Blush sticks, pots, and palettes—no matter the packaging, the best cream blush instantly transforms a dull, washed-out complexion into a healthy, glowing one.
“[Cream blushes] give the most natural, non-cosmetic effect, adding an awoken quality to the skin,” says makeup artist Romy Soleimani, who likes to blend cream formulas into the apples of the cheeks with the heat of her fingertips when working with clients such as Natalie Portman, Sofia Coppola, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Cara Delevingne.
Vogue’s Favorite Cream Blushes
In This Story
“If you are wanting a more natural flush with a lighter finish then the cream or stick blush works really well compared to other formulas because it has a dewiness and a shine to it which a lot of powder blushes don’t unless they are highlighter powder blushes,” professional makeup artist Jacinta Spencer tells Vogue. She waxes poetic on the many perks of cream blush formulas, from their easy blendability to the lively color they impart.
Plus, Soleimani adds that pop of cream blush can act as a more subtle alternative to traditional contouring when applied to the high points of your cheeks. The result? Enhanced cheekbones sans harsh lines, for an immediate dose of lift and dimension. Whether you’re at home or getting ready on-the-go, shop the best cream blushes for an instant burst of color.
Best for Natural Makeup: Ilia Multi Stick
- Why we love it: Are you interested in more of a natural flush than bold blush look? Ilia’s Multi Stick is a no-brainer for those after a no makeup-makeup look, giving a naturally rosy result. The clean beauty brand’s shea butter-infused cream stick melts effortlessly onto skin, with an ultra-lightweight texture.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, avocado oil, orange peel wax
- Finish: Available in luminous or natural finishes
- Shades: 12
- How to apply: Ilia keeps matters simple with its multi-stick: swipe, blend, and go
Best Dual Ended: Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Blush
- Why we love it: Anastasia Beverly Hills offers a lightweight cream blush stick with a soft focus matte finish. The buildable formula allows to pick your blush intensity—with one swipe, opt for a semi-sheer flush, or build to achieve a more vibrant cheek look. Best of all, the stick format allows you to keep application mess-free and portable. After swiping on your blush, there’s no need to get messy by blending with your fingers—simply flip over to the blending brush on the opposite end.
- Key ingredients: Microcystalline wax, candelilla wax, tocopheryl acetate
- Finish: Soft matte
- Shades: 7
- How to apply: Swipe directly onto your cheeks, and blend with the attached buffing brush.
Best for Mature Skin: Jones Road Miracle Balm
- Why we love it: You can always expect clean, no-makeup makeup products from Jones Road. Its bestselling Miracle Balm delivers the ultimate soft-focus minimalist pigment with a radiant finish. Not to mention, the star ingredient, jojoba oil, is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, all while providing moisturizing benefits.
- Key ingredients: Jojoba oil, castor seed oil, beeswax, shea butter, hydrogenated castor oil
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 13
- How to apply: Jones Road recommends breaking the top surface of the balm with your index finger, and then warming up the product on the back of your hand. Apply with fingertips, a brush, or sponge onto cheeks and lips.
Best Silicone-Free: Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush
- Why we love it: With its glow-inducing finish and a slew of sun-inspired shades like peachy Rush Hour and coral pink Happy Hour, Tower 28’s BeachPlease lip and cheek balm will put you in a summer state of mind, rain or shine. This cream blush features a non-comedogenic and silicone-free formula, resulting in fewer clogged pores and no makeup-induced breakouts. Plus, ingredients like green tea extract and aloe vera help to soothe irritated complexions.
- Key ingredients: Corn starch, castor seed oil, sunflower seed wax, jojoba esters, shea butter, rice bran extract, green tea extract, aloe vera
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 10
- How to apply: Tower 28 suggests taping and blending with fingertips onto cheeks and lips; a blush brush will give a more diffused look.
Best Long-wearing: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
- Why we love it: Housed in a sumptuous dove-gray tube, editorial makeup pro Gucci Westman’s blush stick glides seamlessly onto skin for a wildly flattering (and hydrating) pop of color. Thanks to jojoba oil and a blend of fruit extracts, the formulation is nourishing, easily blendable, and streak-resistant. Kaolin clay is a natural absorbent for excess oil, which ensures your blush stays put for long-wear results.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, raspberry leaf extract, kaolin clay, vitamin C, vitamin E
- Finish: Natural Finish
- Shades: 9
- How to apply: Swipe onto cheeks and lips, then blend in.
