YES! I love a blush with enough shimmer to double as a highlighter, but I’m routinely “more shimmer” over subtle as a personal preference. I also find they’re easier to apply than more matte blushes, so that is another bonus!
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
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!
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!
I do but I just think of them as shimmery blushes rather than “highlighting” blushes (this seems to be a recent term). My favourite MAC finish always used to be the Sheertone Shimmer formula and in recent years, their Extra Dimension blushes because I do like a glowing finish. I don’t really think of them as “highlighters” though – just as blushes with shimmer (far less confusing!)
Oh, and while we’re discussing this, WHAT is that GORGEOUS Dior blush in the photo? I’m hyperventilating!
Dior – Plum Pop (011)
Is this new, Christine? I don’t see it on Sephora’s site (though I’ve not yet checked The Bay, which always has a wider selection of Dior products).
Yes, it’s new. I bought mine from Saks.
Gorgeous color! I’ll take that in a satin cream formula to go, please! 😉
Absolutely! I don’t like anything too shimmery, but I love how a blush with a bit of shimmer can bring life into my dry face, especially on breakout days when I’ve got lots of concealer on and things are starting to look pretty dull.
The only shimmering blush I have is NARS Orgasm, which all in all isn’t really that shimmery. I adore my matte blushes and think they look natural and natural is more my style (other than when I go out on the weekends and like more fun looks). Subtle highlight can look good, but I dislike my overpowering (imo, not to those who love the stuff) highlights that look like I got in a fight with the shimmer all over my cheeks so have never cared to mix it with my blush.
Yes! One less step is helpful on some days. Or similarly I’ll use highlighters designed for deeper skin tones as a shimmery blush. I’m fond of the Dior Luminizer in Rose Gold and the Hourglass Rose Gold Flash for this reason.
I like a shimmer blush, too, but unlike Christine, I reverse the application process. Every year about this time, I pull out my Armani sheers (4 of them) and mix them for various blush looks, then apply a dusting of ‘moist’ powder over them. I have a few translucent powders that aren’t matte, but aren’t shimmery, either. They tone down the Armani sheers, which don’t look too shimmery indoors, but are a bit too shimmery in natural sunlight for my taste.
Had Dior included a rose pink in the shade range of their new highlighter blushes, I’d have made the proverbial mad dash to buy it. I dodged a bullet, budget-wise.
Sorry, Christine. I misread your comment completely.
I have hormonal acne, so it’s a hit or miss for me. When I’m not experiencing a breakout on my cheeks, I do enjoy them, but when I am, I avoid them like the plague. For that reason, I don’t own a lot. I’ve really been enjoying cream blushes b/c even if there is a little shimmer in them, they don’t emphasize texture as much as a powder blush with shimmer. I still use a regular highlighter with them b/c generally I want to be super glowy, but there are times when I find that the shimmery blush itself is enough.
I do love a more shimmery blush, but mostly I just love MAC’s extra dimension blushes. Not only do they provide a glow, but they last a long time on me. They are my absolute favorite,
I love ‘em.. whether I wear them as is or layer over a matte blush in lieu of an h/l… Heck, sometimes I’ll do both, but always with a light hand. At this point, it’s very rare for me to go matte on my cheeks, a bit of shimmer goes a long way to soften features.
Christine, is it possible when you do these types of questions to tag the item in the picture? There are times when I know what it is and times when I do not. If it creates too much extra work, please don’t worry about it.
It would have to be something coded by my developer and then also require a reworking of some design elements on all devices – I can put it on our to do list but definitely a lower priority item at the moment!
Try doing a Google image search — it’ll ask you to enter the URL of the image, then it’ll find other instances of that image. That usually solves the mystery.
To get the URL of the image, right-click on it and select “copy image location.”
Only if I’m contouring with color, which is the actual purpose of a “sculpting blush” (and that’s the reason they don’t tend to blend out well on the apples of the cheeks). That said, I typically use a more “natural” contour product, and opt for an account highlighter.
I’m usually into matte or satin blush finishes, I definitely don’t like something too highlighting or shimmery. But I sometimes enjoy a golden-peachy blush with a tad of highlights (like MAC Springsheen), makes my face more vibrant.
Immensely! I rarely reach for matte blushes, these days. I don’t like glitter, but I definitely seek pearl or shimmer in my cheek color products!
They’re pretty, but I’m all about the mattes personally
I sure do! Especially when I’m in a hurry, and just need as many one & done products that I can use. My favorites are MAC Oh My, Passion and ND Pink Champagne (btw, these 2 look awesome together, too!).
Th only shimmery blushes i like are the Extra Dimension blushes from Mac. They give a beautiful soft glow to the skin.
I love shimmer blushes as I’ve gotten older. I wish I could replace all of my matte blushes with shimmer ones.
I feel like shimmer blushes age me so I tend to stay away from them and go with satin or matte finish.
I’m still not entirely sure what the difference between a “highlighting blush” and a “shimmery blush” is (lightness of color? opacity? marketing?). Whatever you call them, I like them, especially if I have a more matte eye look going on.
Whatever that Dior blush in the picture is, I want it.
To be honest, I am often confused about whether a cheek product is a highlighter or a blush or both. And the reality is that I like to see and swatch the shades for myself before purchasing. I din’t really like a full on shimmer at all. As it is pretty difficult here in Aus to have access to good quality affordable blushes like in the Colour Pop range to test, it is tricky.
Honestly, it’s more about how you’d wear it / your skin tone – like a highlighter might be more of a blush on someone with very fair skin but a true highlighter for someone with medium skin!
As long as it’s not ridiculous. A subtle shimmer, like Orgasm, can be really pretty, but a full-on highlighter type shimmer is a no for me. I use highlight for that, and I tend to keep that much shimmer a little further back on my cheekbone than my blush.