The blush step in my makeup routine brings me the same 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 feeling. I’m not the only one who feels this way either — the entire Allure team loves this blush so much that we gave it an Allure 2023 Best of Beauty award. Before I hop on my soapbox about why I’m obsessed with this blush, let’s get into some backstory.
I used to hate blush — granted, the blush options for dark skin when I started wearing makeup were abysmal. I always feared a bright flush of color on my cheeks would make me look like a clown. A few years and a whole lot of makeup tutorials later, I started to embrace the base product and even grew to love it. Now in 2023, it’s arguably my favorite makeup product and I’ve become somewhat of a blush connoisseur.
When I learned that Danessa Myricks Beauty was launching a blush version of their award-winning Yummy Skin Blurring Balm, I knew I had to get my hands on it. What sets this blush apart, is the unique upsalite technology (also used in the blurring balm) that allows the cream formula actually to set as a powder with a light matte finish. Myricks developed the ingredient (a mixture of magnesium oxide and carbon dioxide that soaks up oils and blurs pores, similarly to a powder) along 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 type of formula worked really well in the blurring balm, I was a bit apprehensive about how it would work in a cream blush. There was a bit of a learning curve when 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. However, because the blurring balm blush dries like a powder, it didn’t give me the natural skin-like finish I was 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 was wowed at the amount of pigment I got from just a few taps in the blush pan and how it played with my foundation and concealer to create a seamless blend. Also, as pigmented as the blush is, it’s not overwhelming. You can build it up for a bold flush of color or just add a subtle tinge of rosiness to the cheeks, which is what I like to do. In addition to the impressive color payoff, the shade range is also chef’s kiss. The blush comes in six beautiful shades (Primadonna, a vibrant pink is my go-to) that are adaptable to a wide range of skin tones. New York City-based makeup artist Olga Solovey keeps these blushes stocked in her kit for this very reason. “The color selection and the level of pigmentation that makes this blush universal; I can use it on any complexion,” says Solovey.
Because of its duality, it can be tricky to figure out when to apply this blush in your makeup routine. Do you apply it with or after concealer like a cream blush or do you brush it on after your whole face is done like a powder blush? The answer is: however you want. There really is no wrong way to apply this blush. Sometimes I’ll apply it as a finishing touch to reinforce my initial cream blush (which is usually 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 then again when my face is near complete as a powder blush. “I even use it on cheeks and lips,” says Solovey.