This Blurring, Cream Blush Gives You That Summery Sunburnt Flush You Dream Of

And yet, we’re old/smart enough to know that getting a burn can DOUBLE our chances for getting skin cancer later in life. Yes. Double.

And yet, we simply must have that ruddy, pink-nosed burnt-cheek look during the summertime because it brings us back to simpler days of frosty lemonade and the Good Humor truck and the sound of lawnmowers and eating bushels of corn from the grill.

And there is nothing more nostalgic than all of those things.

And while we wish we could grill up some corn for all of you, with the smell of fresh grass flooding our nostrils, washed down with a lemonade and a Push Pop, we sadly cannot.

But the sunburnt cheek? Oh yes. We can definitely make that happen.

And it comes in the form of this unassuming little pot from this unassuming little brand:

BUY ON SEPHORA

Here’s the thing about most blush:

They just look like you’re wearing blush.

With the onslaught of makeup tutorials and TikTok videos and whatever housewives season you’re on, it feels like we’re all sort of collectively starting to forget that makeup’s job is not supposed to look like “pretty makeup.” It’s just supposed to make US look pretty. Like ourselves. Like the rested, youthful, glowy women we are on the inside. And SO much of this begins and ends with blush. Blush is our desert island product. A knife and matches would also be helpful but you get the gist. But blush should mimic our natural flush, it should not present itself like something separate from our skin’s inherent skin-self.

And to that end, two things are critically, even crucially, important:

The texture—it cannot sit on top of the skin. Rather it must melt into the skin and become one with it.
The color—most of us are drawn to blush colors that are simply colors we like as general colors, not the blush color that would look great on us specifically. And in fact, the best blush colors will NOT thrill you in the pot or on a swatch.

They’re all a little boring looking. And dull. And yet, they are so unbelievably natural looking and give you that warm, sun-kissed, aprés beach look. Every time. Without the punishing sun’s rays.

You essentially choose the color depending on how light or dark your skin is, so here’s a cheat sheet so you don’t even have to think when you’re adding to cart:

Extremely fair: Sunlit
Fair: Sun Blossom
Medium: Sun Warmth
Tan: Sun Ray
Deep: Sun Gaze

That’s it. Just choose one. You’re done. We dab it on with THIS beauty blender (wet it and then squeeze out all the moisture) or a couple taps of fingers work great on the cheek bones and bridge of nose too.

It’s ideal for the dog days of summer, but you’ll be amazed what a little at-home sunburn on your nose and cheeks will do for your mood once the days are shorter and the mornings are chillier. Instant joy.

Price: $34

BUY ON SEPHORA

At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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