A lot of people liked the last post I made on my favorite lipsticks and it's nice that I write another makeup related post again since I don't do this often. This time, I want to talk about an item that's either overlooked OR overused: BLUSH!

My love affair with blush started when I was grade school. Studying in an all-girls school then, there were events where I had to wear makeup and since I inherited some used makeup from my older cousin, I used Bench's Prettywhenpinched (It used to be one word dati) and In2It's Lip and Cheek Stain. It really made my face come alive.

Now that I'm working, I outgrew those inky stains that leave indelible ink-level purple-tinted marks on my thumbs. These formulas also don't work well above the base makeup I wore regularly so I stuck to powders and creams...with only one tint that passed the test for me.

I can just smear lipstick on my cheeks and call it a look especially if I'm in a hurry or I need to touch up, but what is life without ACTUAL rouge for your cheeks?

Listed below are some of my favorite "UY BLUSHING" products, of which most are available and accessible!


1. Colourette Colortints - P299

These are not the same tint formula of the lip and cheek stains I used when I was younger: this one is pigmented and has an oil base, so you better shake it well and shake it good! (Their slogan lol). There are so may shades to choose from and it's tempting to collect them (I had to stop at 6) but a little goes a long way so you'll really have the product for a long time. It also comes in two finishes: Fresh and Matte.

I used to use these often (before I used the next one in this list regularly) because the colors are quite saturated and they really last. My fave one to use is Ava, which is described as a "Warm Nude" and which I also love to use on my lips and eyes as well! Another fave is Kelsey which was my first Colortint and I believe isn't available anymore and is this salmony pink that looks also good for a one color look.

Kelsey is such a pretty pink shade that looks great on the eyes, cheeks, and lips. However, it's super pigmented and it's easy to overdo it

Ava is not only the perfect flush of color on my cheeks but is also a great nude that doesn't wash me out

2. EB Advance Matte Color Stick in Rosy Hue

Okay this was an impulsive buy one night I commuted home from work and came across a Watsons that was still open at around 10:30PM and bought some makeup for the sake of it, this one included. Clay blushes used to be a craze back then and while I was scared to try the actual brand that started it all so I settled for this EB one. I was more drawn to the color, a light nude pink, than the fact it's a clay blush though.

But it really surprised me how long-lasting it was and just how natural-but-better the color was. It is also something I tend to wear when I use full makeup for the whole day since this doesn't move my full coverage foundations away when I apply it (Colourette has this problem). Nakakafresh talaga this blush and the fact it's available everywhere are reasons why you should pick this up.

Using this on your lips will make you look like the living dead but these come in two other shades (a bright red and a terracotta orange) in case you want a multi use product.

Rosy Hue just gives a, well, rosy hue on your cheeks! It's perfect for no-makeup days and days that call for a heavy face.

3.  EB Collection Blush To Go

I'm not sure if this is still available because it was a limited edition launch from last year exclusively sold in Robinsons Department stores. It comes only in one shade, which is this super light pink that has a shimmery sheen to it that isn't overly shiny. If you can find this, I suggest you buy it because it's such a  beautiful blush! It's not super pigmented but it leaves the right amount of "blush" on your cheeks. I use a stiff stippling brush to apply it on my cheeks to get most out of the color.

The formula is kinda weird too because it has this "putty" texture. It's powdery but at the same time, feels like a sorta epoxy texture. (Notice mine has lots of press marks? It's satisfying to press it lol)




4. BYS Powder Blush in Perfectly Peachy - P299

Another product of impulsive late night stress makeup buying in Watsons I come across while commuting home. It's something I bought last year but it's only this year I appreciated this product, which I thought I could used as a bronzer so I don't use up my Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer (Which, fun fact, has yet to hit pan despite me using it often for over a year). It didn't look peach to me since it's more toasty and tan BUT when you apply it to your cheeks, it becomes this perfect flush as if you were burnt a bit from the sun. If there's a powder blush I can recommend to everyone regardless of skintone, it's this one.

It may not be the usual pink flush I'm used to but there's something about Perfectly Peachy that makes the skin come alive.

