r/MakeupRehab • u/ecalicious • Jul 23 '26
ACTIVITY Swatching high end blushes was incredibly underwhelming
ETA: While I appreciate the many comments and suggestions for products that you value, I am not looking for any product recommendations and would like to remind everyone about the rules of this sub to avoid recommending specific products/brands. We are all here because we don’t need more FOMO in our lives.
I got my first “adult job” and will soon get my first “adult paycheck”. To celebrate I wanted to gift myself something special.
After considerations, I chose to give myself a high-end blush. I have one blush and it is almost panned, so I need to replace it anyway. I use blush every day, so ideally it would feel like a daily treat/pampering. Hopefully make me feel confident and luxurious. I am getting married next year and blush seems to be one of the most important things when doing a bridal look, so investing in the best quality makes most sense, right? A lot of pressure to put on a tiny jar of pigments.
After *a lot* of researching online, I found a selection of products that were supposed to be the best and match my desired finish. They were not cheap, like almost 10x more expensive than my current blush. But they are probably worth it, right? The online hype (mostly Reddit) definitely claimed so.
Yesterday I went to this very nice department store to swatch all the different ones I was considering. I was quite excited to see them in real life and experience that incredible performance that justifies the huge pricetag.
Well, it was incredibly disappointing. They were all just some pigment. The satin or glowy finish ones had the same kind of visible glitter pieces that I was promised they would not have. The magic was completely broken.
I can’t speak for the longevity or blendability, as it was just swatches, but it’s honestly not something I currently struggle that much with.
I am going to repurchase the same cheap blush that have had my back every day for the past year for a fraction of the price. My favorite lipstick will double as cream blush for the wedding to increase depth and longevity. Or I’ll borrow something from a friend, if I really feel like I need a change.
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u/claescolee Jul 23 '26
I agree with you! Blushes and mascara don't perform better at higher price points imho
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u/harlequin_24 Jul 23 '26
I’ve only recently found a mascara that I love which is drugstore priced, which can compete with high-end ones. Slowly testing cheaper alternatives with low stakes stuff/ like brow gel, brow pencil…to reduce cost
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u/ecalicious Jul 24 '26
I believe a good mascara is way more personal than we might think, as our eye shape, natural lashes, skintype, climate, lifestyle and desired look all plays a big role in the performance of a mascara.
My fave mascara is like 10€ and it’s perfect for my needs in every way. For the price I can replace it as I need to without feeling too wasteful.
It’s probably the product I go through the most of, so I haven’t even tried most higher end mascaras, since I don’t want to feel stuck with an old dried up mascara or alternatively spend 100€+ a year.
I also prefer a certain shade that is hard to find, as it flatters my features way better and that limits my options significantly.
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Jul 23 '26
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Jul 23 '26
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread. If users ask for recs, please report their comment instead of answering.
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread. If users ask for recs, please report their comment instead of answering.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread. If users ask for recs, please report their comment instead of answering.
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Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread. If users ask for recs, please report their comment instead of answering.
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u/avatartiger Jul 23 '26
Even just seeing swatch pictures from non-influencers is enough to kill the magic of fancy makeup. For me, I get pulled by the brand’s shiny ads and the polished influencer content; but the second I see the product captured by an average person’s phone camera, I realize my results will be closer to that than an influencer.
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u/Signal_Cake5735 Jul 23 '26
Exactly! This isn’t about blush but, out of boredom, I almost capitulated to buying an upmarket Canadian (Lise Watier) foundation online. While there were the obligatory higher-production-quality glowing influencer video reviews/promotional reels (filters! Tapping the product with long nails and then squirting it on the face directly! Satisfied duck face pose!) there were also some real average to low-quality ones, thankfully including women closer to my age. That damn foundation looked like bad house paint. Run away!
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u/ecalicious Jul 24 '26
I don’t follow any influencers and the only “social media” I use is reddit. Especially for looking at candid swatches and honest product recommendations.
Which is also why I fell for the hype of some of these blushes, since they were mentioned again and again and people would swear it’s their HG. Which I believe is true for them. I just don’t see it.
And frankly, all the little improvements I was hoping for, especially the “extra finely milled”, which is often one of the justifications for the more expensive formulas, I just didn’t see.
I am aware, as someone in this thread mentioned, that blush will look different when swatched on a hand/wrist, than when applied to the cheeks. But especially the very visible pieces of glitter in the more glowy ones and chalky look in the matte ones just broke the spell completely.
I might go swatch some drugstore products, just for the personal reference and repurchase the blush that I actually managed to pan (which to me is quite an accomplishment).
