TRIED AND TESTED: The multi-tasking cream blush that completely changed my face.

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Senior Lifestyle Writer Amy Clark wants you to know exactly how blush can transform your face.

I was 27 when I started wearing blush for the first time and honestly, it was 27 years too late.

OK, a bit dramatic. Maybe a decade late considering babies don't... need blush. Moving on. 

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My fear of blush came down to a few things. Like how my natural ranga colouring has its own inbuilt blush that pops up whenever I exert the smallest amount of energy. 

And not wanting to resemble toddler-me, who sported two perfectly round red circles on her cheeks like an 80s prom queen. Or Chucky. 

Once when I was working in hospitality, a lovely woman complimented me on my blush and asked for the brand and shade as she paid for her chicken sambo on rye. It was just… my face.

So, I stayed away. My bronzer and I were just fine without blush. But the more I spoke to beauty experts, makeup artists, influencers and friends, they all wouldn’t stop talking about how great blush is and I started getting FOMO.

Still, it wasn’t until I received a mini size of the Nudestix Nudies Bloom All Over Dewy Color Blush in the shade Poppy Girl when I interviewed the brand’s co-founder Taylor Frankel (who is a seriously kickass mid-20s Lady Startup) that I finally got it. 

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A post shared by NUDESTIX (@nudestix) on Jun 8, 2020 at 5:00am PDT

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🌺poppy girl🌺 The perfect flush of color 💗💅🏽👋🏼

A post shared by  Taylor Frankel (@taylor_frankel) on Oct 28, 2019 at 4:39pm PDT

This particular cream blush comes in a double-ended stick with a blending brush on the bottom. Each of the different shades can be blended into the apples of your cheeks as a blush, across the eyelids as an eyeshadow, and over the lips as a lippie.

As soon as I blended this peachy, pinky tone on my cheeks and over my lips, I understood the transformative powers of blush and what a bit in the right shade, formula and placement on your cheeks can do for your face.

I like to think of it as the easiest way to make it look like you get 12 hours sleep every night, go for regular runs (and even went for a quick one just now), drink a sh*t tonne of water and have really great sex.

Here's a look at how I've applied and worn this blush — skip ahead to around nine minutes to see the Nudestix blush in action.

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A post shared by Amy Clark (@theamyclark) on Jan 29, 2020 at 12:45am PST

How to choose the right blush for you.

OK cool, but how do you find the right blush for you? There’s a lot to unpack here.

First, pick your formula. Most blushes come in either a cream or a powder. Powder blushes last all day and give a more polished, ‘done’ effect. Cream blushes don’t always have the same staying powder, but they make up for it with a juicy, dewy, ‘flushed’ finish.

As for the shade… Some experts will tell you there are specific shades that will suit your skin type, but I’m inclined to say it’s about what you like the look of on your own face. 

Blush pink isn’t the only option out there now. Zoe Foster Blake loves herself a burgundy, plum blush, and I’m really into peaches and oranges. Forget the rules and give different shades a try.

Again, there’ll always be differing opinions on where to place your blush. 

When I use a cream formula, I tend to dab it onto the apples of my cheeks and blend upwards towards the cheekbone. But with powder, I do the same AND swish a bit on the nose and over my eyelids. 

Which are the best blushes?

Some of my favourite blushes from (L-R) Natio, Westman Atelier, Charlotte Tilbury, Clarins, Nudestix, KVD Vegan Beauty and NARS. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark. 

Now for the fun part. These are just a few of the blushes I love at the moment, and use as blushes, eyeshadows and, in some cases, lip colours!

1. Maybelline Cheek Heat Cream Blush, $16.95.

It’s impossible to stuff this thin, water-like cream blush up because the shades are actually far more subtle than the packaging suggests.

2. Natio Desert Sunset Cream Blush & Highlighter Palette, $21.95.

This palette contains two very excellent cream blushes that stay put and blend seamlessly, AND a natural highlighter. Bargain.

3. KVD VEGAN BEAUTY Everlasting Blush, $37.

This blush is not here to mess around. The powder is highly-pigmented but super smooth, and STAYS PUT. You only need the tiniest bit.

4. Clarins Joli Blush, $45.

Another brilliant powder blush, I’ve been frothing over the burnt orange shade ever since I first swirled it over my mug.

5. NUDESTIX Nudies Bloom All Over Dewy Color Blush, $54.

This is the one that started it all. A little goes a long way, it’s very easy to apply and it doubles as a bloody good hydrating lippie.

6. Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, $60.

Charlotte Tilbury is a spendy but her products are wonderful. The light wand in Pinkgasm is a very natural, slightly glossy liquid blush that can almost double as your highlighter, too.

7. NARS Orgasm X Cheek Palette, $67.

NARS Orgasm powder blush is iconic. It now comes in this limited edition palette with an even more vibrant fuchsia shade, and a gold shimmer highlight. All shades can be used on cheeks and eyes.

8. Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick, $80.

I raved about this really freaking expensive blush in a recent You Beauty newsletter, but all you need to know is it’s a delicious, creamy treat, should you have the means to splurge.

Wow, that was really fun. Damn, I just love blush. 

Feature Image: Supplied/@theamyclark.

Got a favourite blush? Tell us about it in the comments below!

You can catch up on our previous Tried and Tested reviews here:

• TRIED AND TESTED: From $3 to $45, the best tinted eyebrow gels to get your brows in order.
• TRIED AND TESTED: How the new $700 Dyson Corrale compares to cheaper cult straighteners.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I stopped washing my face in the morning and it completely changed my skin.