Best of bright blushes

~ stashy

Bright blushes are perfect for summertime – they look especially gorgeous against tanned skin.  But fair skinned gals, don’t let bright blushes scare you – they add a flush of colour when dusted on lightly at the apple of the cheeks.  Put your sunglasses on – here are some of my favourite bright blushes from my stash:
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I do have to say though, no photograph can truly capture the BRIGHTNESS of these blushes – you have to see them in person to appreciate them!

I like to categorize them into warm, neutral and cool shades:

Warm brights – orange shades that look especially good on olive toned skin

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L to R: Cargo Laguna, Maybelline #210 Coral Burst

Cargo Blush in Laguna – described as tropical melon, it’s an orange with a touch of coral – and it’s amazing on darker skin tones.
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Maybelline Baked Blush in #210 Coral Burst – this was from the Color Goes Electric Spring Collection in 2013.  It’s less of a coral and more of a straight up orange.  I wish Maybelline would make more of these – the quality of this baked blush is outstanding – pigmented and easy to blend.

Neutral brights – coral and reddish colours that would look good on both warm and cool toned skin

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L to R: MAC Bite of an Apple, Cargo Key Largo, Illamasqua Hussy, Milani Blush Mango Tango, Essence Shrimp Me Up

MAC Blush in Bite of an Apple – this was from the 2010 Venomous Villains collection.  While I bought it mainly for the packaging, I came to really love this unique colour.  It’s a reddened coral matte blush that I enjoy wearing both in the summer and wintertime.

Cargo Blush in Key Largo – described as tropical punch – I always think of hot weather and poolside drinks when I see this colour

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Hussy – when compared against the other bright blushes in the pan, Hussy seems a bit tame.  But it does still pack a punch on the cheeks.  It’s a pinky coral and can be worn with a variety of eye looks.
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Milani Blush in #6 Mango Tango – is the grand daddy of all of these bright blushes I now own.  When I snagged this through ebay years ago, I’d never laid eyes on such a bright shade of blush. I was afraid to even wear it! It’s no longer available but it holds a special place in my stash.  Which brings me to:

Essence Mono Eyeshadow in #55 Shrimp Me Up – wait a minute, this isn’t even a blush, it’s an eye shadow!  Yup. I picked this up with the intention of using it as a blush.  When I got it home, I realized it’s a near dupe for the Milani blush in Mango Tango, except that it has more of a frosted finish.

Cool brights – pinks and purpley tones that look best on fair skin, but are equally striking on tanned skin

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L to R: Smashbox Radiance, TheBalm Lace, Milani Bella Rosa

Smashbox  Blush Rush in Radiance – it’s difficult to capture this, but it’s positively NEON in person.  Hands down the brightest shade of the bunch – it radiates!  This colour looks beautiful on dark skin tones.

TheBalm Instain Long-Wearing Powder Staining Blush in Lace – a bright cool toned pink that looks amazing on tanned skin.  The longevity of these staining blushes are incredible even in the heat and humidity
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Milani Baked Blush in #11 Bella Rosa – a stunning fuchsia pink that needs just a teeny tiny tap in the pan to get pigment onto the cheeks.  I’ve enjoyed wearing this a little stronger on the cheeks and then doing a simple eye look.

My top picks from each of the categories:
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You can see how they compare against each other with the warm, neutral and cool undertones.

And to apply these bright blushes, I’ve been using either my MAC 137 Long Blending Brush, or a duo fibre brush like the e.l.f. Studio Stipple Brush:
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What are your favourite bright blushes?

32 thoughts on “Best of bright blushes”

  3. I’m obsessed with the Cargo Blush in Laguna!!!! Where do you find that brand? It. is. everything!
    Great post girl! 🙂

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  6. Aww so many pretties! That Smashbox is amazing.

    When I first saw your post title, I thought it said “Best of blue blushes” and went…huuuurh?!

    Hussy is my fave out of the ones you posted, and it’s lovely! It’s also about as bright as I go with blush. I do have Bella Rosa but am still too afraid to try it (like MAC Frankly Scarlet, which is still pristine in my palette).

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    1. I don’t even think Illamasqua offered a blue blush! 😛
      Honestly, it was quite jarring when I pulled out what – in my head – were my brightest blushes and Hussy looked SO tame in the pan sitting beside the others, I almost didn’t include it. But I find that Illamasqua blushes apply much more intensely than how they look in the pan. I don’t even own any of the super bright Illamasqua blushes because I already have these, but I bet Excite or Panic would be retina searing shades! Wow, I can’t believe you own MAC Frankly Scarlet – what possessed you?

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  7. I can see you are a Cargo fan 🙂 All of my blushes look the same… like this: http://www.thebalm.com/cabanaboy.html though I’ve been trying more recently to wear other colors. I especially love the Instain one you showed from the balm! I’ve never thought I could pull off such a bright pink but I do have fair skin and it would be something new… great list! I feel inspired and really loved this post!

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    1. Yes! TheBalm InStain are INSANE! I’m wearing Lace today and it’s so girly and provides a bright pop on the cheeks! Oh I also have a bunch of nudey rose shades, I’ll do a post about them eventually too! 😊

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  8. These are all so pretty and bright! I used to always steer clear of brights, but I’m glad I got over my fear. Modern Mandarin from MAC is my fave 🙂

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    1. I was hesitant to try a cool toned pink but they do look really lovely on the skin. I like the orange shades but I do have to be mindful of keeping my skin more bronzed and my eye shadows on the warmer side too, or else it clashes.

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  11. Love all of these!! Especially the cool purple shades! I would love to try Bella Rosa! Milani blushes are some of my favorites! 🙂 xo

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  12. Wow! These blushes are gorgeous!! I gotta admit I’m a tad intimidated by them lol I feel like I’ll love it too much that I’ll pack it on accidentally 😂 I don’t think I own an intense blush shade! But I definitely need to venture more into bold shades! They look amazing!!!! 😊 😘 ❤

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  15. Pingback: theBalm Instain blushes | stash matters

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