For this month’s edition, I’m testing out another Maybelline product (check out last month’s review, here). Drugstore brands have been embracing the liquid and cream blush trend, and this is one example. Although powder blush is my favorite, I enjoy experimenting with different textures and layering them together. My hope with this product was that it would impart a lightweight, flushed look to the cheeks.
The Recommendation: Maybelline New York Cheek Heat Sheer Gel-Cream Blush
Price: $7.99 at Ulta (prices varies by purveyor)
What the Editor Says: “Even more charming than the oil-paint-like tubes these cheek tints come in: the rosy shades themselves. We like to finger-paint them on our cheekbones to complete the metaphor.” – Allure
My Experience
Unfortunately, this was a huge fail for me. While I agree with Allure that the paint tube aesthetic of this liquid blusher is charming, the product inside is anything but that. I purchased the shade Pink Scorch, which is a lovely cool-toned pink. I really like the color of it, but the performance is disappointing.
No matter how carefully I tried to blend out this product, it turns out patchy. This was the case whether I applied it on top of powdered and unpowdered foundation, though the latter method works a little better. Using my fingers to blend it out resulted in the least amount of patchiness, but still was not a foolproof method. Sponges and brushes didn’t help the situation at all. The weirdest part is that when I try to apply the liquid blush just on top of the areas that are patchy, it does not stick. Frustrating, to say the least.
The other thing I don’t like about this blush is that it leaves a gnarly stain. Whenever I use it, I first deposit the producut onto the back of my hand. There it leaves a bright pink mark that doesn’t wash off. I considered trying to apply this blush directly to my cheeks before foundation, but I’m not keen on having a stain on my face in addition to my hand.
Although my cheeks do have a nice flush in the photo above, a closer look would reveal patchiness. Also, the amount of work it took to get the product to look like this is not worth it. Applying a powder blush would take less time and achieve a better result.
Overall, I just don’t think a gel-based formula is great for blush. The combination of being a sheer product that also stains is really odd and doesn’t bode too well for blending. I really wanted this to work, but it just didn’t. Maybe I’ll have better luck with next month’s review.
xo Kelli
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