I like to think my subconscious plays a larger role in my makeup choices. That’s how I end up with multiples of the same (or similar) shade. We’ve seen this happen before but this time it’s about blushes. For the longest time I’ve been reaching for the same kind of blush color. It’s usually sheer and seamless in neutral peachy or mauve tones. I pretty much have every colour in the blush spectrum except lavender I suppose but, this is the one I reach for the most. You will always find one or two of these on my top shelf.

barely there blushes aerin nars burberry hourglass tarte-1 barely there blushes aerin nars burberry hourglass tarte-3Clockwise : Aerin Natural, Hourglass Mood Exposure, Tarte Exposed, Charlotte Tilbury First Time, Nyx Tea Rose, Nars Douceur, Burberry Earthy

The newest addition is Burberry Skin Light Glow Blush in Earthy, a very muted light brown. By itself it looks very cool toned but on me it draws more warmth and is slightly peachy without looking muddy. It’s heavily fragranced but the formula is a very silky matte. I like my blushes sheer that can be built up as I please and with Earthy I need to do so twice or thrice, which isn’t too bad. I love the colour but it’s not the most long lasting blush. This begins to fade after four hours.

Nars Powder Blush Douceur is my first love which is unfortunately, discontinued. I basically dedicated an entire post lamenting about it but all you need to know is that the colour is the perfect warm pink neutral and that if there’s ever a petition to bring it back, you need to act on it. I usually find Nars blushes to be very pigmented but Douceur is an exception as it’s sheerer, but even with the slightest wash, it will last for hours.

Often touted as a dupe for Douceur, which it is not, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hour Blush in Exposed is the one blush from this lot you might already have! It’s beautiful and is a true mauve. The formula is one of the best and I find this to last the longest though not 12 hours, as claimed. The formula, again, is a sheer matte that is very easy to blend.

The following two are very similar and new-ish to my collection. I fell for the marble effect here! Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure is a light mauve with light reflecting particles that makes it partly matte and partly luminous. If you have a matte base on, this might be the one to go for. The glow is very subtle and the blush doesn’t look flat like other matte ones. Much like the Ambient Lighting Powders, this is very fine and does kick up a bit more powder but the formula is as good as it gets.

A dupe for Mood Exposure is the Charlotte Tilbury Swish & Pop Blusher in First Time. The outer shade is very pale for me and the inner one is warmer. Mixed together you get a perfect inbetween colour that has very fine shimmer dispersed in a mostly matte formula. It’s very soft and easy to blend and I have no complaints about the formula itself. The packaging, however, feels cheap and delicate. I would never travel with this because the blush discs looks like they could fall apart and crumble if I drop it. But you are essentially getting two blushes in one.

Let’s move on to cream blushes! Aerin Multi-color For Lips and Cheeks in Natural, worn here, is the blush I cannot shut up about! It’s the best discovery I’ve made this year. I’ve always carried it with me when I’ve travelled and raved about it if you ever mentioned ‘blush’. It’s the easiest to blend out of all my blushes and can be built up to many layers without looking patchy. I’ve been loving blushes that have a bit of sheen and enhance the dewy look like this one. It’s not pore friendly in that regard but if that is not an issue for you, you will like this blush a lot. Not the most long lasting blush, especially in this heat, but it serves well for 5-6 hours and then fades into nothingness. The packaging is pretty spectacular as well!

Nyx Cream Blush in Tea Rose is just really good value for money. It’s very pigmented and I honestly just lightly swipe my finger when I use this before I tap away. Like Aerin, it has a sheen, blends easily but isn’t the most long lasting formula. But it is that colour which will suit a lot of different makeup looks, it’s a subtle pink. I often rave about the others more and overlook this. I’ve had a for so long now but I definitely need to use it more often.

barely there blushes aerin nars burberry hourglass tarte-4

What’s your go-to blush shade? Also let me know if you have any similar ones that I’ve missed out!

