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We love a touch of flushed color on our cheeks, but not when they highlight fine lines. Thankfully, the best blushes for mature skin offer blendable, buildable formulas that won't sink into or crease along wrinkles. In fact, many of them even have hydrating properties that actively nourish skin while you wear them—a win-win, not to mention the beauty of cream blushes. We know the process of beauty shopping can be a little overwhelming, which is why we've whittled down your options to these makeup artist-approved blushes, which are guaranteed to glide over the finest of lines without accentuating their look.
Our Top Picks
- Best Overall: Chanel No 1 De Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm, $48
- Best Splurge: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick, $48
- Best Blurring: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed, $25
- Best Buildable: Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion, $37
- Best Glowy Finish: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, $45
- Best Matte Finish: MAC Mineralize Blush, $34
- Best Blush Balm: Jones Road Miracle Balm, $38
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What type of blush is best for mature skin?
- How to apply blush on mature skin
- Meet the experts
- How we test and review products
- Our staff and testers
Best Overall: Chanel No 1 De Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm
Why it's worth it: Allure editors and makeup artists alike adore the rich pigments in Chanel's No 1 De Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm lineup. Each pot of this dewy balm is infused with moisturizing camellia oil to plump and condition skin as you wear its long-lasting formula. No matter which of its nine shades you pick, expect a radiant, glowy finish from each swipe. "I love this product so much because it gives you the most beautiful, sun-kissed cheeks," says Tobi Henney, a bi-coastal makeup artist.
Editor's tip: This tinted balm is very pigmented, so Henney recommends using a light amount of product when applying.
Key ingredients: red camellia oil | Finish: radiant | Available shades: 9
Best Splurge: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
Why it's worth it: The Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick is equal parts skin care and makeup. This cream stick's formula contains a conditioning blend of jojoba seed oil, antioxidant-rich grape extract, and raspberry seed extract to firm skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines as you wear its buildable pigment.
Editor's tip: For an added hint of color, a small amount of this blush can be applied on the forehead and nose.
Key ingredients: raspberry extract, jojoba seed oil, vitus vita fruit (grape) extract | Finish: satin | Available shades: 7
Best Blurring: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed
Why it's worth it: The entire Allure team agrees that Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed is one of the best cream blushes on the market — no wonder it's a 2023 Best of Beauty Award winner. The beauty of this creamy formula is its dual-phase, upscale technology, which allows it to be set as a demi-matte powder. This mattifying complex is formed by an oil-absorbing mixture of magnesium oxide and carbon dioxide.
Tester feedback: When testing this cream blush, Allure associate editor Annie Blay said its versatility is unmatched. "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, and other times I’ll use it as my sole blush, applying it once after concealer as a cream blush and then again when my face is nearly complete as a powder blush," she says
Key ingredients: magnesium oxide, carbon dioxide, | Finish: demi-matte | Available shades: 7
Best Buildable: Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion
Why it's worth it: Laura Mercier's Blush Colour Infusion is ultra-smooth and buildable, thanks to micro-fine powders that make it feel weightless on skin. It's an easygoing formula that blends into both cream and powder products flawlessly without emphasizing fine lines or texture—and, better yet, stays put all day.
Editor's tip: Use a light hand and build up the color for a natural effect, or generously coat your brush with pigment to reveal a bolder pop.
Key ingredients: silica, vitamin E | Finish: satin | Available shades: 4
Best Glowy Finish: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush
Why it's worth it: See the swirls in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush? That's what makes this powder blush stand out. Think of it as highlighter-blush hybrid that that offers a multi-dimensional finish without being too shimmery. Like the name implies, it delivers the perfect lit-from-without radiance you've been looking for.
Editor's tip: Make sure you swirl your brush into this pan generously to get perfect blend shimmer and color.
Key ingredients: mica, talc. dimethicone | Finish: glowy | Available shades: 4
Best Matte Finish: MAC Mineralize Blush
Why it's worth it: If you're a fan of powder blushes, Henney recommends the MAC Mineralize Blush. This powder formula features baked minerals that provide a sheer touch of layerable color. Every shade has a pearlescent, subtly shimmery finish that creates a brightening, radiance-boosting effect all skin types (including those with mature or dry qualities) can benefit from.
Editor's tip: Henney suggests mature skin types try the shade Petal Power (seen above), a coral pink shade with a touch of gold shimmer. "It creates the most gorgeous rosey flush with a hint of gold that creates a more youthful glow," she says.
Key ingredients: mica, talc, minerals (magnesium aluminum silicate, calcium aluminum borosilicate, calcium sodium borosilicate), silica | Finish: radiant | Available shades: 10
Best Dewy Finish: Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip & Cheek Glow
Why it's worth it: If you want a glowy, never-greasy cream blush that won't streak or fade, swipe on Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk Lip & Cheek Glow. Available in two mauve-toned shades, this radiance-boosting formula blends like a dream to provide a second-skin finish while a cocktail of raspberry leaf stem cell extract and vitamin E enhances your complexion's natural dewiness.
Editor's tip: If you prefer a more matte finish, we recommend trying Charlotte Tilbury's TikTok-viral Matte Beauty Blush Wand.