Best for a French Girl Flush: Chanel Beauty N°1 De Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm
- Why we love it: This multipurpose lip and cheek balm from Chanel features 97% naturally-derived ingredients powered by the red camellia (a botanical rich in antioxidants). Expect the most subtle, French-girl amount of flush—effortless, minimal, and lovely.
- Key ingredients: Castor oil, candelilla wax, camellia oleifera seed oil, camellia japonica seed oil, tocopherol
- Finish: Natural
- Shades: 6
- How to apply: Tap with your fingertips onto cheeks and lips.
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Merit Flush Balm
- Why we love it: Seemingly the most petite blush stick on the market, Merit’s flush balm packs a punch. Pop this tiny balm in any bag—formal clutch, shoulder bag, or work tote—for touch-ups throughout the day. Those with acne-prone skin can apply with ease—this blush is formulated without any breakout-causing ingredients. Instead, vitamin E helps nourish skin and glides on like butter, leaving behind semi-sheer coverage.
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin E
- Finish: Satin finish
- Shades: 13
- How to apply: Swipe onto cheeks or lips, then blend with your fingers for seamless application.
Best Clean Beauty Classic: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek
- Why we love it: RMS has been all about clean beauty long before it was a thing. Lip2Cheek launched back in 2009 and continues to be a beloved multi-tasker. Its buildable and blendable formula features a host of hydrating, plant-derived ingredients like centella asiatica and jojoba seed oil.
- Key ingredients: Coconut oil, castor seed oil, beeswax, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, cocoa seed butter, carnauba wax, sunflower seed oil, centella asiatica extract
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 7
- How to apply: According to RMS, apply to apples of cheeks using finger tips to cheeks and lips, building for more color payoff, as desired.
Best Viral: Rhode Pocket Blush
- Why we love it: Hailey Bieber continues to make waves with her highly sought-after products, and Rhode’s Pocket Blush, the standout release of 2024, deserves all the praise its received. Packed with nourishing ingredients like peptides and tamanu oil, this blush effortlessly melts into the skin while delivering hydration. Its six universally flattering shades provide a soft, radiant flush that lasts all day, offering a perfect balance of vibrancy and subtlety.
- Key Ingredients: Peptides, tamanu oil
- Finish: Dewy
- Shades: Six
- How to apply: Simply swipe across your cheeks and tap out with your fingers to blend. Pro tip: for an added natural flush, swipe across the bridge of your nose too!
Best Lightweight: Tata Harper Cream Blush
- Why we love it: With a skin feel that’s light as air, Tata Harper’s cream blush feels like a second skin. A blend of antioxidant-rich flower oils help prevent free radical damage, while plumping your complexion with hydration. Of the seven vibrant shades, all feature a shimmery finish for added radiance.
- Key ingredients: Castor seed oil, sunflower seed wax, green tea seed oil, jojoba seed oil, arnica extract, borage leaf extract, calendula flower extract, meadowsweet extract
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 7
- How to apply:
Best for Sensitive Skin: Victoria Beckham Beauty Cheeky Posh
- Why we love it: For those with sensitive skin, Victoria Beckham Beauty’s blush stick offers bold color without the risk of irritation. The brand’s unique blend of makeup and skincare benefits shines through with ingredients like blue lotus wax, known for its natural anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe the skin while absorbing excess oil to ensure long-lasting wear. Jojoba esters add to its silky smooth application, while ginseng extract further reduces inflammation and boosts collagen production, leaving skin looking plump and radiant.
- Key Ingredients: Blue lotus wax, jojoba esters, ginseng extract
- Finish: Natural Finish
- Shades: 7
- How to apply: According to the brand, for the best result apply dots of color along your cheekbones and the apples of your cheeks, blending outward in a tapping motion with your fingers.
Best New Launch: Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge Velvet Matte
- Why we love it: Bobbi Brown’s latest cream blush launched two weeks ago—and it’s entered the beauty scene with a bang. Tucked in a tiny glass pot, the cream-to-powder formula has a velvety texture that delivers a soft matte finish. With one touch, it’s hard to miss the ultra-lightweight, whipped feel of the product, adding a blurred, natural pop of color.
- Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, dimethicone crosspolymer
- Finish: Soft matte
- Shades: 12
- How to apply: According to Bobbi Brown, tap the cream blush into cheeks with a brush or fingertips, building coverage as desired. You can also tap onto lips for a blurred, matte look.
Best Shade Range: Fenty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush
- Why we love it: If anyone has mastered that flawless finish, it’s Bad Gal RiRi. Fenty Beauty’s creamy, lightweight blush supplies a sheer, buildable flush in 12 impactful shades, from soft tangerine to violet. The result? Gorgeous, vibrant blush shades suitable for with fair to rich skin tones.
- Key ingredients: Mica, candelilla wax, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E derivative)
- Finish: Matte
- Shades: 13
- How to apply: Fenty Beauty recommends applying with fingertips, tapping directly into the high points of your face.
Best for Rich Complexions: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder
- Why we love it: Another balm-to-powder suitable for lips and cheeks, the initially creamy texture here dries down to something more powdery upon application. Formulated with a wide range of skin tones in mind, the shades’s have a vibrant color payoff that won’t appear faded on deep complexions.
- Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, squalane, synthetic wax, synthetic candelilla wax, kaolin, tocopheryl acetate, linseed seed oil, ginger root oil, meadowfoam seed oil
- Finish: Natural Finish
- Shades: 11
- How to apply: Swirl your fingers or favorite brush into the blush pan, then press onto your cheeks and lips. Tap and blend in for a natural finish.
Best Drugstore: Milani Cheek Kiss Cream Blush
- Why we love it: This balm-to-gel blush provides a highly pigmented color payoff for a fraction of the cost of prestige beauty brands. Plus, pomegranate, watermelon, and rose extracts provide antioxidant protection and soothing hydration.
- Key ingredients: Synthetic beeswax, pomegranate extract, watermelon seed extract, rose extract, dimethicone
- Finish: Luminous
- Shades: 4
- How to apply: According to Milani, dab a small amount of product on to high points of your cheeks and blend upward using your fingers, a buffing brush brush, or beauty sponge.
Everything You Need To Know
How to Choose a Cream Blush
When picking the best cream blush for your complexion, the pros suggest you always prioritize the finish and pigmentation you prefer. “The goal is often to avoid the dryness that powder blushes can cause, so to start by choosing one that is dewy and radiant, enhancing your complexion with a natural, healthy glow,” pro makeup artist Jacinta Spencer tells Vogue.
- Finish: “Depending on the occasion, you can [shop by] finish, whether it’s a luminous shimmer for the evening, a soft blurring matte, or a fresh, skin-like look for daytime,” says Spencer.
- Pigmentation: “It’s equally important to select the right shade and pigmentation level to add a lovely, super natural flush to your cheeks,” Spencer adds, keeping in mind that paler colors tend to look most natural on fairer skin, while vibrant shades compliment deeper skin tones.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise—cream brushes are user friendly, easy to apply (and reapply), all while boasting long-lasting formulas. While the pros agree on their shared love of cream blush formulas, application methods are a matter of preference.
“My preferred application for cream blushes is to tap directly into them with a brush, and then blend the product into your face in an upwards motion,” says Spencer. “Of course, you can also always use your fingers to apply creamy blush formulas—just be aware that sometimes the natural oils of our fingers can unintentionally remove the makeup layered underneath the blush we’re applying, leading to a blotchy finish.”
For extra assurance that your blush will stand the test of time on special occasions, celebrity makeup artist Kasey Spickard has cheekily named method he implements. “My holy grail is to do a blush sandwich: Cream blush, set with powder, finished with another layer of cream,” Spickard tells Vogue. “The powder blush sets the first layer of cream blush for long-wear results, while the second creamy layer brings back that coveted dewy finish.”
- Romy Soleimani is a professional makeup artist with three decades of experience in the fashion and beauty industries. Based in New York, some of her many clients include Natalie Portman, Sofia Coppola, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Cara Delevingne.
- Jacinta Spencer is a celebrity makeup artist based in London. Her clients include Paris Jackson, Madelyn Cline, and more.
- Kasey Spickard is a professional makeup artist based in New York and Los Angeles with more than 10 years of experience in the beauty industry. Spickard has worked with clients such as Jenna Lyons, Kamie Crawford, and Brynn Whitfield.
