You don’t have to know me well to know that I take a minimalist approach to makeup. However, this isn’t to say that I don’t like makeup at all. In fact, I love makeup. I simply want for my face to look like my face, just fresher and more alive. I like formulas that fuse with skin to create a natural finish and take less than a minute to swipe on and blend out with my fingers.
As a result of my specific makeup requirements, I tend to lean towards products that do a few things at once. For instance, I like blushers that can be patted into my eyelids, lipsticks that have a nourishing, balmy texture and concealers that are creamy enough that I can forgo foundation entirely. And while all of these products have a place in my routine, the one product I simply could never go without is a creamy, liquid blush. The way in which a liquid blush has the power to brighten up your entire face in a matter of seconds and deliver a dewy, healthy-looking glow goes totally unrivalled. And there is one liquid blush in particular that has totally blown me away.
There are few new launches from By Terry that don’t blow me away—I swear by the brand’s Cellurose CC Serum for instant luminosity, would hate to be without the shine-reducing powers of Hyaluronic Hydra-Pressed Powder, and consider Hyaluronic Hydra-Balm Lipsticks to be some of the best around. So, when I heard that the brand was launching its iconic CC serum in a liquid blush formula, I knew I had to be one of the first to try it.
I first saw the product in action a few months ago, at the Emilia Wickstead A/W22 show at London Fashion Week, where celebrity makeup artist Naoko Scintu used it to create one of the most glass-like glows I’ve ever seen. Since then, barely a day has gone by that I haven’t had it on my cheeks.
Available in two shades, a sheer pink blush and a bronzing, sun-kissed copper, Brightening CC Liquid Blush is formulated with white rose stem cells to hydrate skin and leave a naturally glowing radiance, making it the ultimate product to tap into cheeks when you can’t be bothered to apply much else. On top of that, the subtle shimmering luminescence helps the high points of the cheeks catch the light for amped-up glow.
Since using it, I have found it to be the quickest and easiest way to breathe some life into my skin—just brush it on (the pen format is very easy to use), tap it in with fingers and head out. Unlike so many other formulas out there, the finish isn’t tacky, the shimmer isn’t chunky and the colour payoff is sheer enough to make blending a breeze, but pigmented enough to feel like you’re actually doing something.
In fact, the finish of this blush is so beautiful that even my boyfriend (who, a few years ago, didn’t even notice I’d had seven inches cut off my hair), has asked what I have been doing differently to my skin. “It just looks healthier,” he said. Which, in my books, makes this product a wonder. So, if like me, you like your makeup to work hard without looking as though it’s working hard, this handy pen could be just what you’re after.
These handbag-sized blushers deliver the most dewy, healthy-looking radiance.
The thing I love most about these blushers is how sheer they are. You can build up the intensity by layering or leave things minimal with one sheer veil.
If you prefer your blush to have a high-octane, highlighting finish, this pink-toned illuminator will be right up your street.
Unlike so many liquid blushers out there, this iconic buy from Glossier has a high-pigment, matte finish.
Sitting somewhere between a dewy, watercolour blush and Glossier’s Cloud Paint, this stuff is pigmented and matte in finish, but sheers out beautifully to deliver a second-skin flush.
With a creamy, gel-like texture, this hydrating blush makes skin look instantly refreshed and revived.
Enriched with nourishing oils, this sheer blush has a beautifully subtle, illuminating finish.
Another blush that is infused with hydrating skincare ingredients, Milk’s Bionic Blush contains collagen and hyaluronic acid to plump, as well as snow and reishi mushrooms to boost moisture, so you’re guaranteed a healthy-looking radiance.
This hydrating blush literally melts into skin, leaves a glowing, luminous finish, and feels every bit as luxe as it looks in the bottle.
Next up, if your skincare and makeup are pilling, here are 6 ways to stop it.
