I find matte blush tends to be harder to blend out and can stick/adhere too strongly in places over bare skin or foundation unless I’ve set my foundation first, which isn’t my preferred method!
— Christine
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This year has been the year of satin/shimmery blushes for me and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Matte blushes can be pigmented and pretty, but they make my cheeks look dry and emphasize fine lines and I’m all about that young juicy cheek look, lol.
Because I almost always set my foundation or BB cream *before* applying my cheek products, I can definitely use them. And I do have a few favorites: MAC Burnt Pepper and Cheek Pollen, Tarts Paaarty, and UD Bittersweet and Quiver.
However, there are always some that one simply cannot apply without first setting. They can get stuck in pores and look all streaky no matter what. I hate when they are so limited like that, because not everyone sets their foundation/bb/cc cream prior to applying cheek products.
As someone with oily skin, matte face products are all i wear. No cons at all. They’re a life saver for us oily people.
Like I’m sure everyone else is saying, matte blush can have a tendency to be hard to blend, look chalky, and even change color more dramatically. But matte blushes CAN be done well and even be demi-matte or natural up close but look matte from a distance. I have a very broad face so I like to be able to control where the shimmer is.
There are matte blushes and then there are matte blushes! A good matte blush will have a bit of luminosity (not glitter, not sparkle) to it so that it creates a soft and subtle glow which adds dimension to the cheeks. A bad matte, conversely, will look artificial, flat, and lifeless. Because there is nothing in it to reflect light, the look it creates is dull and sunken.
Matte is definitely tricky to do right – I find the best are like MUFE’s, where they are mostly matte… not overtly shimmery or pearlescent but very… skin-like.
My skin gets shiny and a matte blush provides a more refined look. But some colors, especially pinks, look artificial on me if they are matte.
LIKE: Matte blushes work with any look and they don’t show skin texture as much as shimmers.
DISLIKE: They can be harder to blend or look dry on the cheeks. They lack the depth of shimmers or even satins.
I actually prefer a semi matte to matte blush myself (the only kind of matte I like) because I have found that I don’t like shimmery effects on my cheeks. The trick is to get a good quality one that is easy to blend and adds that colour to your cheeks without being overwhelming.
i find the lightly luminous cheek blush of Clinique’s Melon Pop to work well on my complexion.
Matte blushes can emphasize texture & have a tendency to apply in a patchy manner.
Only apply them over powder for best results.
Favorite (and inexpensive) amazing quality matte blushes = Essence Satin Love and Satin Coral.
I love the gamut of blushes as I rarely wear just one blush. I typically wear a blush, a blush hybrid and a bit of highlighter on the planes of my face which still do not have wrinkles (a shrinking proposition, surely). With that in mind, I love a matte blush as a base. There are caveats to that: I prefer a sheerer formula and I tend towards lighter blushes in matte formula. If I am wearing a darker blush, I will pick something easier to blend like a satin or hybrid or a duo with h/l which I can swipe out of pan.
I feel like a good matte blush looks rather natural on me, and also makes a good contrast against whatever shimmery, sparkly highlighter I’m using. These days I pretty much always use the matte blushes in my contour kit.
I don’t think I’ve had a bad experience with matte blush, probably because I’ve been lucky and stayed away from poor-quality ones. The complaints that you all are sharing do sound very frustrating.
I like how a matte blush can look more doll like, but I also find them a bit harder to blend out neatly. I still use them though, but with a shimmery highlight