5. Blk Intense Color Powder Blush in Flushed - P290

I recall walking up the Blk counter because I was eyeing Sun-kissed, an apricot shade I know I didn't have in my blush collection consisting of sheer pinks. But of course, old habits die hard, and I bought this Flushed instead. Flushed is basically the same color as EB Blush to Go but is much more pigmented; has a bit of golden shimmer; and is straight up a powder. You get a decent amount for the price AND the packaging looks more expensive than it looks. IT HAS A MIRROR, I REPEAT. A DECENT MIRROR.

I don't always use this blush but when I do, it pulls much peachy on my skin than pink. It's also easy for me to overdo this blush so it's best to use a fluffy powder brush.

Here's Flushed applied heavily here.

6. Unicorn Dream Dream Blush in Sweet Pea - P195

I've only used this for a few months and let me tell you how it's now my favorite. One, it's super affordable at P195 which comes with a free dense brush you can use to blend a dot of this blush on your cheek. Two, it smells like fruit gum which I can taste when I apply it on my lips. And three, the color "Sweet Pea" is a gorgeous peach.

The blush is not super pigmented which makes it user-friendly and it comes in an air pump so you can assured you're going to use it down to the last drop. The downside is you have to order online but there are numerous sellers in Shopee who sell this at a discounted price bu it's super worth it. This is the one out of everything I mentioned that I will highly recommend.

Sweet pea is that sweet lang color kahit bitch ka

7. Careline Play to Slay Palette -P275

Okay I wasn't originally intending to include a palette here but the two blushes in this one really surprised me. One, they're both matte and two, they're not super blotchy . They're quite pigmented too but I really like these shades, one's a light rose while the other is like a wearable fuchsia. It's actually  the blushes I'm wearing in the very top photo of this post and the very last. A trick I like to do is to apply a bit of the highlighter first on my cheekbones and a little on my apples and then I apply blush like I normally would. It's super pretty and this palette does give you value for your  money! The eyeshadows are not so bad, not really my favorite, but they're decent and I've used them countless times too.

Although I use the eyeshadows and the highlighter more since I prefer a cream cheek product, my favorite part of this palette  is its blushes!

Here are some additional tips from years of wearing makeup and learning to apply makeup since blush isn't always the first cosmetic a girl will choose and it sometimes makes or break a look:




1. For powder blushes, I find it easier to apply it when everything else in my makeup is powdered with setting powder. In lots of tutorials I see, I notice they usually apply blush after foundation or concealer which makes the blush look so patchy and blotchy. I follow this same rule too for bronzer and contour powders!

2. For liquid and cream blushes, it's best to use a dot or one small swipe for one cheek and build it up slowly.

3. Use tapping motions with your fingers when blending blush, especially if you have foundation underneath. I prefer  using a blending brush, too and just stipple stipple stipple.

4. Unlike my powder blush advice though, do your liquid and cream blushes after your foundation. Let it set a bit but apply this blush BEFORE powdering with a setting powder.

5. You can layer products to make them last longer such as cream/liquids first and then a light dusting of powder blush.

6. I agree with most experts that you shouldn't smile when you apply blush because when you don't smile, the color is placed in a lower part of your face and it drags it down, making you look older. I mean, if it works for you it's alright! People don't die from applying blush on their apples anyway.

What I do when I apply blush is place it a little under my middle part of lower eyelids and then sweep the color towards the temples. IT SOUNDS CRAZY BUT YOUR FACE LOOKS LIFTED AND YOU LOOK YOUNGER. You can also choose to swirl a bit of the color a bit closer to your nose if you want and in the fleshy part of your cheeks.

7. Blush is almost always the first to fade in your makeup look so bring it with you wherever you go. Of course, blot out oil from your face first and powder if you need to before you re-apply your blush.

8. If you apply too much blush, you can brush your foundation brush which still most likely has remnants of your foundation so it can decrease the pigment. Or you can brush powder to slowly tone down the color. To be realistic, it can only be toned down so much by both solutions so if they both fail for you, just brave out with you bright cheeks (I experience this all the time lol).