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Before Sabrina Carpenter made it socially acceptable to embrace loving blush to the point of blindness, I was one of the people who couldn't leave the house without layering at least two types of blush. At least. Sometimes it goes up to three or four types of blush, depending on my mood…yeah, I have a problem, LOL.
But there's beauty in being minimalist with your makeup too. So I was willing to be convinced to pare down my blush routine to one extremely good product for regular days. (IMO, special occasions can call for more blush layers so it "wears" more subtly as time passes.) And it just so happened that blk cosmetics released the Soft Blur Powder Blush right when I was shopping for a long-wearing, pigmented powder blush. So did it give me the blushing performance I was looking for? Read on to find out.
Editor's note: The product used in this review was a personal purchase.
READ MORE: This Is How Anne Curtis Started BLK Cosmetics
What is the blk cosmetics Soft Blur Powder Blush?
Touted as a "talc-free, silky powder goes on like a weightless cloud," the Soft Blur Powder Blush is blk cosmetics' newest addition to the family. It has a soft-blurring, airbrush effect formula that promises to minimize the look of pores, soften texture, and blend seamlessly without caking or clinging to dry patches—all while staying pigmented for up to 12 hours thanks to the primer infused into the blush. As someone with combination-oily skin, it sounds like a match made in makeup heaven.
It's currently available in 10 dessert-inspired shades. Funfetti, Macaron, Souffle, and Jam are cool-toned shades, while Bonbon, Croffle, Shortcake, and Taffy are warm-toned. Finally, Truffle and Churro are contour and bronzer shades, respectively. It's priced at P399 per 4 grams of product.
Since blk is all about uncomplicating your beauty routine, it's expected that the blush's packaging would be more simple and minimalist to reflect this ethos. The compact has a magnetic closure that snaps shut sharply and a smooth, matte finish that doesn't pick up any fingerprints.
An honest review of the blk cosmetics Soft Blur Powder Blush
When I first saw the new blk cosmetics blush on my feed, my first thought was… how similar it looked to Sunnies Face's Airblush. But as I looked deeper into Soft Blur's formulation and claims, it became v apparent that while the blushes' components look similar, these two couldn't be more different. Where the Airblush is made to be a sheer cream-to-powder formula, the Soft Blur boasts buildable coverage and high pigment.
I picked up two shades: Shortcake and Jam. I wanted to see how the brighter Shortcake would appear on my medium skin tone, while Jam was the "safe" shade that I could see myself wearing daily. I was right that Jam would be my everyday blush shade, since its mauvy hue complemented my medium skin tone. Shortcake was also a lovely pink hue that surprisingly gave my cheeks a doll-like flush.
I took both with me on my recent trip to Hong Kong to truly test the blush's staying power. I wasn’t planning on doing any touch-ups while on the move, so whatever I applied in the morning needed to last throughout the day. And IDK about you, but I have no choice except to move a lot more when I’m exploring another country compared to when I'm in Manila. Hong Kong's climate in October is similar enough to the Philippines, so I felt confident in the circumstances of this wear test. P.S. I tested it out again during a regular in-office workday to cancel out variables—we're all about maximizing our makeup tests at Cosmo!
For application, the brand suggested using a dense kabuki brush. However, I love using a fluffy brush for powder blushes so I tested out that method as well. I swirled the brush into the pan, making sure that the bristles were evenly saturated before tapping off any excess. Then with a light hand, I tapped and blended the Soft Blur Blush onto the apples of my cheeks.
Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised at how pigmented one swipe of the blush-coated brush left. Once the blush was on, I used a setting spray to lock it in place.
It’s pigmented… but not too pigmented.
As much as I love how blush adds more life to my face, I hate how some blushes are so pigmented that you can't help but be a knowing victim of blush blindness. Some powder blushes are too sheer and end up not lasting. This blush, however? It was the Goldilocks of powder blushes that I'd been looking for. I found that you'd need a dense kabuki brush (as recommended) to achieve a v pigmented application on the first application. But if you're like me, who prefers fluffier blush brushes, you can build the blush up to your desired vibrancy.
It has decent staying power for a powder blush.
On average, I was wearing the blush for up to 12 hours a day, which is supposedly the maximum amount of time the brand says it will remain vibrant. In my experience, the blush does last for hours despite walking almost 15K steps daily and being out in the sun. TMI, but in addition to having combination skin, I also tend to get sweaty very easily. So I was impressed with how it held up against all of these factors. However, don't expect it not to fade as the day progresses.
It's (sadly) not that blurring.
While I bought the blush mainly for its longevity and vibrancy, I was a little disappointed with the lack of "blurring" effect. On one hand, it truly blends into the skin and doesn't cling to any dry patches of skin. On the other hand, it doesn't diffuse the appearance of my pores as much as I'd want it to. It's also worth noting that the formula isn't as powdery as other powder blushes I've tried.
blk cosmetics Soft Blur Blush: Is It Worth Buying?
Let’s start with all the things I liked about this blush: It lives up to its claims of being long-wearing and buildable. The packaging has some weight to it and doesn't feel cheap. The shade range is also admirable for a local beauty brand. TBH, I'm already hoping they can expand the collection into more bronzer tones for morenas (the shades Churro and Truffle still look too pale for my medium skin). And it's fairly priced for the amount of product you're getting.
As for the cons? I was hoping for more in the promised blurring effect. I found myself avoiding areas with more visible pores, so blush applications like drunk blush were immediately impossible to achieve.
blk cosmetics Soft Blur Powder Blush, P399, Website, Lazada, and Shopee
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