Blushing Beauty

I could debate for hours on the old Powder/Cream blusher topic. (Yes, I know it’s not that important in the grand scheme of things, but hey, this is a beauty blog, yeah?!) I’ve tried both and those that claim to be a hybrid of the two. I’m never sure which I like best. Applied properly, I like the intensity some cream blush gives, but for ease, powder usually wins.

So, you can imagine how confused I have been for the last couple of months trying out two new blush formats from Clarins and YSL Spring Collections.

Upon first glance, the new Clarins Instant Light Blush (£19) looked like a nail polish. The lovely Clarins PR girl who showed it to me last year said everyone had thought the same. But it’s not, it’s a super-light, skin-enhancing liquid cheek colour that comes in a cute little bottle with a sculpted foam tipped applicator.

It’s VERY light. This is most definitely a spring/summer daytime blusher. You just get a hint of flushed colour with this. It has a lovely sheen to it, so is sort of a highlighter/blush hybrid. It comes in two colours –Vitamin Pink and Coral Tonic, and is Limited Edition.

YSL’s new Blusher is a Gel Blush (£28). The French name is Voile de Blush, which means ‘veil of blusher‘ and this just gives a veil.

I have been trying out Shade 1 – Carmine Veil, the darkest of the three shades,  and when I say dark, I mean most visible. This is not a lot of colour and definition, but once applied, it’s definitely there, just not that there, if you know what I mean!  The other shades are Coral Veil and Pink Veil.

What do you like in a blusher?

Clarins Instant Light Blush is available later this month, from Clarins counters and clarins.co.uk. YSL Voile de Blush Gel Blush is available now, from YSL counters and yslbeauty.co.uk