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Powder is the OG blush formula we all know and love. It’s easy, versatile, and works for all skin types. But, with all these choices – where to even begin? Not only can powder blush be worn on its own, but it can also be used as a topper for cream and liquid blush, which is our personal fave way to wear it!
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite powder blush formulas, from ‘‘Best Overall’ to ‘Most Long Lasting’ and ‘Most Pigmented’. These blushes perform for us time and time again and, simply, don’t let us down.
Best Overall: Milani Rose Blush
Rose Powder Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 6
Finishes Available: Matte
Pigment: Buildable, sheer to bold
Extra Benefits: Cruelty free
Why We Love It: Its 3D rose pattern is cute and delicate, plus it performs great. What’s not to love?! Milani Rose Blush is one of the best at the drugstore. It’s pigmented, buildable, and long wearing. The creamy powder blends effortlessly into skin without disrupting the makeup below. It wears phenomenally with minimal fading or looking patchy on the skin. We love that this blush can be worn alone or layered on top of a cream or liquid blush for mega vivid cheeks.
Most Iconic Powder Blush: Covergirl Cheekers
Cheekers Powder Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 13
Finishes Available: Natural
Pigment: Buildable
Extra Benefits: Dermatologically tested
Why We Love It: Is it just us, or does COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush give all the nostalgia vibes? This is a classic drugstore blush that delivers soft, healthy looking cheek color. There’s no frills with this formula, but that makes it easy to apply and forgiving in color. Getting a flawless application can be tricky, though. You’ll want to set your base makeup with a powder for best results to ensure a non patchy application. For best wear results, lock your look in place with a setting powder and/or spray. Even though this blush isn’t perfect, it’s definitely iconic.
Best Clean Powder Blush: Burt’s Bees Blush Makeup
Blush with Vitamin E
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 5
Finishes Available: Natural
Pigment: Sheer to light
Extra Benefits: 100% naturally formulated; Mineral powder; Cruelty free; Dermatologist tested; Free of talc, parabens, phthalates, SLS, petrolatum, and synthetic fragrance
Why We Love It: 100% naturally formulated, Burt’s Bees Blush is a no-frills cheek color. This mineral blush is lightweight, nondrying, and doesn’t accentuate skin texture. Swirl on the creamy powder formula for a natural, lit-from-within glow that never looks too intense. Blush blends effortlessly and the pigment is light, making it hard to apply too much product. This formula is perfect for those who want clean beauty on a budget or those on-the-go who just want something simple.
Best Value: essence the blush
the blush powder
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 5
Finishes Available: Natural
Pigment: Buildable
Extra Benefits: Cruelty free; Vegan; Free of parabens and gluten
Why We Love It: We love a good makeup steal, and essence blush is just that. This $3.99 drugstore blush is pigmented, yet super user friendly. It has a soft velvet texture that blends easily, giving cheeks a lit-from-within look. essence blush has a long wear that resists fading and has minimal settling into pores and lines. Paired with the Angled Blush Brush from e.l.f., this is the best value cheek duo at the drugstore!
Tip: This blush is extremely pigmented. Make sure to use a light hand, building the formula to your desired intensity!
Most Long Lasting: e.l.f. Primer Infused
Primer-Infused powder Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 7
Finishes Available: Matte
Pigment: Buildable, medium coverage
Extra Benefits: Primer infused; Formula is infused with jojoba seed oil for moisture, nourishing shea butter, and bamboo stem powder to control shine; Cruelty free; Vegan
Why We Love It: e.l.f. Primer-Infused Blush takes the win for longest lasting blush at the drugstore. Its buildable pigment is lightweight and weightless, delivering a sheer to bold cheek look. This is our favorite for a matte cheek because of its soft, buttery texture and long wear. We gotta give many thanks to the nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil and shea butter, plus bamboo stem powder to control shine. Even better, the primer-infused blush wears with minimal fading, settling into pores and lines, or clinging to dry spots and acne. For a blush on a budget that does not budge, this is the one.
Note: e.l.f. states on their website that this blush comes in 7 shades. However, at the time this was written (July 2022), only 4 shades are available on the e.l.f. website and 2 on Ulta.