 

Burberry Skin Light Glow Blush in Earthy ($42) – Sephora, Nordstrom, Feel Unique

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed ($28) – Sephora

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure ($38) – Sephora, Nordstrom

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop Blusher in First Time ($40) – Beautylish, Nordstrom

Aerin Multi-color For Lips and Cheeks in Natural ($42) – Nordstrom

Nyx Cream Blush in Tea Rose ($6) – Ulta

(some of the links above are affiliate links)


Comments

61 responses to “Barely There Blushes”

  1. So many beautiful blushes – I especially love Exposed & First Love! xx

    Beautylymin| Bobbi Brown Define & Glow Palette Gift Set Giveaway

    1. I can’t pick a favourite here but I love them both!

  2. I also end up picking very close shades without even noticing, it feels like there are some colours that I can’t give up! Also having a sheer blush is way better than having really pigmented ones, I like to build it up and it gives more natural finish that way. All these blushes are so pretty, lately all I’ve been wearing peachykeen (mac) and seductive pink(max factor)!

    Ela BellaWorld

    1. Funny how that happens! I don’t have Peachykeen but it’s really pretty!

  3. Ooh what a gorgeous selection of blushes, love the look of Mood Exposure from Hourglass and the NYX Tea Rose one x

    Beauty with charm | Benefit Cheekathon Giveaway

    1. I can’t really pick one over the other but they’re both amazing!

  4. I love this kind of particular, natural-rosey hue, it’s so classic and versatile. Burberry Earthy looks stunning! I really need to try it out on the counter.

    Selene Addicted

    1. You’ve described it perfectly! Earthy is really unique!

  5. i always go for blushes like this too! tarte exposed is my favourite blush of all time and i’ve never found anything that i love as much! such a shame that nars douceur is discontinued because it’s so beautiful and i feel like i would really love it!
    m0llylouise.com

    1. I know! They need to bring it back!

  6. Lovely set of neutral blushes
    I have mood exposure as wish list from this list
    My go to blush shade is coral :-)))

    1. Tell me your favourite corals!

  7. Im into barely blushes too! The hourglass one looks perfect for brightening your face up ~

    Passion Blog | BCfactor.blogspot.com

    1. They’re perfect for everyday!

  8. These are all so beautiful. You’ve definitely pushed the Hourglass blush back up to the top of my wishlist! Determined to get one of those!

    Em | beautyandbullshitt x

    1. Going by other comments as well, Mood Exposure and Nyx Tea Rose are favourites!

  9. Judging by swatches, my go-to blush color is pretty similar, bt mine are pretty much all the neutral/tan shades MAC has to offer. When I did pictures of my blush collection a year ago, I realized how many of the same color I had. Before that I would have sworn that I owned only peach blushes. Now I try to buy different colors.
    Let me rephrase that: I try not to buy any more blushes in general, as I have so many.

    Linda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking

    1. Haha! I wasn’t into blushes so much until I found this kind of shade. I have other colours of course but these are my favourites!

  10. Samileen avatar
    Samileen

    Those are some pretty darn gorgeous shades. Well I need all of them. I’m surprised I don’t have many earthy toned pink blushes.

    Sam || Beautydetour

    1. I have a lot of other shades but these are what I reach out for everyday!

  11. All these blushes are perfect for everyday! Nyx tea rose looks so pretty and I love tarte exposed!

    JennyLovesBeauty

    1. They really are, I think Tarte Exposed suits so many skintones really well.

  12. Exposed and Mood Exposure are two blushes I absolutely need to pick up, they’re so, so gorgeous. My go to is Too Faced Baby Love, and I think you’d really enjoy it. It’s a muted mauve peach and it’s a stunner.

    brooke | brooke elise

    1. Yes! Baby Love seems to be pretty similar but I decided not to get it because I have so many of these already. I love the packaging though.

  13. I love barely there blushes, especially how subtle they are whilst still making you look flushed!
    That Nars shade stands out the me most – think i’d be gorgeous!

    Georgia | The Weekend Attic –

    1. Douceur really is pretty, such a shame it was discontinued.

  14. I love this post so much because I have been trying to find some good blushes to start off with that won’t stand out too much!

    Kathy x

    http://www.alongcamekathy.blogspot.co.nz

    1. I have a very narrow face so these kind of colours don’t highlight the blush area too much but still give enough colour. I’d say you can’t go wrong with Tarte Exposed but any of these would look good on you!

