spice by Jordana Cosmetic . I ordered Raizin by Mac lately i think it will be my go to soon 🙂
Nude Pop by Clinique, and Rosy Outlook by MAC. Both are perfectly subdued yet add a touch of color with a subtle satin-matte finish to my medium neutral/olive skin. They are my go-to blushes no matter the color of my other makeup and clothing.
I’m very fair with neutral undertones, N10-N13. My favorite “goes with anything” blush is Tarte Exposed, with Tarte Celebrated (LE) being a very close second. Other great ones are Too Faced Love Flush Blush in Baby Love, Urban Decay Afterglow in Rapture, Milani Rose Powder Blush in Awakening Rose, and Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush in Rose Champagne.
Do you know any perfect dupe for Tarte Exposed? Tarte does not ship to Europe – Greece, and I don’t have anyone in USA to send me. Thank you for your time.
Hi, Amalia! I love your name; it’s so pretty.
I personally haven’t seen an exact dupe for Exposed. I’m not sure what is sold in or ships to your country, but Too Faced Baby Love and Milani Rose Powder Blush in Awakening Rose are very, very close. They both are just slightly less pink than Exposed. Sleek Blush in Suede, Tarina Tarantino Neolpolitan Lane, and MAC Blushbaby are supposed to be similar to Exposed, but I don’t own them myself yet, so I can’t say for sure. I wish I could be more help. Maybe some of the other reader’s will have better ideas for you.
Christine has some dupes here, as well:
http://www.temptalia.com/makeup-dupe-list/tarte-amazonian-clay-12-hour-blush/exposed
Thank you , you are an angel.
I absolutely love MAC Small Vanity. I’m also really enjoying Becca Wild Honey. They go with pretty much everything I do. I am around the same skin tone as Christine – NC30ish.
I used to only wear mascara and maybe liquid eyeliner so this was easy. Now I am starting to wear eyeshadow (brown/gold/mauve, etc!) and I can see where this gets complicated.
I can’t wait to read peoples’ responses! I LOVE blush.
NARS Deep Throat looks very natural on my skintone, so that’s my go-to blush! I also like Too Faced Baby Love, the undertone is quite neutral on me so it goes with most looks.
Not so sure I actually have one that goes with every look, but I would have to say that UD Rapture comes the closest to doing this for me. Also, Nyx Pinched blush does a decent job in a warmer tone. It can be difficult to find blush that looks natural enough for that purpose that will also show up well on me. My skin is on the darker end of medium, but I still wouldn’t term it as “tan”, it has neutral olive undertones, but has a tendency to develop redness around my nose, inner cheek area and chin because of me having a milder case of Lupus (SLE).
Light skin with olive and some yellow tones NC20-25: Chanel Golden Sun, Burberry Earthy, UD Rapture
I’ve recently been using MAC Warm Soul and Becca Beach Tint in Fig almost everyday. They both give me such a natural flush to my cheeks. I don’t usually do a lot of makeup anymore mostly concealer, highlighter, blush and mascara. I’ve also been using the new Stila Convertible Cheek & Lip palettes which makes it easy to always find a blush that works with any look.
Nars Douceur for me (fair/cool toned skin)
I have very light skin with a yellow undertone-for instance Nars Siberia is about 1/2 shade to 1 shade too light for me but still wearable. My go-to blush is Rouge Bunny Rouge Original Skin Blush in Delicata. It’s the perfect neutral for me-like a nude lipstick in blush form.
Nars Madly or Tarte’s Exposed
I’ve been enjoying Illamasqua creme blush in Zygomatic lately. It looks quite natural on my NW20 skin.
For the palest of the pale: Benefit Dandelion. Anything darker than that on me just screams “I’m wearing blush!”
I feel very old, oldfashined and boring, but my go to blush is, yes, you guessed it, didn’t you?
Nars Orgasm. I like the slight shimmer, it gives a bit of colour without being too warm or too cool, well, you’ve all seen it, and most likely used it. Still my number one after all these years.
I tend to go for a pink based blush. I use a lot of Clinique Pink Pop but I also love MAC Dainty Mineralize Blush and, until I finished it, MAC Moon River Mineralize Blush (it was LE – I have a backup that I’m scared to open)! MAC Pink Swoon is a good all-rounder too. Finally, there is Benefit Bella Bamba
I don’t wear a lot of particularly warm colours so for me pink goes with everything! ?
I have really pale skin with a lot of redness in my cheeks because of some rosacea but otherwise usually pretty flawless skin. I tend to go for foundation shades like MAC NC15 as it cancels out some of that redness. I also have pretty dry skin but I’m religious in my use of skincare so that tends not to be a problem.
The blush I reach for when I’m not sure what to pick is usually Tarte Exposed as it’s a very natural, neutral blush that doesn’t clash with things.
If not I usually go for something in the coral (Benefit Coralisa/Hourglass Incandescent Electra/Nars Orgasm) or plum (Hourglass Mood Exposure/Nars Goulue/Bobbi Brown Plum) families depending on the look and/or season.
I’m about NC 30-35. I would pick Benefit’s Dallas as my go to blush/contour as it works well as both for medium skin tone
NARS Sex Fantasy is my most reached-for blush. I often use it in conjunction with other blushes. If I just want something neutral, I’ll use D&G Delight or Tarte Elevated.
Burberry’s Earthy! Clinique’s Nude pop! Thebalm Balm Desert! Love them all!
