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Rant & Rave: Matte Blush

Tell us what you love and hate about...

Matte Blush

Matte blush is often very pigmented, but my personal preference is for something with a little more sheen to it (even just a little bit) so it doesn’t look flat on me.

— Christine

36 Comments

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Rachel R. Avatar

I don’t have any rants. I like matte blush. I prefer a little shimmer or sheen, but mattes are very useful for many looks. If I’m doing a lot of shimmer or glitter on my eyes and/or lips, or I go really amped up with highighter, I usually go for a matte blush to keep my cheeks from competing too much. Some dark and bright shades are easier for my pale skin to pull off in matte form. They can be used as cheek contour, in the right shade.

Kam Avatar

I love blush. I also like a sheen like Christine but I can add that after the matte blush. Some mattes are so good that they have a more dimensional finish. MAC made me love Matte Blush. And others types. ? What I don’t like is buying a matte blush and not being able to use it because the formula is awful. NARS Sex Appeal looking at you. I’m blindingly pale and I cannot do anything that makes it show up on me! I bought it for days I feel heavy handed but it’s a joke to me. Give me MAC Melba and I remember what a light blush should be like even if it is matte. Natural matte, blendable, colors that transfer onto the skin, whatever works I can and will work it. I love BECCA mineral blush. That’s an example of a matte with non flat finish. Chanel’s matte JC blush also always have a surprising skin sheen finish imho. A little goes a long way some are less user friendly for heavy hands. At least with a matte blush you can’t overdo the shimmer and get stuck! Satin mattes are ideal. Could talk blush all day. Love it period.

Alecto Avatar

I love that matte blushes can look extremely natural when applied, unlike blushes that aren’t matte. Indoors, non-matte blushes can look very natural, but I’ve never seen one that did so in the sun, even the ones with just a satin effect.

Katherine T. Avatar

I find blushes with shimmer to be a lot more flattering, and shimmery ones tend to last longer on me. But if I’m wearing shimmery eyes, then I go with a matte blush and muted lips

Fran Avatar

I prefer a bit of sheen, because I like an overall glowing look for myself. A matte blush would be OK with a bit of highlighter on top of it, but only if it blends very well, since I prefer a subtle cheek look on myself.

Ray Avatar

I prefer matte blush. That way I can add my desired level and undertone of highlight on top. Blushes with shimmer overwhelmingly skew warm/gold and more glittery than I prefer.

Soleil Avatar

Oh no! Just bought a matte blush for the first time on line a few hours ago! Was hoping it would not accentuate my sun spots and freckles unlike how they seem to be highlighted more by shimmery blushes.

Anne Avatar

I quite like matte blushes (Tarte ones in particular, and Exposed is one of my main go-to’s) but if I’m going for a more glow-y look I’ll reach for an Hourglass one. My stash is about 50/50 matte/non-matte blushes, so I use them a fair bit but not all the time. If I’m going for a more full-coverage, mattified look overall, I tend to reach for a matte blush, and about half the time when I’m doing an everyday look.

xamyx Avatar

I love a good satin or pearl finish/sheen, but having at least one good matte in any stash is invaluable, for many reasons. First, it can be used as a contour product. I use it to contour, then either add something with sheen, or a highlighter in a gradient. Second, a matte blush can be used to take down a blush that is too frosty, and/or be used to add more pigment to a lesser product. Third, I can always top it off with a blush or highlighter if it looks too flat, but I really like the color. I’m quite certain there are other ways I’ve found to make use of them, but these are the most common.

Bibi Avatar

I like matte blush if it looks natural (not chalky) & it usually does not emphasize pores.
I like blushes with shimmer or sheen because it gives that ‘glow’ that is ‘on trend’ now, but the shimmery blushes do emphasize pores, even if you don’t have large pores.

jaz Avatar

I much prefer a satin finish. I don’t like completely matte anything on my face. And-it seems like they are harder to work with ( or that may be my head over thinking it …)

Kayle Avatar

I don’t like extremely pigmented blushes very much because I find that I look clownish with too much on, so I won’t touch matte blush with a ten foot pole. I have dry skin too, so matte doesn’t really help my skin look less lifeless. Sheerer blushes with a bit of shimmer flatter me much better!

Rachel Avatar

Nothing bad to say about it! I love it. I mostly apply my blush along the contours rather than applying on the apples of my cheeks so I prefer matte blush for this look. Don’t get me wrong, I love all formulas though.

Lorraine M Avatar

I love matte blush. I have oily acne prone skin with large pores and old acne scars so I feel like shimmery blush can call attention to the uneven skin texture. I much prefer matte blush and add a bit of highlight where I want it.

Rica Francia Avatar

I’m not that keen on matte blushes as they are usually very pigmented that I have to be very careful upon applying. For my blush, I want something easy to apply, and quick. Something like the sheertone blushes from MAC.

Mariella Avatar

I like a bit of sheen on my cheeks also, which is one reason I love MAC’s Mineralize Blushes so much – you buff them a bit with a clean brush and they make for a pretty “buff” rather than sparkle or glitter…it’s just a nice glow. So while I do have a few matte blushes, purchased for their beautiful colours, I do find they can look a bit dull to I’ll try to use a finishing powder or some other product with a bit of sheen on top of them.

Amanda Avatar

I prefer matte blushes for the most part because then I can decide on if and where I want more of a glow. I go between matte and satin-mattes

Anime Avatar

I love matte blush. I am a firm believer that shimmers/reflects/highlights should be saved for the very end. I’ll even use a matte blush and then follow up with a shimmer (For example, I will contour/bronze and buff that out. Next, I lay down a matte blush (MAC’s Melba for reference) and then proceed to start the highlight process/top my blush with an Ambient Lighting Blush. Then I highlight, and the vision is complete.) The finish I am going for is not the same if I skip any of these steps — it is a very calculated process. I wonder if anyone else does their cheeks this way?

Emilie Avatar

I think pale, matte blushes look really lovely and doll like (I have a few from The Face Shop that I love for that effect!) and they’re great for vintage looks where matte skin was really popular, but I prefer shimmer to my blushes to highlight the apples of my cheeks in a way that doesn’t make them look flat. I really like to use TheBalm’s Cindy-Lou Manizer to add shimmer to matte blushes.

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