The blush step in my makeup routine brings me the identical level of joy as seeing the waiter at a restaurant make their way toward me, food in hand. Reaching for the Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Blush only amplifies this sense. I’m not the just one who feels this fashion either — the complete Allure team loves this blush a lot that we gave it an Allure 2023 Better of Beauty award. Before I hop on my soapbox about why I’m obsessive about this blush, let’s get into some backstory.

I used to hate blush — granted, the blush options for dark skin after I began wearing makeup were abysmal. I at all times feared a vibrant flush of color on my cheeks would make me appear to be a clown. Just a few years and an entire lot of makeup tutorials later, I began to embrace the bottom product and even grew to find it irresistible. Now in 2023, it’s arguably my favorite makeup product and I’ve turn into somewhat of a blush connoisseur.

After I learned that Danessa Myricks Beauty was launching a blush version of their award-winning Yummy Skin Blurring Balm, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. What sets this blush apart, is the unique upsalite technology (also utilized in the blurring balm) that enables the cream formula actually to set as a powder with a light-weight matte finish. Myricks developed the ingredient (a mix of magnesium oxide and carbon dioxide that soaks up oils and blurs pores, similarly to a powder) together with a team of teachers at Sweden’s Uppsala University. Cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam echos this saying “when combining magnesium oxide, carbon dioxide, and methanol it creates magnesium carbonate which behaves as an absorbent.”

While this sort of formula worked rather well within the blurring balm, I used to be a bit apprehensive about how it could work in a cream blush. There was a little bit of a learning curve after I first tried the blush. I applied it on bare skin with my fingers, which I do often with cream blushes for a dewy natural flush of color. Nonetheless, since the blurring balm blush dries like a powder, it didn’t give me the natural skin-like finish I used to be hoping for. I later tried it with a full face of makeup and used a brush and that’s where our love affair began.

I used to be wowed at the quantity of pigment I got from just a number of taps within the blush pan and the way it played with my foundation and concealer to create a seamless mix. Also, as pigmented because the blush is, it is not overwhelming. You may construct it up for a daring flush of color or simply add a subtle tinge of rosiness to the cheeks, which is what I prefer to do. Along with the impressive color payoff, the shade range can also be chef’s kiss. The blush is available in six beautiful shades (Primadonna, a vibrant pink is my go-to) which are adaptable to a wide selection of skin tones. Latest York City-based makeup artist Olga Solovey keeps these blushes stocked in her kit for this very reason. “The colour selection and the extent of pigmentation that makes this blush universal; I can apply it to any complexion,” says Solovey.

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed in Primadonna

$25 at Sephora

Due to its duality, it might be tricky to determine when to use this blush in your makeup routine. Do you apply it with or after concealer like a cream blush or do you sweep it on after your whole face is completed like a powder blush? The reply is: nevertheless you would like. There really isn’t any incorrect technique to apply this blush. Sometimes I’ll apply it as a crowning glory to strengthen my initial cream blush (which is frequently the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Love or Lucky).  Other times I’ll use it as my sole blush, applying it once after concealer as a cream blush however when my face is near complete as a powder blush. “I even apply it to cheeks and lips,” says Solovey.