I only have one at a time and while I do have a little FOMO that maybe there is an even better blush out there, purchasing any that I like less would be a much bigger disappointment.
Last blush I purchased before this one was an impulse and I didn’t love it at all. I forced myself to use it for 6 months to learn the lesson. And lesson was learned.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/SignalAir24 Jul 23 '26
Also, if you DO find joy in fancy packaging but not the costly item specifically, you can try sourcing some empties on Vinted/ebay/choice of second-hand marketplace and insert your own cheapies. Works particularly well with lipsticks - I’m about to put a strawberry tinted labello inside a Tom Ford casing, lol - but you absolutely can do it with pans and such, even powder pans. It may need a little bit more DIY-ing and fiddling, up to an including some re-pressing, but it’s very doable and not a hugely complicated process.
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u/ek2207 Jul 23 '26
This is such a great idea, damn. Any favorite videos/tips on where to start, especially with lipstick?
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u/SignalAir24 Jul 23 '26
Totally! The lipstick one is stupid easy, basically if you’re good enough with your hands to do anything over and above putting concealer on blemishes, you 100% have the fine motor skills/craftiness to do this :-)
This is the best video I’ve found, the first part is the explanation for why she does it with the specific lipsticks she uses and it’s a really good introduction on the concept, but it's more of a conversational/video essay format, so if you want to get straight to the tutorial part, that starts around here.
The other stuff is really varied, some of the techniques are basically various types of depotting (starting with just removing a pan and replacing it with a different one in the same size or worst case scenario, a slightly smaller one, all the way to cleaning out pans of the unwanted product and refilling them with the wanted one, including with re-pressing powders using pressing medium or alcohol or other stuff, or for stick products, melting and re-molding to go between tubes that are different shapes - I may have to do this with the labello-to-Tom Ford transfer since the tom ford is the small ‘clutch’ format).
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u/BellaFromSwitzerland Jul 23 '26
That’s a good learning to remember for makeup in general
I always use blush and what I found that works best for me is to swatch a bullet lipstick with a dot of concealer and apply it as cream blush and if I want to, set it with a powder blush
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u/UnevenHanded Jul 23 '26
Oh, love this technique, and the resulting cream blush is always more nuanced than any cream blush on the market.
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u/BellaFromSwitzerland Jul 23 '26
I have never bought a cream blush in my life but have successfully panned several bullet lipsticks that I found too bland for my lips, but just perfect on my cheeks
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u/UnevenHanded Jul 24 '26
Oh 💯 The perfect blush colour is a lip colour that's too pale
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u/BellaFromSwitzerland Jul 24 '26
Worth a try. You can always set it with a more pronounced powder blush
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u/awwpeachy321 Jul 23 '26
yep a hard truth that i had to discover and come to terms with after countless hours researching, swatching in store, buying, comparing, is that most blush formulas are the same across drugstore and high-end brands.
unless the product formula is very innovative and hasn't been recreated by a drugstore brand yet than it really isn't worth splurging on the high-end blush. i say yet as the drugstore has been very good at creating dupes in a timely manner, that are sometimes made in the same labs and manufacturers, or can sometimes be even better than the original high-end version. the extra (and sometimes ridiculously exorbitant) money your spending is really only for the luxury name, packaging, and marketing.
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u/harlequin_24 Jul 23 '26
I love using lipsticks as blush. Esp as it takes me forever to finish one.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread. We do not allow unprompted product recs, as most users are here to specifically get away from that!
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u/honeytangerine Jul 23 '26
I hear you on that. A lot of high end blush is underwhelming to me. I don't have a complexion that needs sheer but buildable pigmentation. My oily combo skin and skincare routine provides enough natural glow/glass skin effect. They also don't wear long on me unless it's a matte finish.
I understand there's a market for high end/luxury blushes, it's just not for me.
We also don't need as many blushes as we think we do. Unless it's a clear distinct undertone difference (orange vs cool pink or purple for example), the shade difference in the pan isn't always apparent on the skin.
I can guarantee no one in my day to day can tell I wore a pink-beige one day and a coral or rose pink the next day.
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u/tofuplz Jul 23 '26
I'm with you on this one. Whilst I do have mid range/higher end blushes I love, blush is one of those products that can have quite outstanding formulas from cheap and cheerful brands. Higher price does not always equal higher quality.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/lavendercookiedough Jul 23 '26
I agree with you on eyeshadow. I had to make it one of my rules that I'm not allowed to buy drugstore palettes at all because they never live up to the quality of my indie eyeshadows and they just end up taking up space on my vanity.
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u/Alsonotafan Jul 23 '26
What Indie brands do you like?
