Best Blushes (2023) | Editor's Top Picks

There is no shortage of highly rated powder blushes over the years, but in the last couple of years, we have seen a massive increase in liquid blushes and cream blushes as well. This list includes a mix of all three. They are editor-approved and editor-tested, featuring the best blushes for 2023 (as they’re presently available). I’ve tried to include a mix of brands, shades, and formulas so that our list of best blushes offers something for everyone.

Every product recommended below has been tested and reviewed by me, your editor-in-chief, and I test thousands of products every year–so each product really had to earn their way onto this list. To read more about a specific shade or view swatches, make sure to use the drop downs and buttons below, as we’ve tried to make this guide comprehensive and easy to use!

Best Blushes (2023)

The best blushes for 2023 include:

The way I approach my guides is by focusing permanent formulas that have stood the test of time–they are high quality, consistent, and all formulas that have performed well. Every shade is thoroughly tested and reviewed, and these are formulas where I’ve often tested every shade in the line of, so I really grasp each formula’s strengths and weaknesses!

Pat McGrath Divine Blush

The formula is supposed to be "featherlight, long-wearing" that "build effortlessly from sheer to subversive." The blushes are available in two finishes--demi-matte and satin pearl--and range from more muted to more vivid in color. The biggest "downfall" of the formula was that it was rather pigmented than buildable, so one could use a lighter hand to get more buildable coverage, but I found I had to use a light to moderate hand to ensure I didn't over-apply each shade. Read more...

Makeup by Mario Soft Pop Blush Stick

The formula is supposed to have "sheer, buildable coverage" with a "healthy and radiant" finish. If a truly dewy finish is something you love, the formula might be right up your alley; if dewy is your arch nemesis, move along as this very much lived up to its "radiant" claim. There wasn't a real dry down, so it wasn't all that transfer-resistant, though it didn't slide off my face too readily either--most shades lasted between seven and eight hours on me. Read more...

Lethal Cosmetics Magnetic Face Powder (Blush)

The formula is supposed to blend "effortlessly" and "build" to a "luminous matte" finish and "any intensity with ease." In general, they had medium, buildable coverage that easily built up to mostly opaque to opaque coverage. Read more...

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush

The formula is supposed to give a "fresh wash of color" that is "effortless" to blend with a "natural-looking" finish. The coverage is designed to be "sheer, buildable" with a "sweat- and water-resistant formula." The brand recommends to apply with fingertips or their 125 brush (which is a fairly dense, angled brush). Read more...

ColourPop Blush Stix

The formula is supposed to "blend effortlessly" with a "natural, skin-like finish" that can be layered or applied on bare skin. The brand recommends applying directly from the tube for heavier coverage and using a brush to pick up product for less coverage, though the coverage "easily builds colour to your heart's desire." They dry down to a semi-set finish--lightly dewy, definitely "natural, skin-like" in appearance, but not overly tacky or really wet-looking. I haven't found that they migrate or move around much, so the formula is still longer-wearing at seven to nine hours with minimal movement. They have applied well and worn well over foundation thus far, too. They are not transfer-proof but are transfer-resistant; they won't smear around with an inadvertent touch but aren't fully locked down. Read more...

Sydney Grace Pressed Blush

It's a more pigmented blush, so it favors those who need or want richer coverage achieved with less product or in one layer, but those who prefer sheerer, more buildable blush may find there is a learning curve. The formula was very blendable and easy to work with, so I think it is more forgiving, particularly shades with some shimmer in them. The matte shades can be slightly powdery but do not look dry or dusty when applied, though they can darken a bit if not applied over drier or more matte skin (or a base). They wore between eight and 10 hours on me before fading noticeably.

Make Up For Ever Artist Face Color - Blush

The formula is supposed to have "intense color payoff" with a "long-lasting finish." The range is split into three types--Highlighters, Sculpting Powders, and Blushes--that is easy to determine by the first letter of the shade name (H for Highlighter, S for Sculpting, and B for Blush). Read more...

Cover FX Monochromatic Blush Duo

The duo includes both a "monochromatic matte and shimmer shade" that can be used "individually or layer[ed] together." The blushes are described as having "high-impact payoff" with no other specifics. The consistency of the matte shades was incredibly silky, finely-milled, and smooth without being powdery--they were thinner but not difficult to apply and sat well on bare skin as well as over foundation. The pigmentation ranged from semi-opaque to opaque and was definitely buildable. Read more...

MAC Extra Dimension Blush

The Extra Dimension Blush formula is supposed to have “long-wearing colour with prismatic reflections” that wears for “10 hours.” The formula is typically very pigmented with a soft, smooth texture that’s firmer in the pan but not difficult to use–I had no issues grabbing color with even my softest brushes–and has no dustiness or powderiness in the pan. The blushes are usually blendable with a luminous glow on the cheeks that did not emphasize my skin’s natural texture. With MAC’s newly-added permanent shades, the wear time has ranged from eight to ten hours.

Clinique Cheek Pop Pearl

The formula is supposed to have "buildable watercolor payoff" with a "silky-smooth" texture that lasts for "10 hours." The formula has the feel of a gel-powder hybrid, so it is firmer, denser in the pan but has no powderiness and is extremely blendable. It melted slightly after being applied and buffed on the skin, though the original formula seemed more luminous and seamless (by a touch). Read more...

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush

The Joues Contraste formula is supposed to have “buildable coverage, from natural to dramatic” with a “flattering radiance” and “silky texture.” The pigmentation ranges from semi-sheer to fully opaque, depending on technique and skin tone, but it seemed exactly as described–buildable–without having to pile it on or spend too long sheering it out. The formula has an extremely smooth, silky consistency that blends out beautifully on the skin. Most shades wear around eight hours on me. Read more...

ColourPop Super Shock Cheek

The formula is supposed to have "buildable" coverage and can be applied with fingertips (which will yield "higher coverage") or a brush (for sheerer coverage). It's a cream-based product that has a subtle, "wet" feel to it but never has the thickness of a true cream-based blush. It goes on with the smoothness of a cream formulation but diffuses and blends (without lifting up one's base) more like a powder product. The product sets to a powder finish, so the product won't slide around during the day. On me, the wear tends to be between eight and 10 hours. Most shades have medium, buildable pigmentation with some being semi-opaque to opaque on occasion. They are typically blendable, easy to use, and long-wearing.

Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush

The Artistique Blush formula is supposed to have a “naturally glowing finish.” The formula is consistent: the blushes have a very soft, almost cream-like powder texture that blends out effortlessly to a luminous sheen with semi-opaque to opaque coverage (but is soft and blendable enough to be applied sheer if preferred). Most shades lasted between eight and nine hours on me. Read more...

Our Methodology

More product guides: Best Highlighters, Best Eyeshadow Palettes, Best Single Eyeshadows, Best Lipsticks, Best Lip Glosses, Best Blush Brushes, Best Eyeshadow Brushes, Best Highlighter Brushes.

Top Rated Blushes from 2023

Check out the current top 10 highest-rated blushes (individual shades) reviewed by the editor in 2023–this list will update automatically! This list includes limited edition and permanent blushes — individual shades, not formulas — reviewed in 2023, so it primarily includes newly-released products, whereas the first list in this post is focused on top-performing formulas that have proven to release consistently highly reviewed shades and are currently available.