From extreme wet look hair to slapdash eyeshadow, alternative beauty trends are in abundance this autumn, and the latest look to take the industry by storm is bright orange blush.
We know what you're thinking. Coral tones are doable, especially when you've got a bit of colour, but orange? Won't that make you look like, well, an Oompa Loompa? According to Pinterest, searches and saves for orange blush are up an enormous 250% year on year, especially in Japan, where the trend is reigning supreme at the moment. And while the move from failsafe pink to tangerine is a bold one, it works.
"It’s a trend-based choice," says Pablo Rodriguez, backstage makeup artist and director of artistry for Illamasqua. "Pink blusher will always be there but lips and cheeks with a lot more yellow tones in the mix are stronger than ever this year, even for winter. Think tonic oranges and terracottas." He recommends Illamasqua's Colour Veil in Enamour or Consume, £20 each, for those who want to dip their toe in the trend.
"It does depend on your skin tone, though," continues Pablo. "If you want your makeup to look more natural, pink blushers work better, especially on warmer complexions, but orange blushers can look incredible on olive skin tones. If you like contrast, you can definitely switch this up. Overall though, peaches and corals always give a healthy glow. Don't be scared – think of it as a blusher and a bronzer mixed together in one product."
Sold. Here's what the best orange blushers look like on seven R29 staffers.
Lydia Raghavan, Creative
Tbh blush is not my thing. I've got acne-prone skin and residual scarring on my cheeks, so I try to avoid signposting the area with any colour, let alone bright orange. That and advice from my dermatologist, Dr Sam Bunting, to avoid powders where possible. But I sacrificed my complexion and honed in on this pinky-orange shade, which looked cute in the palette. I have to say it doesn't look that bad in the photos (my Google Pixel camera has my back) but IRL it was a bit too '80s for me. My verdict: Swerving orange blush for the foreseeable.
Sleek MakeUP Blush in Life's A Peach, £4.99, available at Boots
Georgia Murray, Fashion & Beauty Writer
I usually use Julep’s Skip the Brush blusher in Golden Guava, £17, which is quite a bright poppy pink, so I’m not averse to a shocking flash of colour. I love orange and regularly wear it on my eyes, so I was thrilled to discover Charlotte Tilbury’s Beach Stick in Es Vendra, a vibrant tangerine hue. I realised soon after applying that a little goes a long way, so I just dabbed a smidge on each cheek before blending with my fingers. I love it on my skin tone – it’s subtle but definitely looks different from my usual pink.
Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Es Vendra, £30, available at Selfridges
Jazmin Kopotsha, Entertainment Editor
I’m not normally very adventurous in the blusher department, most of my (beauty) action is all in the lips. It might be a dab of Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Haze, £15 – very, very well blended into the apples of my cheeks – or a deep brick-coloured "blusher" with a bit of a gold shimmer. So when broached with Illamasqua’s unwaveringly orange blush, I was apprehensive. Thankfully, the luminous glow you see on the product in hand doesn’t translate when applied to the face. It suited my skin tone much more than I expected it to and looks a little more pinky-gold than orange, but I had to apply quite carefully to avoid Oompa Loompa overkill.
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite, £23, available at Illamasqua
Jacqueline Kilikita, Beauty Editor
Oh dear. My light olive skin has a tendency to look dull and washed out but somehow, this bright orange shade makes me look like a beetroot – I'm so red! I usually use Charlotte Tilbury's Cheek to Chic in Pillow Talk, £30, a mauve-toned powder blusher, because it complements my undertones and I believe you can't really go wrong with compacts, but the only positive is that I'm now no longer scared of cream blush. This blended easily and didn't make a crater in my foundation base. I'm not a big fan of the shimmer, though.
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick, £21, available at Harvey Nichols
Kara Kia, Editorial Intern
The very first blush I owned was NARS in Luster (actually gifted to me by my first boyfriend, thanks!) so when I saw the beautiful terracotta of NARS' Taj Mahal, I was instantly excited – and felt super nostalgic. I have strong yellow/gold undertones in my skin so I usually stay away from orange or yellow-toned makeup but the shimmering terracotta shade looked so good, not glittery or gaudy at all! It was like a hybrid of my favourite bronzer and a pretty peach blush. Some of the girls even asked if I was wearing fake tan because I looked much more glowy than usual. If you have tanned, olive skin of the sand or honey variety and strong yellow undertones like myself, then you will love this blush. It gave me a beautiful glow that stayed put all day, without using a setting spray or primer.
NARS Blush in Taj Mahal, £24, available at NARS
Rose Lander, International Co-Ordinator
Honestly, I’m slightly terrified of blush. I was never taught how to put it on and have definitely had a few failed attempts which left me looking like Pennywise the clown. Orange blush felt like even more of a stretch, but actually, I really liked it. This is a cream so I didn’t have to worry about brushes. When I put a little too much on, it was easy to blend in but still left me with a nice glow. I wear a lot of pink (as you can see) so not having pink on my face was actually a lovely contrast. I would definitely wear this again.
Glossier Cloud Paint in Dawn, £15, available at Glossier
Samantha Yu, Senior Director, Strategy and Client Services
Following R29’s Glossier Cloud Paint test, I was very open to the idea of non-pink, non-powder blush. That said, I didn’t make any changes to my beauty bag and remained loyal to Benefit Dandelion. Chanel's Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick has changed that. It has an amazing floral smell, which means it’s a pleasure to open up and apply every morning. The shade is a strong orange when you look at it in the stick but it goes on light and is definitely buildable. I tap it right onto my skin — once up the cheekbone, once down the cheekbone — and blend with my fingers. It's super simple (which is important to me) and the resulting shade works well for my skin tone, I think. I’ve worn it every day for a week and am not stopping!
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush No.22, £35, available at Selfridges
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Sunday Riley Shares How To Achieve Clear, Glowing Skin
Cornrows Were All Over Fashion Month — & On All The Right Models