Blush | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Best Affordable Makeup Series: Best Drugstore Blush

Readers often ask about the best drugstore makeup or affordable cosmetics, and a previous syndicated post on the best drugstore mascara has been rather popular here on the site. So,welcome to the first installment of series on drugstore makeup. Today, I take a look at some of the best drugstore blush items. Plus, I will tell you a few I thought were duds. Over the coming weeks I will write more on the best affordable makeup in other categories.

When it comes to finding the best drugstore blush, there area few key considerations. The best powder blush will have good pigment concentration for lasting color, be finely milled for good blending, and have a pleasing shade. The best cream blush will also have good pigment and will be soft and creamy. Where drugstore makeup brands often fail is in using little pigment and more fillers. When that happens, the product might look quite lovely in the package, but won’t actually wear well when applied. It will either be too light, wear off too fast, or both. Also, don’t get fooled by the name “mineral blush.” Some mineral makeup products are wonderful because they pack in mineral pigments with few fillers, but others will dilute the blend with fillers to the point that the product is not very well pigmented. Most mineral makeup items will also contain bismuth, which is an irritant for some people. That is true both at the drugstore and premium levels of cosmetics.

Below are a few drugstore blushes that do particularly well in terms of pigment and long wear. Although I have provided some affiliate links to the products, you should also be able to find them in drugstores or big box stores.

Best Powder Drugstore Blush

There is no need to spend extra for a good cheek color. Several companies make highly pigmented blush that rivals, or is even better than, many higher end and luxury cosmetics brands. I particularly like Milani Mineral Blush, despite that it includes bismuth as an ingredient.

Milani Mineral Blush is the best pigmented drugstore blush that I have found. It is also talc free—something rare for a drugstore blush. However, a word of warning, instead of being cut with talc, it uses bismuth, which some people are sensitive too. It is very well pigmented and comes in a variety of lovely shades. At just under $6, you can’t beat Milani for value. Milani’s Mineral Blush is honestly better than a number of high end items that I have tried. If you are a Nars Orgasm fan, look in stores for the shade Luminous (which I linked to). It is essentially the same as Nars Orgasm with perhaps slightly more shimmer, but much more affordable. By the way, also check out Milani eye shadows, they too are highly pigmented and are top on my list of best drugstore eye shadows.

Jane Blushing Cheeks is very affordable at $3.69 and has decent pigment, wears well, and comes in some nice shades. Jane also has a Nars Orgasm clone. Look for the shade Blushing Earth, which is almost a dead ringer for it. Jane cosmetics are pretty good all around, but their blush is my favorite item from them. For more see my previous review: Jane Cosmetics Blush.

Revlon ColorStay Cheek Color Mineral Blush is at the higher price range for a drugstore cheek color. At around $13, it comes in cheaper than higher end lines, but frankly, I recommend Milani and Jane before it because of their incredible prices. regardless, Revlon Mineral Blush is a darn nice blush. Although not talc free like Milani, it is still high in pigment and it blends and wears very nicely.

Best Cream Drugstore Blush

I have not fared as well at finding a quality affordable cream blush. Many seem to lack pigment or simply don’t wear as long as some of my favorite department store brands (Estee Lauder and Nars are a couple of favorites). I do, however, particularly recommend Maybelline Dream Mousse, which I prefer over many of the higher end brands. The entire Maybelline Dream Mousse line is rather nice. My other recommendations from Revlon and Sally Hansen Natural Beauty also fare pretty well

Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush is one of my all time favorites. Dream Mousse has a light texture (hence the mousse name) that makes it blend incredibly well. It is also seriously packed with pigment. If you want a good cream color, this it the way to go. At around $6 it is also an incredible value. For yet another Nars Orgasm look, check out the shade Peach Satin.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Blush (link is to previous review) has a good texture and decent pigment. It also comes in some particularly pretty shades. I like the Sally Hansen line as a whole and their powder version is also pretty good.

