Beauty Wars: Korean Blushes to Replicate Summer’s Sun-kissed Glow All Year Round

Contour and highlight – the two go together like light and shadow. It’s the mandatory power duo of cheek makeup as every beauty guru and Kim Kardashian will have you know. However, there’s a third to this equation – blush. Albeit often left on the sidelines, blush when done right can be just as much of a gamechanger. Even more so on days when you’re stepping out with the no-makeup makeup look.

A few swipes of the blush go a long way in bringing a warm wash of colour on your skin, accentuating the sun-kissed glow of summer days and in winter, lending a lease of much-needed life to your complexion. Regardless of the season, blush is always a good idea.

Unlike its flanking counterparts – contour and highlight – we’d approach blush with subtlety. The goal with blush is to achieve natural radiance rather than go full-on Pikachu. And as far as natural makeup goes, the Korean beauty brands are where to look.

Putting two and two together, we’ve rounded up five of our favourite blushes from the motherland of au naturel makeup. Our only gripe with Korean beauty, however, has to be its rather limited selection of shades. You might have to dig a little deeper to find a shade that suits your skin tone but with most of them priced at a fraction of Nars’s revered Orgasm blush, we’d say the effort is well worth it.

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3CE Blush Cushion

Like your favourite foundation cushion, it just takes a few pats of the 3CE Blush Cushion on the cheek for a seamless, even flush. The liquid blush melts into the skin but is moisturising as well, giving a dewy finish. For a natural finish, we recommend the blush in either Peach or Coral.

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BBIA Last Blush

Of the lot, BBIA’s Last Blush does not skimp on its range of shades. From pinks to corals and even neutrals, it has a fair share of the ground covered. You’d have a good chance at finding one that’s suitable for you. The BBIA Last Blush range is also incredibly pigmented. We’d suggest handling these with a light hand. 

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Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher

If coral hues complement your skin tone, the Etude House Lovely Cookie Butter range is where you should be looking. With an array of shades that lean towards the peachy end of the spectrum, you’d have plenty of options to pick from. And yes, the nuances in the colour do matter – pay close attention!

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Moonshot Air Blusher

This one surprised us. From the pale looks of it, the Moonshot Air Blusher alludes to a blush that perhaps might disappoint with a weak colour payoff. We were instead pleasantly taken by the rosy cheeks achieved with a few light pats of the brush. However, we do wish the range carried more options than merely three shades.

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Tony Moly Cheek Tone Single Cream Blusher

With a formula that glides on so smoothly onto the skin, you really don’t have to worry about uneven application –  a common gripe with cream blushes. It’s incredibly easy to blend even with just your fingertips. What makes these cream blushes even better is that you can use them on the eyelids as eyeshadow or even mix it with your lip balm for a hint of colour.

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Too Cool For School Artclass by Robin Blusher

Too Cool For School’s Artclass by Robin Blusher might not pack the pigmentation but it comes in handy on days when you’re looking to add the slightest bit of colour. We’d suggest this for when you’re looking to add a little colour to the rest of your face where you’d naturally blush – for instance, the bridge of your nose.

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