If there’s one type of product that I have more “room” to review… it would be cheek products. Brands release plenty of them, but compared to eyeshadow palettes and lip products, I can make a decent dent into the new releases (whereas with lip products, it feels like an avalanche). In 2020, there were just over 60 blushes under $15 eligible for consideration, so this year’s list is shorter than prior years.
Last year’s favorites were dominated by ColourPop’s Blush Stix, which seems mostly discontinued at this point (sigh!). While ColourPop wasn’t able to crank out the releases like usual in the first half of this year, they started to make up ground this past fall and holiday… they just seemed to release the same type of blush–lighter pink and coral–over and over again, which just didn’t hit the high notes for me. That being said, a late release was Brut Flute in their Super Shock Cheek formula, which was superb.
Lethal Cosmetics’ also debuted powder blushes with a more natural-matte to satin-like finish, which is the finish right in my wheelhouse. I liked the variety of shades they offered–a diverse range for a myriad of undertones and skintones–in particular. I made my way through Sydney Grace’s permanent Powder Blushes earlier this year, too, and found some shades to fall in love with (but mind you, they are very pigmented).
If you’re unfamiliar with how I like to do my year-end favorites, here’s the low down: I pull from the products I reviewed in 2020, regardless of whether they were new, limited edition, or an established range I’ve only just gotten around to reviewing. These are personal favorites, so they may or may not be the highest rated products reviewed during the year (though they will tend to be better rated, naturally!). (You can check out best of 2019 if you missed last year’s.)
Temptalia’s Favorite Blushes Under $15 | 2020
Your Year in Review: Blush Edition
I thought it would be interesting to read through how readers used products throughout the year, what favorites emerged, what products fell by the wayside… so, if you want to join in, copy and paste the questions below and add your answers via a comment!
- What blushes did you use the most this year?
- Did you finish any blushes this year?
- Do you expect to expand your blush collection in 2021?