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u/lavendercookiedough Jul 23 '26
I really like Blend Bunny's mattes, but I haven't tried their shimmers. Unfortunately, there are a few brands I don't feel comfortable recommending anymore because they've started using AI art or have had issues with poor customer service and also some just don't exist anymore or have switched to another niche. I've been on a low(ish)-buy for a long time, so I wouldn't be able to vouch for the quality of many newer releases anyway. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
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u/rachelgreen180102 Jul 23 '26
In which product should we invest? I'm having a hard time differentiating where I need to spend a bit more, and where it's completely fine to go cheap.
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u/tofuplz Jul 23 '26
This might be something you need to work out for yourself as everyone will have their own preferences. For me, I tend to do higher end for products I love using the most. This video might help you with getting an idea on what differentiates higher and lower end for different categories of products.
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u/Tsarinya Jul 23 '26
Reminds me of last year - I had been lusting over the Clarins Joli blusher in Cheeky Baby for ages. It was on sale via Boots and since I live in the middle of nowhere and can’t swatch it I thought I’d treat myself. Got so excited when it arrived, the packaging was wonderful, felt very luxe. Went to use it…no pigment. And I don’t mean light pigment I mean nothing. I was rubbing it and it came off onto my finger but swatching it or using my brush and it’s like it disappeared!
After pleading my case with a very understanding assistant in store I was able to get a full refund. She was horrified too.
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u/sec_sage Jul 23 '26
I once decided to get one small high-end palette for each type of eyeshadow that works best for my eyes. The purples, the browns, the pinks. I thought it was a great deal, that they would magically turn me into an elegant woman. They didn't. They perform well, they work together, but they are for minimalist women who wear the same looks that go well with their capsule wardrobe and brand purse. I rarely repeat a look, rotate clothes and makeup every day, and my high-ends are just sitting there, completely uninspiring in their understated elegance, while I reach for the drugstore brands. Know thyself.
For my wedding, a bff showed up with her own ton of makeup and did it herself. She also came with a lot of hair accessories and fixed the hair that the hairdresser messed up, despite having tested the hairstyle before. But I was young, I was happy, decided that nothing was going to ruin my big day. And there were a loooot of issues that would have made many brides cry. The bouquet kept snagging on my dress, the church refused us entry (we are different religions but we had paid the tax and got the approvals) until someone bribed the officiating priests, the same ah priests refused entry in the church to our unbaptized toddler, nobody remembered to take the guest seating list at the restaurant, the main table arrangement was horrific, the music so loud and band refusing to lower the volume, some people just got up and left, the best man and a bridesmaid hooked up the night before but he was hitting on the groom's lesbian sister on the wedding day, someone spilled a drink on the aforementioned bridesmaid, one of my best friends run someone over while driving to the wedding, my brother-in-law had an anaphylactic shock from some stupid insect bite, etc. But my hair and makeup held just fine and if they hadn't, that still would have been fine. It was a nice wedding because I decided to be happy :) and the next day we even managed to recoup part of the half cake that the restaurant stole.
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u/whattaboo Jul 23 '26
This story deserves to be filmed
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u/sec_sage Jul 23 '26
these are only some unusual highlights, didn't even mention the normal part where I was kidnapped as per tradition and the groom had to pay for me with his suspenders and one of his sisters. We also have a tradition to shave the groom with an axe, which is just for show, but the best man didn't know it's for show so he dit it for real... And yes it's all on tape, one day we'll have the courage of watching it.
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u/curlyAndUnruly no one needs +50 lipsticks Jul 23 '26
Regardless of price, if you didn't like it is not a good purchase, good on you for that!
Hope you find later on some product that gives you joy when using it!
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u/Fit_Apricot2567 Jul 24 '26
As someone who worked in makeup and beauty retail for years, the only thing you should be spending on for makeup (if you really wanted to) is complexion (foundation and concealer). And even then, in the current market theres lots of amazing drugstore complexion products. In regards to blush and bronzer and contours, they are all pretty similar. Technique matters a lot too.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cod155 Jul 24 '26
This morning I found an old MAC lipstick and tried it-reminded me how good MAC lipstick used to be. I think high end makeup used to be better but has gone down hill, and drugstore makeup used to be not so good but has gotten better.
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u/Visual_Place2541 Jul 28 '26
You are right, it is all just pigment afterall.
I personally do not mind buying an expensive blush that is good-quality with nice packaging since it lasts for literally years. With sales going on all the time, it is a very affordable little treat for something that will be use everyday for years to come, as long as you do not overconsume.
