I got an $18 dupe for a $42 Charlotte Tilbury blush – it lasted all day without budging, a little goes a long way
I’M a big believer in less is more when it comes to beauty and that applies from my budget to my application.
The makeup products I reach for are always cost-effective and good at what they do.
While I do occasionally splurge on luxury favorites that, to me, are irreplaceable, like my prized Haus Labs foundation, other beauty staples, like blush, aren’t worth the hefty spend.
With often more than ten steps in a full makeup routine, it’s simply not worth it to spend big bucks on cosmetics that aren’t the cream of the crop. Burberry? More like burglary!
When it comes to blush, aside from an affordable pricetag, there’s three things I look for: Pigmentation, ease of application, and easy blending.
MCoBeauty’s $18 Soft Matte Beauty Wand checked off all the boxes for me.
As a skincare and makeup junkie, I cycle through quite a bit of product on a day-to-day basis.
I found myself reaching for MCoBeauty’s blush in Peach Bellini daily and it’s been my go-to for weeks now.
A light dot on each cheek and I have the perfect sheer and soft glam flush that layers beautifully on bare skin or on top of makeup.
If I’m looking for a particularly rosy glow that day, I’ll go in super heavy handed (two dots).
Needless to say, the wand applicator makes the process seamless and mess-free.
When I first started wearing makeup, blush was one of those things that I always had to be extra cautious of.
Too heavy-handed of a dip into a compact? Squeezed too hard on the tube? Didn’t dust off your brush enough?
Congratulations! You’re all-over-the-face-glow officially qualifies you for Clown Academy.
Not only is it really hard to mess up your blush thanks to the wand function but the blush is also super easy to blend out.
I’ve definitely messed up a few times on days when I’ve attempted a deeper flush and a few taps of my Beautyblender blended the blush out flawlessly.
What made the MCoBeauty truly stand out, however, was its longevity.
As someone with exceptionally oily skin (oh to be so lucky!), I take extra precautions to make sure my makeup doesn’t budge through the day.
I am guilty of carrying setting powder, setting spray, and a puff around with me to touch up every few hours.
Nothing, not even my trusty Milani Make It Last, however, can beat the test of time on 16-hour-long days, however.
These are the times where I scurry home, often exhausted, to look in the mirror to see a greasy face, smudged liner, and cracked skin.
On many of these occasions, however, I’ve repeatedly been shocked by how well my blush had held up, even when the foundation around it is virtually gone.
A similar product I’ve tried, Charlotte Tilbury’s $42 cult-favorite Blush Light Wand, impressed me far less.
While I do understand why many enjoy it, I personally don’t think it’s worth the money.
In the past, I’ve had to layer Charlotte on over and over again to achieve the glow I wanted and found the flush would fade dramatically by the end of the day.
For the cost of half a week’s worth of groceries, I found it left a lot to be desired.
The Peach Bellini is also a great shade match for the Blush Light Wand’s Peachgasm.
Now with the extra $24 I’ve saved, I think I’ll head off to see Zendaya‘s Challengers movie (throuple, anyone?) and even grab some ice cream afterward. That’ll really get me blushing.