I just love the Natio Sunkissed blush mosaic. It has 5 different shades of peach, including a highlighter, that you swirl around with your blush brush and the effect is fantastic. Lasts a long time too.
I really like Urban Decay Innocent! It looks really natural and the soft peach shade goes with everything imo.
Mac format, Nars Taj Mahal, Nars Albatross, and Becca Copper shimmering skin perfector. The last two are actually highlighters but on my brown skin they both make me look like I have a gorgeous natural glow with just a flush of color. I wear them all the time as a blush and they work just fine. 🙂
I’m NC50 with a neutral undertone. My go to blush that goes with everything leans towards warm bronzed tones such as Tom Ford Savage, Mac’s Worldly Wealth and Mac’s Format or Terracotta shades like Mac’s Raisin and Sleek’s Sahara.
My go-to blush is BareMinerals’ Golden Gate in The Royal Court palette (LE). Goes with everything and it’s subtle enough not to clash. It’s also neither too warm nor too cool, so it’ll go with most looks I create. I do match cool blushes to cool eyes and lips and the same with warm shades. I won’t match them exactly but they will usually lean one way or another. I can pull off nearly all cool looks (except extreme or pale shades on my lips!) but have to be selective with warm shades. My skin is cool leaning towards neutral (NARS Terre Neuve), if something’s too yellow/warm it looks muddy on my skin tone.
I’m fair, warm (red warm more than coral warm). I’ve struggled with blushes, haven’t found that just-right replacement for discontinued Chanel Tempting Beige. I have spent a lot of time and money looking, for months now. Currently getting by with Clinique Fig Pop, but is a shade more orange than best for my color. So am appreciating reading everyone’s comments.
I´m a pale girl, and for me are perfect Hervana from Benefit and Baby dont go from Mac
I’m fair and neutral. I like Chanel Jersey, Estee Lauder Lovers Blush, Dolce & Gabbana Nude.
I’m a cool winter with extremely cool, greyish-pale skin. I wasn’t a great fan of blushes since whatever I used would look too orange, too dark or too colourful on my skin – until I tried Clinique Heather Pop. It’s the ideal blush for my skin tone, I hope it’s never discontinued.
I’m light with subtle yellow undertones and my pick is Dainty by MAC or Cameo Pink from H&M.
I’m light with subtle yellow undertones and my pick is Dame by MAC or Cameo Pink from H&M.
skin tone: med tan with yellow to neutral undertones and the blush that pretty much goes with everything is MAC Prism and MAC Sincere.
For my skin it’s a DC blush from Armani in shade #2. I also like many of Chanel’s choices including Jersey. It’s a little warm for me when I’m not having a Rosacea flare. The other blush I reach for a lot is NARS Orgasm. With equal parts pink and peach, it can hand with almost any look. Even smokey eyes with a light hand!
I have a bit of roseacea myself, do you feel jersey is a good time to help “blend” or at least naturalize (not neautralize) the redness? I sometimes use the Clinique redness solutions foundation which flattens me like a pancake but I’d like to find a blush that I can use with say, a lighter powder mineral foundation (bm) and sorry I work around my roseacea. Thanks! 🙂
*sort of, not sorry 🙂
I’m around NC10 and my goes-with-everything blush is Hello Waffle’s Blush Honey! It’s a matte neutral that gives a bit of color and life without being obvious. It seriously looks good with any look I go for. I also love that it’s matte so I can keep piling on the highlighter.
Warm Tones – NARS Taos
Cool Tones – NYX Mocha
For my Medium Neutral skin tone my go to is Nars Madly followed by Clinique Cheek Pop in Nude.
Benefit’s Dandilion is my favorite every day blush, and looks pretty natural on me.
If I’m sick, very tired, or just tired of people commenting on my paleness in the summer, I switch to Urban Decay’s Obsessed instead – it’s enough extra color to make me look less ghostly without making me look like I just ran up a big hill.
I’m a MAC NC50, and my go-to blush is Rock & Republic Contrived Blush in Shameless. It’s discontinued now, but I’ve read that MAC Sweet as Cocoa is a good dupe for it. I haven’t tried the MAC blush, but if I ever ran out of my fave, I’d buy it as a replacement.
Make Up For Ever HD blush in 210, Cool Pink. It reads neutral on me. My skin tone is between fair and light, cool undertones with warm features.
Many blushes and lipsticks look a degree warmer on me than they do on most people. Peaches look orange; neutral pinks look warm; slightly cool pinks look neutral; purples can look pink. Reds can do the same. It’s interesting! I think my undertones are so cool that things look warmer by contrast.
For example, YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #19, Fuschia in Rage, looks purple in the tube. When I put it on, it looks like a bright pink on my lips. Thursday I wore it while carrying a purple handbag and purple tote. People remarked on how my bags matched my lipstick — and they did! I didn’t even think about it, because the lipstick normally looks bright pink on me. But, with the bags there, you could tell that the lipstick was purple. It’s interesting how colors can morph and change depending on what other colors are nearby!
Tarte’s Dollface and Tipsy work well with my porcelain skin as well as Benefit’s Dandelion.
Lancome Cedar Rose. I’m fair neutral and this goes with every eyeshadow combo I’ve ever wore. It can be light for work (in a Midwest hospital so pretty conservative ) and then can be built up for a date night with hubby. I love blush, but I really love this one.
I think I reach for MAC Crazed Imagination from the RHPS collection every time I can’t decide what blush to wear. It’s just neutral enough that it looks good with just about any eye look I do and any lipstick!