It’s no secret that any style of fresh flush can work wonders for the face, but while powder certainly has its place, there’s just something extra special about the radiant sheen offered by decadent cream formulas.
Said sheen isn’t all they offer, though – the latest crop of cream blush options are just as beneficial as they are beautiful, playing host to a whole array of hydrating, soothing and smoothing ingredients that help to keep the colour looking especially flawless while also topically treating the skin to a little extra nourishment.
Though some come in pots and others in stick form, the application technique remains foolproof across the board – just tap on and blend out with fingers for a particularly subtle effect or buff into skin with a stippling brush or sponge for extra precision. All of our favourite formulas are designed to offer a natural finish regardless, so there’s no need to fear going overboard.
Ready to find your new complexion-aiding cheek colour? We’ve rounded up the cream (ironically) of the cream blush crop…
Rituel de Fille Colour Nectar Pigment Balm in Bloodflower, $38 at MECCA
Loaded with skin-regenerating lanolin and a hydrating oil trio (the lineup includes lavender, castor and jojoba, to be precise), it’s a balmy blush that’s outrageously easy to blend.
Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Cool Berry, $33 at SEPHORA
Searching for something hydrating but non-greasy? This light-as-air cream colour features candelilla wax, a lighter beeswax alternative, so it melts into skin, providing an effortless wash of sweat-proof colour that’ll still glide right over fine lines.
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip & Cheek Glow in Colour of Passions, $60 at Charlotte Tilbury
Blended with dew-boosting oils and waxes, this radiant rouge imparts a just-pinched freshness, no actual pinching necessary. It also conditions the complexion while you wear thanks to nourishing vitamin E.
Stila Convertible Colour in Gerbera, $40 at MECCA
Creamy but not particularly opaque, this castor seed oil-enhanced blush blend is the ideal option for anyone chasing a sheer effect; consider your wash of downright dewy semi-translucent colour coming right up.
Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Chouchette, $80 at MECCA
This jojoba oil-powered rouge is also packed with biomimicry pigments, which allow it to perfectly mimic the natural texture of skin to leave your flush looking unbelievably believable.
Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Last Looks Cream Blush in Peony, $40 at MECCA
With hydrating hyaluronic acid, nourishing grapeseed oil and colour crafted from rich plant pigments (think red roses and purple carrots) instead of synthetic dyes, wearing this blush is better for skin health than going bare.
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Cream Blush in Pink, $52 at David Jones
This luxuriously soft colour glides onto skin like a dream, leaving a long-lasting flush in tact all day while also harnessing the plumping, brightening and soothing abilities of vitamins A, C and E.
Napoleon Perdis Cheek Switch Crème Blush Stick in Rose, $49 at THE ICONIC
This lightweight and long-wearing blush glides effortlessly across cheeks, before transforming into an ultra-silky powder finish (all while its Argan Kernel Oil and Candelilla Wax ingredients work overtime to condition the skin). The formula is easy to build and layer, while its unique colour adds a super pigmented pop to finish off a look.
