Essence Blush Up! Powder Blush Review & Swatches

I was able to get my hands on a single shade of the new Essence Blush Up! Powder Blush ($3.99) recently at Target.com which launched with the Essence Spring/Summer 2016 Collection. And yes, by the way, Target does in fact sell Essence Cosmetics at select stores now if you hadn’t heard.

I was at my local store recently but no luck hitting an Essence display! But good news, the complete Essence Cosmetics Collection is sold online as well!

Essence Blush Up! Powder Blush was probably one of the items I wanted to try most from the newest offerings. I believe Europe already got this blush in stock but this is the first time we are seeing it here in the US. It’s a mere four bucks and weights in at 0.28 oz in size! Sweet price right?

Essence Blush Up! Powder Blush is available in two shade selections and comes housed in a chic clear plastic compact. The compact is nicely sized and stores easily but you do have to be careful as the plastic scratches up easily during travel. I like the packaging a lot. It’s simple yet weighty enough not to feel cheap.

I was able to get my hands on Heat Wave earlier last month but since that time both shades have come in stock online. For a while both were sold out! Heat Wave is a very, very pretty ombre blush that’s a bright orange coral which bleeds into a hot neon pink. It’s a loud, bright blush but it applies quite subtly on cheeks if you’re using a lighter touch during application. I found the texture a little dry but not powder or chalky just a bit dense. It applied flawlessly though with a smooth, soft, satiny finish that didn’t cling to my drier areas. The color was quite buildable so you could go really intense with this shade or just get a lighter, more subtle touch of color. I went a bit heavier in my look below. The shade wore well for eight hours without fading or losing intensity.

All in all for four bucks I don’t have a single problem with this little blush. Excellent color pay off, fairly good formula, and simple yet chic packaging! Loves it. This is a total beauty budget score.

Do pick it up of you happen to see it in stores or at target.com.