There are different levels to blushing: There’s the cheeky redness you might have when getting ready to send a risky text, and then there’s the full-on flush of a pop star begging her man not to embarrass her in front of her friends. The beauty of Anastasia Beverly Hills Blurring Serum Blush is in how it will meet you wherever you are and however you’re feeling.
This serum blush comes in five shades (Guava, a peachy-pink; Plum, a purple-red; Baby Pink, a light, cool-toned bubblegum; Hibiscus, a warm-toned pink; and Peach, a bright, true peach) in a squeezable tube with a dispensing tip that tapers into a point. The tip allows you to have complete control over how much liquid blush comes out, which is necessary given how pigmented the formula is.
After the quick-drying formula has been dispensed and spread across skin, you have just a few seconds to buff it out. Cosmetic chemist Ginger King attributes the product’s speedy setting time to a combination of silica and isododecane (a hydrocarbon that also helps with spreadability). After it sets, you can build upon the color with another layer (or two or three).
I picked the shade Peach to test on my medium skin and asked makeup artist Joseph Carrillo for some tips on how to work with such a quick-setting formula. First, he says, make sure skin is well moisturized, as “liquid and serum blushes blend better on hydrated skin, giving a smooth and even application.” (Check! I kneaded a dollop of Drunk Elephant Bora Barrier Repair Cream onto my extra-parched complexion, following it up with a layer of the hydrating Bioré UV Aqua Rich.)
Then, Carrillo suggests, layer on a primer to create “more time for blending and to lengthen the wear-time of the overall look.” (Roger that! I topped my skin care with the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer.)
Carrillo also suggests a few ways to apply the pigmented liquid. You can use any tool, of course, or nothing at all. Fingers work just fine, too, it just might be a bit messy.
Flat-Top Kabuki Brush
Carrillo says a flat-top Kabuki brush is perfect for “buffing out liquid products across skin.” I squeezed a bead of the blush onto the back of my hand, picked it up with my Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki, and tapped it along my cheekbones very lightly. My brush picked up a lot of product so I had to work quickly, buffing out the liquid in a circular motion, often using my fingers to blend. I smeared what was on my cheeks along my brow bone and across my nose. This method yielded the blushiest outcome.
Sponge
A sponge, or more specifically, a damp Beautyblender, is another way to go. Says Carrillo, “It’s particularly great at blending out highly pigmented products.” I tapped a dot of the blush on my cheek, then began tapping the sponge up toward my brow bone on each side of my face. The moisture made it easier to maneuver the liquid formula to where I wanted it without harsh lines. The final look was a more subtle but bright blush.
The Blurring Serum Blush is the kind that will have you looking like you’re riding in a car with the top down, listening to Chappell Roan’s higher-than-heaven vocals, soaking in the summer sunshine. It diffuses and sets to a satin finish that feels like your skin—and really, it won’t move. It wore well through the sweltering heat of New York City subway platforms and eight- (nine-, and 10-) hour workdays. It lasted as I hugged an old friend, and didn’t transfer onto her white linen sundress. It remained bright until I took it off at the end of the day with a rich cleansing balm (the Then I Met You Cleansing Balm).