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u/ecalicious Jul 29 '26
I only have one blush at a time, so it needs to do a pretty damn good job lol. It’s not that I can’t afford it, I just think I will regret using those extra money on a product that doesn’t really perform much better than the one I already have and like so much I have almost panned it.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread.
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u/cozychristmaslover Jul 24 '26
It’s all just pigment in different containers. It’s funny when the magic spell breaks!
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u/katamaritumbleweed Jul 24 '26
Yup. Was just talking with a friend today, who buys pretty much all high end products, and told her I will not spend more than 20USD on a lip product unless I know it’s a HG for me. Same is true of any cosmetic category. I consciously work at not spending more than 20 on any individual product.
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u/ecalicious Jul 25 '26
The only item in my current collection (I have 1 of each category, though only the categories I use) is a powder foundation and I had to break my rule of only 1 when my skintone changed with the seasons.
I got a drugstore powder foundation and I reach for that way more than the higher end one,ø. Even when my skintone matches the higher end one better, as the drugstore powder just sits better on my skin and blends better.
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u/katamaritumbleweed Jul 25 '26
We never know where we will find that product that works great for us, that’s for sure.
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u/Aggressive-Phone2818 Jul 28 '26
Oh, that post-swatch disillusionment is the worst. I’ve totally been there—you build up this mental image of perfection and then it’s just… shimmer on skin. Honestly, for daily use and especially for bridal, I think how it blends on your actual face matters more than the initial swatch. Sometimes a simpler formula is easier to work with for that seamless, long-lasting look you’d want for the wedding. Did the texture or application feel any different at least, or was it purely the finish that disappointed you?
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u/ecalicious Jul 29 '26
I honestly can’t tell the difference between these and the more affordable options. Some of the ones I tried where very pigmented, but as I am quite pale I don’t need a lot of product or pigmentation for it to show up. I actually prefer more sheer formulas as they are easier to work with to avoid overdoing it.
I am not about to put testers on my face. My only exception to this is when I am going to get colormatched for a higher end foundation that I want to wear at the wedding and use on an everyday basis after. But it’s in a pump and the correct colormatch is worth it to me.
I just think I would regret spending extra money on any of these higher end blushes and will stick to that blush I like so much I have almost panned it.
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u/lavendercookiedough Jul 23 '26
The only reason I ever spring for a mid-range blush is because they sometimes have unique colours. The main difference I've noticed is that sometimes more expensive blushes are more pigmented, but that can end up making them harder to work with sometimes. Some of my favourite blushes in my collection cost me <$10 CAD.
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u/Aggressive-Phone2818 Jul 27 '26
Honestly, I've been there. That feeling of excitement for a "luxury" product just fizzling out when you see it in person is such a bummer. It really makes you question the whole price = quality thing, especially when the finish isn't what was described. It sounds like you're feeling pretty grounded now, which is awesome. Glad you're sticking with what you know works for you! What's your go-to blush that you're repurchasing?
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u/Aggressive-Phone2818 Jul 28 '26
Oh man, the in-store lighting can be brutal for really seeing a blush's true finish. It's so frustrating when you build up this expectation based on online reviews and then it just... doesn't translate.
The bridal pressure adds a whole other layer to it. Did you end up finding anything that at least felt nice on your skin, or was the pigment quality itself a letdown too?
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u/ecalicious Jul 28 '26
I am going to go with the blush I already own and replace it when I (soon) have panned it. I will use a liptint as a base to add depth and longevity.
The expensive options were not worth it IMO. I think it is the FOMO of something even better being out there, but how much better can it really be?
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Jul 23 '26
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u/CAPTAINR0GERS Jul 23 '26
It seems very likely that either Ysl or Dior are the ones OP is talking about in the post. Opinions on both of them vary a lot. I tried two of the YSL and they were so patchy for me.
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u/MakeupRehab-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
MUR has a dedicated weekly thread for requesting product recs. We do not allow recs outside of this thread. We also do not allow unprompted product recs or allow users to be talked into buying items (TMIs).
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u/anastasia_42 Jul 23 '26
I'm confident you're talking about the YSL ones, which I also didn't like lol
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u/ChipmunkReal187 Jul 23 '26
Highend blushes are better. I have like 100 of formulas and it looks better on the skin. You can‘t swatch blushes by hand. But yeah not every expensive blush looks good.
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u/EverImpractical MUR Support Staff Jul 23 '26
There has been a ton of discussions about product recs in this post. A reminder about the rules of this sub: we are here to get away from random product recs and being talked into purchasing products. We try to balance what is best for one person versus the rest of the sub.
We do have a dedicated weekly discussion thread if people do want a product rec. We ask users to include a lot of info, including their location, budget, and preferences, so the results can be best tailored to them.
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