Making the switch from a powder to a cream blush can be game-changing for a makeup lover. There's something about the way it melts effortlessly into your skin, creating a wash of natural, believable warmth across your cheekbones. A little dab blended in with your fingertips is really all you need, and it can be applied with or without a foundation base and look seamless either way. For the best cream blushes your money can buy, we asked makeup artists to indulge us with their favorites.
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"My go-to punchy pink that immediately enlivens skin is Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge in Pale Pink," says Kelli J. Bartlett, celebrity makeup artist and the artistic director for Glamsquad. "The blush blends seamlessly onto cheeks and has enough staying power even for oilier skin types. Also, the blue undertone in the pink also gives teeth a whitening effect when used on the lips!"
She adds that it's especially one of her favorites for brides.
This cream blush costs less than a latte, but makeup artist Gabriel De Santino says it has a way bigger payoff than its price tag would have you assume.
"The creamy and weightless formula is infused with nourishing argan oil and vitamin E, and it glides easily onto your skin. I also love that it's vegan," he says. "To use, all you have to do is gently tap the color onto your cheeks with your fingers."
To get a little more for your money, opt for a cream blush multi-tasker product, such as Kosas Helios Cream Blush & Highlighter duo.
"For those of us who are constantly on-the-go or traveling, this is a great product," says Annie Tevelin, a pro makeup artist and founder of SkinOwl. "It offers the perfect pinch of color to liven up sallow, dehydrated skin while the rose gold highlighter provides the perfect amount of shimmer to play-up your cheekbones, collar bones, and decollate."
"Stila's Convertible Color is the classic cream blush; I carry a dozen colors of this product in my kit," says makeup artist Mary Irwin. "It's always blendable, sheer but not too sheer, and looks amazing on so many skin tones."
She says she likes to either use her hands to really work the product into skin, or a small fluffy brush to blend it over foundation.
