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Beauty roadtest: orange blusher

By Guardian Weekend magazine’s All Ages model Leah

Blusher isn’t something I use as part of my daily routine. As a woman of colour, I don’t go pink or red when I’m embarrassed or nervous, so I have never thought it would suit my skin tone. I use highlighter every day on my cupid’s bow and on the tip of my nose, and once in a while I do a dramatic look with deep, dark shades on my lips, but blusher is not my usual thing. And definitely not orange blusher, which was huge on the SS17 catwalks, so I agreed to try some.



Leah Alexxanderr-Caine: ‘Blusher is not my usual thing.’ Photograph: Courtesy of Leah Alexxanderr-Caine

Burberry Lip Cheek Bloom in Orange Blossom (£24) was pretty underwhelming. Despite being the most expensive of the ones I tried, the pigmentation didn’t show up on my skin tone at all. Mac Powder Blush in Modern Mandarin (£19.50) was a really nice colour and very easy to blend in. Initially, I didn’t think it had much colour payoff, but after adding more product and layering it, I ended up with a nice glow.

Sleek’s Sweet Cheeks Gel Blush in Lickety Split (£5.50), meanwhile, was really simple to apply, and a good choice if you want to brighten your cheeks on the go. It had a good amount of pigment, but I found it a bit hard to blend on my skin. L’Oréal Infallible Blush Paint (£5.99), however, was definitely the most rich in colour – a really strong coral – and a little went a long way, which is always a bonus. It was great on my skin, and definitely my favourite.

If I ever thought about wearing blusher before, I’d probably have gone for a trad dark pink or red. Now, it would definitely be orange.

Next week: Ola Adeyemi on face scrubs for men

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