Rare Beauty Joy Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Review & Swatches
Joy
Rare Beauty Joy Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($20.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark coral-orange with strong, warm undertones paired with a lightly dewy finish. It was intensely pigmented where a little went a long way; I’d recommend wiping off excess along the opening of the tube or else dab lightly to get one or two dots of color per cheek. I also had good luck putting product on the back of my hand and picking up with a synthetic brush to apply it to my cheeks.
The texture was lightweight, airy, and felt like a more emollient serum with a lot of glide but didn’t feel as “wet” as traditional liquid blush would. I was able to pat and press the product onto my skin and gently spread and diffuse the color over my cheeks using my fingertip or a synthetic brush. There was more playtime with the dewy finish, which ensured I could apply and blend out without worrying it would lift up my base products, and it worked just as well over bare skin. It lasted nicely for nine hours before fading visibly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Lethal Cosmetics Calyx (P, $15.50) is more shimmery, less glossy (95% similar).
- Flower Beauty Melon (P, $9.99) is cooler (85% similar).
- MAC Tomato (LE, ) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Georgette (LE, $8.00) is more shimmery, lighter, less glossy (90% similar).
- elf Fiji (P, $7.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Under Pressure (P, $8.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Soleil Neige (Blush) (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Totes (P, $8.00) is more shimmery, more muted, cooler (90% similar).
- Too Faced Ginger Peach (P, $30.00) is more shimmery, less glossy (90% similar).
- Rose Inc Anemone (P, $18.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$23.00/0.25 oz. - $92.00 Per Ounce
The blush is supposed to have "long-lasting color pigments" that last "all-day" where "a little goes a long way." That being said, they also say it "blends and builds beautifully," though when one looks at the "how to" instructions, I could see that being achievable as they actually say to remove excess and then use one or two dots of product on each cheek. The line-up has includes four shades in a true, flat matte finish and four shades in a lightly, dewy finish.
Like a lot of the liquid products in the brand's range, they have a lot more slip and feel more serum-like, but a little did go a long way with respect to pigmentation. First and foremost, to control application, I would recommend dotting (lightly!) once or twice per cheek but I would work one cheek at a time, especially with the matte finish. I also felt using a sponge or brush worked well for diffusing and spreading about the blush better than fingertips when working over a base as fingertips seemed to leave slight imprints and seemed more prone to lifting up product.
When in doubt, use the least amount possible! I liked dabbing a bit on the back of my hand and using a fluffy, duo-fiber brush to apply to cheeks, which gave me a better diffusion with less chance of lifting up base product. This method worked best with the dewier finish blushes as there was enough playtime, but the matte blushes dried down faster and I had to use more product to keep it malleable on the back of my hand. The dewy finish shades have a light sheen but dry down enough that they don't slide around during wear. The matte shades fully dry down.
They wore between eight and nine hours on me before showing signs of fading. Though I haven't been able to find a clip I can reference specifically to it, I've had multiple readers state that the brand owner (Selena Gomez) has mentioned that the packaging was designed to be easier to open. I found that to be true of the flattened, knob-like tops found on the liquid blushes, as it took little pressure to twist open.
Browse all of our Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Mica, Octyldodecanol, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Isododecane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Propylene Carbonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera (Sacred Lotus) Flower Extract, Nymphaea Odorata Root Extract. [+/- May Contain/Peut Contenir: Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410)].
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.
Seeing how Flower Beauty Melon is such a close dupe, I will pass on this absolute beauty. But, I really do love it!
Rarely a blush catches my eyes, but this does, and so did some other shades from this line. Really, they give such an healty subtile glow on cheecks. Would they be ever sold by outside Us by a retailer without international fee/ taxes??
Here’s hoping they will be!
I’ll be buying Selina’s products for sure. She is donating $100 million dollars from the sales to help people for mental illness
Well, it’s more like Rare Beauty donates 1% of sales annually toward the Rare Impact Fund, and they hope to raise $100M in the next 10 years — is not a flat donation, and it isn’t at once!
Joy is the first one that caught my eye, and now it is on my wishlist. I love these kinds of shades, and I appreciate being able to have it in such a different (for me) kind of formula.
Again, a really pretty glow on your cheeks Christine. These are looking so good.
Such a pretty color! Did you find this one to be as transfer proof as the matte blush?
No, this doesn’t dry down to a matte finish – it stays dewy, so it isn’t going to be transfer-resistant – the matte is NOT transfer-proof (double-checked my review, too, and I mentioned resistant!) to be clear… but is a flat, matte finish that doesn’t have any wetness left.