Revlon Cream Blush blends nicely and lasts pretty well. It is not as highly pigmented as some higher end brands that I have tried, but then again, I prefer my cream blush to be on the sheer side anyway. It builds fairly well for extra color and usually lasts all day. Revlon also leaves out the shimmer, which I appreciate. For more see my previous review: Revlon Cream Blush

A Few Duds

Just as there are some good drugstore makeup bargains, there are some items that just don’t cut it. A few that I didn’t care for were Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Blush (the one with loose powder and built in brush) which, although easy to use, took the word “sheer” to a whole new level by being barely visible on the face and wearing off quickly. Almay and Physician’s Formula blushes have also not fared as well with me for the same reason—there simply is not enough pigment.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Amazing Cosmetics Mineral Makeup Makeover

I prefer pressed mineral makeup and also like to avoid bismuth, but finding a bismuth free pressed mineral makeup can be difficult! My favorite had been Sephora Brand, but when I went to refill mine, they told me that it was being discontinued! Awhile later, I was at Ulta and walked around checking the ingredients on all of the makeup brands and found one, just one, that had a pressed mineral makeup without bismuth. That was Amazing Cosmetics Velvet Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation. The Amazing Cosmetics rep happened to be at the store, so I had my whole face done, which allowed me to try a few other items as well.

Coverage with Amazing Cosmetics Mineral Makeup was pretty good. Apply it with a brush for sheer coverage, use the included pad for medium, or as the rep showed me, try a makeup sponge for more full coverage. It builds pretty well too, so I can apply it sheer to medium on most areas and then put extra over my areas of melasma. The selection of shades is not huge, but is OK, and the packaging is nice, with a mirrored compact. I found that it wears very well. I get most of a day out of it, which is more than I often get from powder mineral makeup. So, this is a winner, which is good since it is one of the few bismuth free pressed mineral foundations out there (Neutrogena and Jane Iredale also make bismuth free pressed mineral foundations and if you want a good bismuth free powder mineral makeup, check out Purely Cosmetics).

Anyway, like I said, I had the rest of my face done, and I liked Amazing Cosmetics overall. Here is the look, using Amazing Cosmetics Suede Eyeshadow Collection in Wheat, a couple of fabulous lip products, Amazing Cosmetics Lipcolor in Oliva and Amazing Cosmetics Lipgloss in Kathy, and a new favorite blush for me, Amazing Cosmetics Blush Matte in Pink Chocolate. All wore wonderfully, and I ended up buying the lip products and the blush to go with the mineral foundation. You can read more about the lip products in my review here on Girl Gloss: Amazing Cosmetics Lip Products. This picture also ended up being used for my Open Sky Store.

Overall, I was quite glad that I tried the Amazing Cosmetics brand. They have quality products all around.

You can find Amazing Cosmetics at Ulta and Sephora.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Philosophy The Supernatural Makeup Collection

I tend to think of Philosophy for skin care, but the company has a new makeup collection out that focuses on skin friendly products for a natural look. All products are formulated with antioxidants and are free of Parabens, Phthalates, Talcs, and Sulfates. On the whole, it is a pretty impressive collection. One of the best items is the Philosophy The Supernatural Coloring Book™ . This adorable palette comes in a cute magnetic case and includes two neutral/natural eye shadow shades, two lip shades, a blush/bronzer, and two blushes–one powder and one cream. The items wear pretty well, and the shadows have pretty good pigment. The case and swatches are below.

Perhaps my favorite item in the collection is the Philosophy The Supernatural Lit From Within™ Healthy Cream Blush. I tend to love cream blushes and this one, shown below in the shade Feel Warm All Over, is a nice peachy pink shade. It is high pigment, so if you are fair like me, a little goes a long way. If you are darker skinned and need extra pigment, this one should also hold up well for you.

The collection also includes an illuminating powder that I adore: Philosophy The Supernatural Moonlight™ Natural Illuminating Powder is a light finish powder with light reflectors and enhancers for an illuminating glow. It doesn’t look too shiny and does a nice job of providing an overall glowing look. My only complaint about it is that it has a sponge applicator, which isn’t my favorite way to apply powder.

Overall, this is an impressive collection. For a look that Philosophy The Supernatural Lipgloss from the collection take a look at my review on Girl Gloss!

Popularity: 2% [?]

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Trio

MAC cosmetics has some new Mineralize Skin Finish items out for summer. I was sent a MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Trio in Triple Fusion, which works quite well with my fair skin.

The trios consist of a couple of bronzer shades and a pinker blush shade. They are fairly adjustable depending on where you sweep your brush. I mix the three shades together for a light bronzer/blush look. The effect is nice for summer where too much blush can look garish. The skin finish shades have a bit of shimmer to them, but are not overdone. So they work for natural looks and for night and day. My MAC Skin Finish Trio has become my go to bronzer/blush, which is not surprising since I frequently used a different MAC Skin Finish a lot before my trio arrived. It is a quality product with a fairly decent price.

