I love them in theory, but I tend to prefer blushes that are satin or more shimmery as I find they are more forgiving and easier to apply–they’re more blendable and are less prone to reacting to any natural moisture on my skin!
— Christine
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I love anything matte and would skip shimmers on my face any time, so matte blushes are my go-to. They are simply more flattering on me.
But I do think that finding a good matte blush can be hard. Sometimes the formula is harder to blend and might be patchy; somehow satins are sometimes more forgiving, easier to formulate.
Matte blushes can also appear more flat, but a good color and formula helps with that.
If the formula is too notch, they can be applied as a soft veil of color or very intense and punchy.
However, if the formula lacks that velvety, skin-like finish, they can apply super patchy or look spotted. Those types of matte blushes are the WORST.
I struggle with certain matte blush formulations and tend to prefer satin or shimmery. As someone with dry skin, I am always trying to compensate with moisturizing products. Matte blushes often adhere unevenly or change tone on top of said; especially if they are heavily pigmented. Having said that, make it a sheerer matte blush formula and I am good to go. I enjoy a good sheer blush so I can play around with texture layering a highlighter or shimmer blush topper… or both.
I love matte blushes. They last well on me without turning into a disco ball after a few hours after my oils come through. I don’t like how hard to blend a lot of them can be. I find that the more pigmented the matte, the harder time I have with it.
I’m at an age where I appreciate a bit of glow in my cheek products, especially blush. MAC’s Sheertone Shimmer finish used to be my favourite but since those days, there are so many other blushes that also have a lovely shimmer without obnoxious frost or glitter. Matte blushes – I have quite a few – are fine but not my faves as I feel my face does benefit from a bit of dewy looking glow.
I love matte blushes personally and like the way they sit on my face and add that extra bit of glow and warmth. As long as you have the shade that suits you best and it is of excellent quality, then that will be fine. I find Clinique’s Melon Pop and The Balm’s Hot Mama to be the right ones for me.
I find any blush that has shimmery elements, tends to be warm toned and I end up looking yellowish by the end of the day and that is not a good look for me.
These great comments has me looking at my considerable blush collection differently and finally thinking about curating it to only the best of the best. One of the things I love most about Temptalia is not only the stellar detailed reviews but the sum total of knowledge and recommendations of the Temptalia community it has made me a more discerning knowledgeable make up lover which has enabled me to enjoy makeup even more.
I was never the biggest fan of matte blushes, as I always found them streaky, along with being difficult to apply and blend (no matter how well I prepped my skin). Now that I’m in my late 40’s, I’m also finding that at least for me, they tend to be a bit aging as well. As you said, Christine, blushes that are more satin or shimmery are also more forgiving, and easier to apply.
These days, if I’m wearing blush at all, I exclusively stick to cream blush, or cream/gel hybrid formulas, for a sheer wash of color. Nothing is going to magically make me appear younger (and that’s fine; I’m not trying to chase false youth!), but a less powdered down look overall does provide the dewier look I’m going for, and looks fresher overall.
LIKE: They’re good for certain looks, and keep a look with shimmery eyes and lips from becoming “too much.” They’re less likely to show large pores than shimmers.
DISLIKE: They can be hard to blend, and flat or patchy looking. They can lack complexity.