We’re All For Liquid & Gel Blushes This Season — For That Soft, Dewy Effect

Although we’re all for minimal makeup recently, especially at a time when our contouring efforts go to waste under a face mask, a good blush is still a staple in our beauty kit. A tried-and-true powder formula is usually our go-to for much necessary colour across our cheeks, though with hot weather spikes and the extra humidity, we’ve been rather taken by blushes of a different sort — liquid blushes.

No longer are these messy, streaky, and hard to manage. In fact, liquid blushes offer quite a different effect from their powder counterparts, where these water- or gel-based formulas offer sheer, dewy, luminous, and natural-looking colour. What’s more, they’re blendable and buildable without looking too intense, while you’re free to dab them on with your fingers. The last thing that truly makes us converts? Once they’ve dried down to a soft flush, they’re practically transfer-proof! Scroll on for 7 highly-recommended liquid blushes.

1. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

A rare celebrity makeup line that thoroughly resonates with its audience, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez is all about challenging beauty conventions, by way of fuss-free makeup that’s easy to pick up and use however you’d like. To be launched on 15 July, the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, in matte or dewy finishes, looks to be quite the stunner, with its weightless feel and soft, healthy glow. You can even layer this over liquid or powder bases without worrying about piling. A botanical blend of lotus, gardenia, and white waterlily also soothe the skin. “You can use a brush or sponge to blend this blush, but I like to just use my fingers,” says Gomez on the highly wearable, long-wearing blush.

$33, in 8 shades. Available from 15 july at sephora stores and ONLINE.

2. BITE Beauty Daycation Whipped Blush

More of a cream blush, though dispensed in the cutest pocket-sized bottle, BITE Beauty‘s Daycation Whipped Blush is a clean, vegan formula that’s super easy to blend, thanks to its airy just-whipped texture — just squeeze a small dot on your fingertips and dap that onto your cheeks, even eyelids. The look is a truly radiant, healthy flush that’ll make you look like you’re permanently on a Summer vacation, while the formula’s also infused with a superfood papaya extract that continues that enviable glow.

$50, in 4 shades. available at sephora.sg.

3. KVD Beauty Modcon Liquid-Gel Blush

KVD Beauty’s new blush is here for that glass skin, “gelly” glow effect, without any unpleasant tackiness, streaks, or patchiness, with a long-wearing formula that’s boosted by a Vegan Gelly System™ and hydrating ingredients. The ModCon Liquid-Gel Blush melts right in the moment it touches your skin, and is able to give buildable colour that doesn’t mess up your foundation or highlighter. Best of all, it’s able to give that luminous effect without including shimmers or glitters, which makes this liquid blush highly desirable if you’re going for a fresh, dewy look.

$38, in 4 shades. available from 29 june at sephora stores and online.

4. 3CE Sheer Liquid Blusher

Looking like a gloss for your face, 3CE’s Sheer Liquid Blusher is subtle and luminous, where the brand compares their makeup product with watercolour paints. That sheer effect and natural wash of colour is achieved by a lightweight formula that adheres well to the skin so it’s especially long-lasting, while it looks like you can skip the highlighter as well given how glowy it makes your skin look.

USD17, in 5 shades. available at stylenanda.com.

5. Espressoh GLASSY

You had us at “transparent blush”. Espressoh‘s line of coffee-infused makeup just launched in Singapore earlier this month, so fans here may be introduced to the Italian beauty brand’s way with minimalist makeup. As for the GLASSY, this is a clear gel that reacts with the pH of your skin so it transforms into a dewy tint, made for those who prefer a sheer and natural flush where the texture of your skin still shines through.

$40, available at sephora.sg.

6. Glossier Cloud Paint

Considered an OG in beauty circles, the cult Glossier Cloud Paint has earned a reputation for being utterly seamless when it comes to blending it onto your skin, while giving a soft-focus, airy flush equivalent to that of a cloud. It helps that the packaging’s super cute too, as the blush is contained in paint tubes. The gel-cream formula is primed for dewy cheeks, and is sheer enough to work with in order to minimise fuss and stress — just tap the colour onto your cheeks, and let the blurring pigments do their work so you get golden-hour glow all the time.

USD18, in 8 shades. available at glossier.com.

7. NARS Liquid Blush

We’ve got another cult liquid blush to recommend, this time by NARS. The silky formula is infused with monoi and tamanu oils for a soft veil of colour, while the makeup experts ensure that the blush is buildable, fool-proof in application, and long-wearing as well. This goes on sheer, though you can easily create more dramatic looks by layering on more product — that said, the colour always blends in beautifully, so you’re looking at a kind of second-skin finish that’s utterly natural-looking. Pro tip: go for the shade Orgasm if you like a peachy-pink flush with subtle gold shimmer.

$52, in 5 shades. available at nars stores and counters.