Key ingredients: raspberry leaf stem cell extract, vitamin E | Finish: dewy | Available shades: 2
Best Cream Blush: Jones Road Miracle Balm
Why it's worth it: The Jones Road Miracle Balm took over just about every face on beauty TikTok for its dew-enhancing finish. This Allure Best of Beauty Award winner provides a gorgeous sheen and soft wash of color that layers well on top of makeup and bare skin. Its formula also comes in different shades for highlighting and bronzing to complete your routine.
Editor's tip: Don't be afraid to get messy with this product — to get the most out of its pigment, you have to break the balm's top layer.
Key ingredients: jojoba seed oil, sea buckthorn oil | Finish: dewy | Available shades: 12
Best Sheer Blush: Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush
Why it's worth it: If you want a sheer, everyday color, Neil Scibelli, a New York City-based makeup artist, says Rare Beauty's Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush is your best bet. "This blush comes in a range of beautiful apricot and berry shades and melt right into the skin," he says. "These are great for those who aren't looking for something too dramatic because they're super sheer yet still buildable." It's spiked with a nourishing blend of meadowfoam and sunflower seed oils, as well as lotus seed, to leave skin utterly glowing.
Tester feedback: Allure tester Gabi Thorne loves how pigmented this blush's formula is. "These blushes didn't come to play any games," she said in her review. "They leave a healthy dose of pigment on the cheeks."
Key ingredients: Meadowfoam oil, sunflower seed oil, lotus seed oil | Finish: dewy | Available shades: 5
Best Multi-Use: Nars The Multiple Cream Blush, Lip and Eye Stick
Why it's worth it: Swipe on one of Nars's Multiple Cream Blush, Lip, and Eye Sticks for long-lasting color on just about any part of your face (and body). Its radiant, shimmery shades add a touch of buildable pigment while creating dimension and acting as a highlighter. As it melts onto your skin, its formula treats your pores with a moisturizing duo of antioxidant vitamin E and açai oil.
Editor's tip: To keep your multi-use stick free of bacteria, we recommend using a makeup sponge or brush to apply to different areas of your face rather than swiping it on directly.
Key ingredients: vitamin E, açai oil | Finish: shimmer | Available shades: 4
Best for Dry Skin: Chantecaille Cheek Gelée Happy Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush
Why it's worth it: Chantecaille's Cheek Gelée Happy Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush has an ultra-light gel texture that's blendable and forgiving, plus it’s enriched with skin-smoothing ingredients that dry skin types will especially appreciate. This dewy-finish blush has a sheer, stain-like finish that leaves the apples of your cheeks glowing as it treats the skin underneath to hydrating glycerin.
Editor's tip: For the best streak-free results, try blending this product out with a makeup sponge or blush brush, like the Chantecaille Cheek Brush.
Key ingredients: glycerin, dimethicone, talc | Finish: radiant | Available shades: 3
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of blush is best for mature skin?
Every makeup artist we talked to agrees that cream blushes are hands-down the best formulations for maturing skin, mainly due to their radiance-boosting effects and skin-plumping ingredients. "Cream blushes also bind to mature skin easier, and give the complexion that natural flush," says Scibelli. He adds that liquid blushes are another great option for a more dramatic color payoff.
With that being said, mature skin types don't have to avoid powder blushes entirely. Emily Gray, a Nashville, Tennessee-based makeup artist, says to look for powder formulas with a lightweight formula and radiant effects. "Lightweight, radiant powder blushes will glide seamlessly onto the skin and not feel or look too heavy," she says. Scibelli adds that powder blushes are the best option for oily skin types regardless of age.
How to apply blush on mature skin
No matter which blush you decide to use, your application technique can make or break your final results. According to the makeup artists, you'll want to use a makeup sponge, dense brush, or your fingers to apply your blush. "Mature skin tends to get thinner and dryer, so the skin will be more delicate," says Gray. "Fingers or beauty sponges used in gentle taps to blend a liquid or cream blush would be the best to not disturb mature skin."
Henney says that she likes to apply blush higher on the face to give aging skin a lifted look. Using a cream blush, Henney presses a dot of the product with her finger on the higher point of the cheek and then blends it out with a blush brush. "My client, Diane Von Furstenberg, loves her blush on the high points of her cheeks. She taught me this trick when I started doing her makeup and it really works," she says.
If you have existing volume on the apples of your cheeks Scibelli recommends applying on the apples of your cheeks. "Smile to see the apples of the cheeks pop and then apply right on that spot. Make sure to blend outwards towards the center of the ear," he says.
No matter which method you decide to follow, Gray suggests blending the product in an upward motion for a more lifted appearance. "I like to put the blush on or right above the apples of the cheeks and blend up. Do not blend down, as that will drag the face down," she says.
Meet the Experts
- Tobi Henney, a bi-coastal makeup artist
- Neil Scibelli, a New York City-based makeup artist
- Emily Gray, a Nashville, Tennessee-based makeup artist
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?
For our review of the best blushes for mature skin, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
Check out more Allure staff-approved products for mature skin:
- 17 Best Moisturizers for Mature Skin to Target Fine Lines and Wrinkles
- 15 Best Foundations for Mature Skin That Won't Seep Into Fine Lines
- 27 Creams and Serums That Work Like Botox in a Bottle
- The Best Concealers for Mature Skin, According to Makeup Artists
Now, watch Jennifer Aniston react to TikTok's wildest beauty trends:
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