Melt Cosmetics Queen Bee Digital Dust Duo Blush Review & Swatches
Queen Bee
Melt Cosmetics Queen Bee Digital Dust Duo Blush ($39.00 for 0.24 oz.) includes a medium, rosy copper paired with a brighter pop of shimmering orange. Both blushes were pigmented, long-wearing, and blendable and performed consistently with the gel-powder kind of formula we have seen from many brands over the last several years. If you’re familiar with the brand’s Digital Dust Highlighters, it performed in line with those as well.
Ingredients
Queen Bee
PPermanent. $39.00.
Queen
Queen is a medium copper with moderate, warm undertones and a smooth, luminous finish. I found it appeared slightly rosier when applied and blended out, but as I layered it up, it became slightly warmer (and more metallic, as marketed). It had opaque color coverage in a single layer, which applied evenly to my cheeks and blended out with little effort.
The powder felt smooth to the touch, dense and firm without being stiff, but did pick up best with a moderately-dense brush (so not a fan brush but a typical blush brush was fine). There were signs of fading after nine hours of wear.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- The Estee Edit Beachy (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (95% similar).
- Makeup Revolution Liquid Rose Gold (P, $9.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Phytosurgence Cosmic Cinders (P, $26.01) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Nova (P, $39.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Morphe Mirage (P, $14.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Coppin Ice (LE, $36.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Sunset Glow (P, $48.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Rose Gold Glow (P, $48.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Anastasia Penny (LE, $25.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Rising Star (LE, $34.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
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The formula is described as having a buildable glow--from "natural and dewy" to "intensified [and] luminous," while brand swatches were opaque. There's not much else said about the formula aside from that they will "never appear powdery." The formula felt like a gel-powder hybrid, which is a type of powder formula that exists across brands and is more consistent in performance, in my experience.
The gel-powder is denser, firmer in the pan but smooth to the touch. It works best with a moderate hand or a moderately-dense brush for picking up product, and as the brand mentioned, it wasn't powdery at all. Because there's no excess powder kicked up, a moderately-dense brush tapped/patted onto the surface helps to pick up product most evenly.
The powder went on beautifully as it blended out nicely and had a luminous glow that could be intensified to more metallic with a second layer or if used with a dampened brush. The coverage was mostly opaqe to opaque in a single layer, while the wear ranged from eight to nine hours on me.
Browse all of our Melt Cosmetics Digital Dust Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Squalane, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891, Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Iron Oxides Ci 77499.
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.
Queen
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Bee
Bee is a brighter, light-medium orange with strong, warm yellow undertones and golden shimmer that gave it a luminous finish. The texture was soft, smooth, and firmer in the pan, so while it wasn’t dense in a thick way, it did work best with a more moderately-dense brush to pick up product evenly.
As a result, there was no powderiness or excess product kicked up in the pan, which ensured that the product applied well to bare skin and “melted” as it was buffed into my skin. It had excellent pigmentation that lasted nicely for nine hours before fading slightly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Fenty Beauty Fuego Flush (P, $20.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Surratt Beauty Flamme (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Jouer Treasure Me (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Gamma Ray #2 (LE, $22.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- ColourPop So Retrograde (DC, $10.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Surratt Beauty Cantaloup (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, lighter, brighter (85% similar).
- Dior Stand Out (649) (P, $46.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
- ColourPop Lunar Has It (DC, $10.00) is less shimmery, more muted, warmer (80% similar).
- Viseart Orange #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (80% similar).
- NARS Taj Mahal (P, $30.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
Formula Overview
-
The formula is described as having a buildable glow--from "natural and dewy" to "intensified [and] luminous," while brand swatches were opaque. There's not much else said about the formula aside from that they will "never appear powdery." The formula felt like a gel-powder hybrid, which is a type of powder formula that exists across brands and is more consistent in performance, in my experience.
The gel-powder is denser, firmer in the pan but smooth to the touch. It works best with a moderate hand or a moderately-dense brush for picking up product, and as the brand mentioned, it wasn't powdery at all. Because there's no excess powder kicked up, a moderately-dense brush tapped/patted onto the surface helps to pick up product most evenly.
The powder went on beautifully as it blended out nicely and had a luminous glow that could be intensified to more metallic with a second layer or if used with a dampened brush. The coverage was mostly opaqe to opaque in a single layer, while the wear ranged from eight to nine hours on me.
Browse all of our Melt Cosmetics Digital Dust Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Mica, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Squalane, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Silica, Dicalcium Phosphate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891, Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Iron Oxides Ci 77499.
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.
THIS was the one I was most interested in! I’ll wait for a sale and pick this one up! Thank you, Christine, it’s gorgeous!
No problem, Larissa!
Ungh. This is so stupidly pretty. I’m fair as hell, but I really want this one and the buzz/kill duo.
I’m as pale as they come (NC10), and all three duos can work on me as long as I use a light hand depending on which duo I’m using and work strategically. They’re very pigmented. Buzz Kill is the most pale-person friendly, but Queen Bee gives me the most beautiful bronze and Raw Honey also looks really beautiful.
Beautiful toasty warm duo! I’d love it for our warmer end of the year to add a bit of extra warmth to my cheeks. This is like nothing else I own, for a change!
At first glance this was the last appealing to me (but still nice, all the release is very curated), but after seeing the swatches on cheecks, it has become the most interesting combination of the three. So particular shades, exspecially the lighter half.
I’ve been so, so happy with all three of these duos! I’m glad that Melt posted swatches and looks on different skin tones, because that’s what tipped me over the edge toward rage-buying all of them. With this duo, I can use Queen as a bronzer if I use a very light hand.
I normally don’t like metallic highlighters, but these gel-powder, buildable ones lay beautifully on your skin. I don’t think they’re terrible spendy since a NARS Dual Intensity blush duo goes for $45 and looks similar. My favorite of the bunch is Buzz Kill, though all three are beautiful.
Gorgeous – absolutely beautiful for those whom it suits. Melt is onto a winner here.
This isn’t the one I’d use, but it is so beautiful to look at I almost want to get it just to look at!
I am seriously thinking about getting Buzz Kill. The formula sounds amazing.
I purchase Raw Honey and Buzz Kill from the Sephora VIB sale – I am in LOVE with the Raw Honey. The colors in this palette are super special, and unlike any I have in my collection or have ever seen. I also like Buzz Kill, yet I wish I would have gone for the Queen Bee instead. After seeing this review, I might exchange it!! Nevertheless, the pigment on these are great, not to mention the amount of shine:) Thank you for the review, Christine 🙌