I use a MAC Duo Fibre Face Brush to apply bronzers, which works wonderfully for either a bronzer or blush. Shopping hint: for a limited time, check out the Nordstrom Exculsives MAC 5 Brush Set which also includes this brush with a shorter handle for almost the same price as the single brush. This is a limited edition set, but they put out similar set again at the Holidays).

Popularity: 2% [?]

MAC Cosmetics Rose Romance Collection

M.A.C has a really pretty limited edition collection out right now, The Rose Romance Collection. If you are fan of rose shades, or are looking for some light spring colors to update your look, this is a good collection to look at!

The collection includes a nice range of lip shades, including some very lovely see through lip color shades. These are are very versatile, long lasting lip stains. There are also some pretty eye shadow shades, two rose beauty powder blushes and more.

This is probably one of my favorite collections from M.A.C in a long time. I love the new lip shades and the eyeshadow shades are perfect for spring days. Add some pigment to liven them up for an evening out. The beauty powders give off a natural looking blush that isn’t overbearing. There are more items in the collection that you can view on the MAC site. I figured that I would just highlight my favorites!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Pur Minerals Perfect Starter Kit

Like many mineral makeup companies, Pur Minerals offers a starter kit. I gave one a try, and was generally impressed.

The starter kit comes with the following:

4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup: What I liked right off about this item was that it was pressed. Pressed mineral makeup is much easier to apply than loose powder and it makes much less of a mess. Pur Minerals’ foundation also has fairly high coverage, making it good for covering melasma, acne, or redness. I thought the coverage was much higher than Bare Minerals or Everyday Minerals (including Everyday Minerals’ heavier coverage items). The makeup wore well for me for an entire day and never felt dry or cakey. It also wasn’t obnoxiously shiny like some other brands (especially Bare Minerals) can be. The mineral makeup is free of oil, alcohol, talc, fragrances, preservatives and chemical dyes. It also includes shea butter and vitamin E. However, I did notice bismuth in the ingredient list, so people who are sensitive to that will want to avoid it.
Mineral Glow: This is a basic mineral bronzer that looks and wears quite nice. For those who like a bit of bronzer over blush, it is a good choice.
Universal Marble Powder in Pink: This is a multi-purpose mineral makeup that can be worn as a blush or highlighter. It has a nice flattering pink tone to it. Because it is pressed, it is easy to use and carry.
The Chisel Makeup Brush: Pur Minerals makes brushes of OK quality. The chisel Makeup Brush is the right size and type for good application of the mineral foundation. Mine occasionally loses hair though, which I would not normally expect in a brush that is sold individually at $22. Regardless, it still is a good applicator.

Pur Minerals starter kits retail for $35 and are a good way to try out the company’s products at a decent value. You can purchase Pur Minerals online at at ULTA Beauty stores.

Shop for Pur Minerals

Comparison Shop for Mineral Makeup

Popularity: 2% [?]

Julie Hewett Custom Palette

Here is a great holiday gift idea, or something just for yourself! At Julie Hewett cosmetics, you can create custom palettes.

Here is information that the company sent to me:

Have you ever wanted to mimic young Hollywood’s fresh face glow but were never able to find the perfect combination of hues to compliment your complexion? Julie Hewett/Los Angeles’ newest offering, the Couture Custom Palette, gives you the chance to explore the artistry of couture by creating your very own custom designed palette filled with your choice of radiant JH/LA shades.

Perfect for gift-giving or as your very own special treasure, each palette is custom designed and inspired by the individual to match the personality and color tones of the recipient.

Whether you prefer the standout style of Hollywood-glam, the edgy hues of rocker-chic or the subtle tints of romantic pinks, JH/LA has the perfect color choices to fill your palette.

After creating your dream palette choose your personalized message to be added to the label. If you plan on giving your gift of creativity, simply give the name of the recipient and JH/LA will wrap and ship your unique palette anywhere in the US .

The Couture Palette has a suggested retail price of $48, which includes shipping.

Ms. Hewett’s works include, The Women, Leatherheads, Nancy Drew, Oceans 13, The Good German, Running with Scissors, HBO’s feature, Iron Jawed Angels with Hilary Swank; Open Range with Annette Bening; Solaris starring George Clooney and Natasha McElhone; Ocean’s 11, Pearl Harbor, Batman Forever, Lethal Weapon, Heathers and the Academy Award-winning American Beauty, among others. Ms. Hewett is currently working on the set of the “Starter Wife” with Debra Messing.

I haven’t tried Julie Hewett cosmetics, so I can’t say anything about the quality, but the palettes sure do look nice, and I love how they can be personalized!