Melt Cosmetics Golden Hour Cream Blushlight Review & Swatches
Golden Hour
Melt Cosmetics Golden Hour Cream Blushlight ($22.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a medium, peachy-orange with strong, warm undertones and fine, golden pearl throughout. It had a soft, luminous sheen that wasn’t glossy but more than satin as the formula did dry down for the most part.
The texture was smooth, creamy, and moderately emollient with good blendability and glide over my skin, whether over bare skin or over foundation. It had opaque pigmentation that tended to sheer out to more semi-opaque, buildable coverage in practice. It wore nicely for eight hours before fading noticeably.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- ColourPop Love Story (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever B304 (P, $23.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Cali Dream (P, $22.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Kosas Velvet Melon (Blush) (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Huda Beauty Perky Peach (P, $25.50) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- ColourPop Golden Hour (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- ColourPop Mercy Me (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- ILIA I Put a Spell on You (P, $34.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Patrick Ta She's Sincere (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
- Glossier Dusk (P, $18.00) is less shimmery, darker, more muted (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$22.00/0.14 oz. - $157.14 Per Ounce
The product is primarily marketed as a cream blush, but the brand also stated that they can be applied to lips as well with some shades working as cream eyeshadow for a monochromatic look. There was nothing about coverage that I could find, though the brand's swatches--both live and in promotional images--were opaque.
The formula was lightweight, moderately emollient, and slightly gel-like, which helped it spread better over bare skin and over base products. Most shades were not prone to lifting up base products and worked well with both fingertips and brushes for application.
As the formula was more pigmented with most shades ranging from semi-opaque to fully opaque, I found brushes were particularly good at getting a sheerer, more diffused application, especially around the edges. If you want a sheerer effect, I'd recommend using less product and building up more as they were more pigmented than most cream-based blushes.
They dried down to a more transfer-resistant finish, so they did not remain emollient, which helped them last longer on my skin. They could still be blended out once dry, and if I rubbed with a fingertip, product would transfer, but the color didn't lift away if I had to brush a stray eyelash or hair from my face (as examples). They still had a natural sheen on my skin, less than dewy but definitely not matte either!
On average, they lasted eight hours on me with a couple of shades lasting a touch longer. I found the shimmer-less shades to last slightly longer in comparison to the shimmery shades, which were more emollient in the pan as well.
Browse all of our Melt Cosmetics Cream Blushlight swatches.
Ingredients
ISOAMYL LAURATE, ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, MICA, POLYGLYCERYL-2 TRIISOSTEARATE, POLYETHYLENE, OCTYLDODECANOL, SILICA, BEHENYL DIMETHICONE, TRIBEHENIN, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, TALC, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, TIN OXIDE, BHT, BENZYL BENZOATE. MAY CONTAIN: TITANIUM DIOXIDE CI 77891, IRON OXIDES CI 77492, RED 6 CI 15850
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Ugh. I hate that I can’t use this (ingredient issues). It would look beautiful on my skin.
This was the colour I am most interested into, at least from the promotional swatches. But, frim your review, I strongly suspect that this might be too fair? Do you consider this too fair for you complexion?
No, but it depends on the kind of look you’re looking for – like it is a more subtle color on me, but if you prefer barely-there blush or feel like you often do it, then something subtle might be the right choice!
How pretty! And definitely very spring-like, too. Not sure if it’s too light for me, but if not, I want it.
Hi Christine thanks as always for your reviews – such a pleasant part of my day to read them. I have been going through a lot of your blush reviews and Editor’s picks ever since Becca announced they are closing down. I was wondering if you had a good formula dupe for Becca’s mineral blushes please? )The shade I wore and loved for many years was Flowerchild and I have gone through color dupes for that).
I find their blushes were very luminous without a lot of glitter, highly pigmented but natural in finish and easy to blend out, and not fragranced or allergenic (looking at you Chanel). I love powder blushes over cream so I would really appreciate any suggestions you may have please. I have tried some old Nars faithfuls which I find can be a bit too shimmery but beautiful in every other aspect, as well as Mac (though some of their older pressed powders – I think Love Cloud?) are a bit more dusty and sheer.
Would you have any suggestions for brands that you would recommend please and thank you?
MAC Extra Dimension blushes, possibly, though you may find those too shimmery! Unfortunately, more satin-like blush is hard to find!
Thank you Christine I will check them out and let you know how it goes!
This is such a pretty shade, probably too ‘warm’ for me, but lovely nonetheless.
Lovely soft peach for spring!