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Nothing gives you the polished look or brightens up tired skin faster than blusher.
From Max Factor's purse-friendly Miracle Touch, to Kevyn Aucoin's perfectly peachy Tansoleil Creamy Glow, we've trawled through boxes of blushers to find the best in the business.
Click on the gallery to see the IndyBest buys
Show all 14 1 /1414 best blushers for summer 14 best blushers for summer Butter London Cheeky Cream Blush I can't get enough of these easy-to-apply creamy blushers that leave cheekbones with a fresh pop of colour. ‘Pistol Pink’ is a surprisingly-wearable hot pink statement blush. ‘Honey Pie’ is a softer, more natural peachy pink and ‘Naughty Biscuit’ is a timeless, nude rosy taupe.
£14 or £17 for 4g, butterlondon.co.uk
14 best blushers for summer Clinique Cheek Pop This looks like a subtle creamy blush which, once on, transforms into a silky, barely-there glow, giving healthy-looking colour without a hint of powder or any build-up on the cheeks. It’s a seriously impressive formula that manages sheer coverage but with vibrant colour. Available in four shades.
£16.50 for 3.5g, clinique.co.uk
14 best blushers for summer Daniel Sandler Watercolour Fluid Blush These award-winning blushes are a staple in many professional make-up artists' kits. Virtually rub-off proof and water resistant, they have incredible staying power and won't budge from morning till night. They are enriched with nourishing vitamin E and jojoba and the oil-free silicone base won't clog pores either. One tiny dot on the end of your finger tip can be blended onto cheekbones for an instantly pretty flush. I like tawny ‘Chic’ and rosy pink ‘Passion’.
£15.50 for 15ml, danielsandler.com
14 best blushers for summer Bourjois Rose D'Or A cult classic, this is an award-winning, suits-all shade of pink blush. The Bourjois little round pots of blush have been around for 150 years and this is one of their best-selling shades. Highly pigmented, but easy to build up colour, it looks scarily shimmery in the pot, but is actually a very wearable soft pink.
£7.99 for 2.5g, boots.com
14 best blushers for summer Paul & Joe Colour Powder These dressing-table worthy, beautifully illustrated pots are brand new this spring and come in three colours. ‘Amaryllis 090’ is a soft red that gives a cheerful windswept flush to cheekbones and has added nourishing and moisturising orange flower water, rosemary and white lily extract.
£20 for 5g, beautybay.com
14 best blushers for summer Benefit Fine One One Sheer Brightening Color Making a three-pronged beauty attack on the cheekbones, this blush and highlighter in one blends three shades to lift, contour and add a pop of colour. It looks terrifyingly neon, but is very sheer and super-easy to build up as little or as much colour as you like.
£23.50 for 8g, benefitcosmetics.co.uk
14 best blushers for summer Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush Incredibly easy to blend, ‘Soft Pink’ is a universally flattering hot pink that gives cheeks a modern dewy flush. Pat onto the apples and sweep over the cheekbones and up to the temples. It's non-greasy so it gives a really natural lustrous finish that stays put all day.
£6.99, boots.com
14 best blushers for summer Wild About Beauty Ultra Sheer Powder Blush If you like your blush matte, this is the one to go for. Ultra sheer and finely-milled powders in this lightweight product mean it glides on like a dream and it also contains skin-boosting aloe vera and vitamin E. Available in four shades, try ‘Lucy’ for a natural soft dusky rose.
£16.00 for 3.5g, wildaboutbeauty.com
14 best blushers for summer Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Duo This is a perfectly-paired, ultra-sheer lip and cheek mini palette. ‘Tansoleil’ is a really pretty peachy apricot that will add warmth to fair skin tones and create a natural glow in more olive and yellow-toned complexions.
£19 for 4.5g, spacenk.com
14 best blushers for summer Lancome Blush Subtil ‘Rose Paradis’ is a hot pink, ultra matte blush that brightens up cheekbones in a flash. Hardly any blending is needed with this powder blush, it simply gives skin a polished, healthy glow.
£27.50 for 6g, lancome.co.uk
14 best blushers for summer Susan Posnick ColorMe A travel-friendly pot with its own soft puff applicator and mirror on the lid, this award-winning mineral blush is rich in vitamin A and E, is sweat proof and water resistant. My two favourites are peachy pink ‘Camellia’ with its subtle shimmer, while deeper red ‘Scarlett’ gives cheeks a just-been-for-a-walk-in the-park flush.
£19 for 3g, effortlessskin.com
14 best blushers for summer Topshop Blush Topshop has come up trumps with this coral peachy blush called ‘Do It Again’. It appears shimmery in the compact, but on the skin just gives a really pretty sheeny glow – almost like a highlighter on the cheekbones. Swirl around with a large blusher brush and sweep over apples, cheekbones and up to the temples. This has a high pigment, so you don't need very much on the brush.
£7 for 4g, topshop.com
14 best blushers for summer DHC Face Colour Palette These super-pretty blush trio palettes have the added bonus of nourishing olive oil and collagen-boosting vitamin C in the formula. ‘Poppy’ contains three soft pinks in varying depths of colour – perfect for fair skin. Use the palest pink for highlighting and the darker for contouring.
£17.50 for 5g, dhcuk.co.uk
14 best blushers for summer Kiko Milano Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush Available in eight natural shades, you can apply this one straight from the tube onto the apples of your cheeks and blend in with fingertips or a blush brush. The silky texture melts straight into the skin and is so sheer it takes a bit of building up to get a strong coverage – great if you're new to using blusher.
£7.90 for 10g, kikocosmetics.co.uk
Verdict
Clinique Cheek Pop and Butter London Cheeky Cream Blush both give an extraordinary pop of colour and are easy-to-apply creams. While Daniel Sandler's Watercolour Fluid Blush is an award-winning make-up artist staple that stays put longer than any other I tried. For pure affordability and longevity, Bourjois Rose D'Or is a best-selling shade in their famous little round pot that's been around for 150 years.
Buy now
1. Butter London Cheeky Cream Blush, £14 or £17 for 4g
2. Clinique Cheek Pop, £16.50 for 3.5g
3. Daniel Sandler Watercolour Fluid Blush, £15.50 for 15ml
4. Bourjois Rose D'Or, £7.99 for 2.5g
5. Paul & Joe Colour Powder. £20 for 5g
6. Benefit Fine One One Sheer Brightening Color, £23.50 for 8g
7. Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush, £6.99
8. Wild About Beauty Ultra Sheer Powder Blush, £16.00 for 3.5g
9. Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Duo, £19 for 4.5g
10. Lancome Blush Subtil, £27.50 for 6g
11. Susan Posnick ColorMe, £19 for 3g
12. Topshop Blush, £7 for 4g
13. DHC Face Color Palette, £17.50 for 5g
14. Kiko Milano Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush, £7.90 for 10g