Most Pigmented: NYX Sweet Cheeks
Sweet Cheeks Creamy Powder Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 12
Finishes Available: Matte; Radiant
Pigment: Buildable
Extra Benefits: Silky soft powder texture; Cruelty free; Vegan
Why We Love It: When it comes to the most pigmented blush at the drugstore, NYX is home to the our favorite. Sweet Cheeks comes in both matte and radiant finishes that both deliver high pigment. We love how airbrushed and flawless our cheeks look with this blush! And, even though it has intense pigment, it is easy to apply and blend thanks to its creamy powder texture. The highly pigmented formula lends itself to a long wear that has minimal fading or settling. You’ll find a range of shades in this NYX blush formula, from traditional pinks, corals, and berries, plus “artistry-inspired” shades of purple and orange.
Best Shade Range: Colourpop Super Shock Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Crème powder
# Of Shades: 27
Finishes Available: Matte; Satin; Shimmer
Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold
Extra Benefits: Weightless feel; Long wearing; Unique bouncy texture applies and blends easily; Cruelty free; Vegan; Free of talc
Why We Love It: A drugstore blush with 27 shades to choose from?! Colourpop Super Shock Blush has their shade range on lock. There’s a variety of finishes from matte to satin to shimmer. You’ll find a ton of beautiful pinks, nudes, and berry tones that will flatter most skin tones. And not only is the shade range expansive, but the formula performs, too. At first swatch, Super Shock feels like a creme, but its a super silky powder with a bouncy texture. The result is an ultra blendable, weightless formula that provides buildable, glowy color.
Tip: To increase the wear time of Super Shock Blush, set your face with a setting spray. Our fave spray at the drugstore is Morphe Continuous Setting Mist ($17). After misting your face, take a beauty sponge to press the spray into your skin.
Most User Friendly: Almay Healthy Hue Blush
Healthy Hue Powder Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Pressed powder
# Of Shades: 4
Finishes Available: Natural luminous
Pigment: Buildable
Extra Benefits: Cruelty free; Hypoallergenic; Dermatologist tested; Compact is made from 100% sustainably sourced paper; Free of fragrance, parabens, phthalates, SLS, mineral oil, DMDM hydantoin, formaldehydes, and triclosan
Why We Love It: It may look bright and bold in the packaging, but this Almay blush is the most user friendly at the drugstore. Healthy Hue has a fool-proof pigment that builds from sheer to bold for a custom cheek color. This is one of those blushes that you can lazily apply and not worry about going overboard. It’s forgiving in color and blends super seamlessly for a smooth application. What we love most about this blush is the actual texture of the blush. It’s so smooth and silky, giving you the most beautiful healthy, lit-from-within glow to cheeks. With this soft powder, there’s little to no settling into pores or accentuating texture on the skin.
Plus, Almay’s formula is perfected for sensitive skin. Healthy Hue is hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, non comedogenic, cleanly formulated, and fragrance free.
Best For Glowy Cheeks: Milani Baked Blush
Baked Powder Blush
HIGHLIGHTS
Formula: Baked powder
# Of Shades: 11
Finishes Available: Satin; Shimmer
Pigment: Buildable
Extra Benefits: Pigment is sunbaked on Italian terracotta tiles; Cruelty free; Vegan; Free of parabens
Why We Love It: Say hello to a luminous glow! Milani Baked Blush comes in 11 pigment packed shades for all seasons and skin tones. The buildable powder applies easily onto cheeks for a seamless finish. A little bit goes a long way with this blush, so dip into the compact lightly! You get bold color and shimmer immediately. It wears all day with minimal patchiness, fading, and settling into lines or clinging to imperfections. The shade range is also home to a near exact dupe to the infamous NARS Orgasm blush shade. If the peachy pink hue of Orgasm is what you’re looking for, grab Luminoso or Dolce Pink.
Tip: There’s no need for highlighter with this Milani blush! We love the glow it gives our cheeks – and the one less step in our makeup routines.
Best Overall: Milani Rose Blush ($10.99)
Most Iconic: Covergirl Cheekers ($6.49)
Best Clean Blush: Burt’s Bees Blush Makeup ($9.99)
Best Value: essence the blush ($3.99)
Most Long Lasting: e.l.f. Primer Infused ($7.00)
Most Pigmented: NYX Sweet cheeks ($7.50)
Best Shade Range: Colourpop Super Shock ($8.00)
Most User Friendly: Almay Healthy Hue ($11.99)
Best For Glowy Cheeks: Milani Baked Blush ($10.99)
What Are Milabu Picks?
Milabu Picks are makeup products that lead the industry in their price categories (i.e. value, pro-grade, luxury) and product type. These products are reviewed and chosen by the Milabu team on a yearly basis. Many of these makeup products exceed the industry standard favorites, and some of them are, to this day, the industry standard leading the makeup industry.
Edited by Maddie