  15. Great picks! Gonna remember Tea Rose.

  16. I need to pick up Tea Rose and can I say I am seriously lusting over Hourglass Mood Exposure, it’s stunning!

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

    1. Mood Exposure is just so pretty to look at! But Tea Rose is a bargain!

  17. SamanthaSeries avatar
    SamanthaSeries

    I have Mood Exposure, I love it! And I never saw that Aerin cream blusher before but it looks gorgeous *heart eyes*

    Samantha Series

    1. It is indeed! I had never really paid attention to the Aerin line but this blush is one of the best I’ve ever used.

  18. Neha 14wow avatar
    Neha 14wow

    Such perfect and beautiful blushes… wow… stunning ones… xoxo, Neha

    http://www.theinstylejournal.com/

    1. Thanks Neha! xx

  19. Trang Do avatar
    Trang Do

    Wow!! Pretty blushes!! They are all so beautiful!!

    Love,
    Kisses and hugs from http://www.trangscorner.com {a lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and food blog}

    1. I still occasionally drool over them! Thanks! xx

  20. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Burberry blushes…they are definitely on my to-try list in the future! I love Charlotte Tilbury blushes as well, why they got to be so expensive 🙁 My to go blush shade is this trio from Kiko I bought three years ago…not close to hitting pan still though!

    1. I’ve only hit pan on a blush once! But I’m hoping Douceur and Exposed will have dents soon enough!

  21. Blushes are my favourite things to purchase, so I have far too many. I have one CT blush, which I absolutely love, but they’re so expensive. I’ve always wanted to try Tarte exposed, so I think that’s next on my list!

    Katherine || The Green Bows

    1. I want to try more CT blushes as well but looking at the packaging for the high price, I’m going to take my money elsewhere!

  22. karina shvets avatar
    karina shvets

    i adore the “barely there” look! great choices!

    XOXO Peachplz | http://www.peachplz.com

    1. Thanks Karina! So glad you like it! xx

  23. I love this color range of blush! It’s definitely my go to. I need the nars blush you mentioned! I can’t believe I don’t have it already!

    JennyLovesBeauty♥

    1. It’s discontinued unfortunately but I hope you manage to get it somehow! x

  24. I love these kinds of shades as well! Now I’m thinking I need Hourglass Mood Exposure in my life.

    1. I won’t say no to that! It’s pretty good! xx

  25. Adaleta Avdic avatar
    Adaleta Avdic

    Ahhhh these are alllll so pretty! I love that you titled this barely there because it’s true. Nice, beautiful & subtle shades! xx adaatude.com

    1. Thanks babe! I’m so glad you liked the post! xx

  26. Well you’ve pretty much nailed some of my favorites with Douceur, Exposed, and Mood Exposure! Aerin Natural looks like a gorgeous shade, although I think it’d make more of a fab lip color haha. With Summer definitely here I’m going to pull out Benefit’s Coralista as it is the perfect peachy/coral shade to add a pop of color!

    Cindy | http://www.cindyhyue.com

    1. I know it’s a cheek lip colour but I still haven’t used Aerin on my lips! I need to change that stat!

  27. Ooh that NYX blush looks amazing! I just picked up a Burberry cream blush, but need to try their powder blushes. HG blushes are seriously some of the best! I always had NARS Douceur on my list of blushes to buy, but kept purchasing other blushes instead, and now I’m so sad because it’s been discontinued so I missed out!

    xx
    Nida | Caked To The Nines

    1. Oh are you talking about the Cheek Bloom something? I want to try those! Somehow I keep buying stuff from Burberry but there’s always more I want to try!

  28. I love subtle blushes! My fav is dallas by benefit 🙂

    http://www.thebeautydojo.com

    1. Yea, a lot of people have mentioned that it’s similar! I’m going to swatch it the next time I’m in Sephora!

  29. These are my favourite shades for blushes! They’re so easy to wear xx

    Gemma ♡ Miss Makeup Magpie

    1. I’m glad to hear that Gemma, they’re very understated.

  30. paperkitties avatar
    paperkitties

    I love Tarte exposed! Been aching to get a Tarte blush for ages but was dissuaded by my gfs :/

    http://www.paperkitties.com

    1. You won’t regret it. 🙂

  31. I’m such a fan of peach/babydoll pink blushes but I do think I need a few more nudes in my collection. I’ve got Douceur which I bought purely because of blogger hype right before it got discontinued (or at least was rumoured to be, not sure if it actually happened or not) and I actually bought Mood Exposure for my mum for her birthday recently and she really loves it. I think I probably at least need to pick up Exposed since everyone loves it so much, it must be for good reason.

    Jessica – littlehenrylee.net

    1. I think Tarte recently came out with the shade Seduce which is similar to Exposed but warmer, that might be good to try as well!

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