October 8, 2019

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush Review & Swatches

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.
4 stars out of 5

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush ($14) is a new creamy blush is part of Millie Bobby Brown’s new vegan makeup collection that launched late this Summer. As you already know every celeb and their mom, sister’s mom, and mom’s mom has a makeup collection. From Lady Gaga to up and coming actresses like Millie Bobby Brown, everyone wants a piece of the beauty industry. I do think that celebrities can literally make or break their own makeup launches. If a celebrity evokes feelings of dislike you might not feel so inclined to purchase something from their line. Let’s be honest, for some reason or another some celebrities just make us rage. I know some people that rant a blue streak about Kylie’s line! I tend to try to look past the person behind the line sometimes as I’m in no way a fan of Kylie but I have purchased her Bronze and her Burgundy Eyeshadow Palette and liked them both.

Millie might have struck when the iron is hot because I don’t think she has a lot of controversy surrounding her as of yet! She comes across as very lovable and humble which her fans appreciate. I think she’s quite lovely. According to her she was very involved in the production of the products. However, she recently had a bit of drama when she pulled a little bit of a Shay Mitchell on Instagram when using her products. That video called into question how involved she actually is.

That being said, I think the products need to speak for themselves. I like her! I think she’s a good actress, I think she’s cute, and even if her line isn’t exactly my demographic I had no problem supporting her in this venture by purchasing some of her line. Not to mention, I was just plain curious.

The fact her line is “clean” should be appealing to those who are seeking a new cruelty-free makeup collection that’s not only vegan but also, is free of fragrance, parabens, and other harmful ingredients.

Let’s take a look at my review of the Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush.

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush is $14 and 0.19 oz in size. When I was Millie’s age, can you even believe I started a sentence with that? Anyway! When I was Millie’s age, I didn’t exactly have $14 to spend on cream blush. At most a blush would have probably cost me about $6 to $7 from brands like Revlon or Maybelline. But times, they are a changing and today’s kids readily have a twenty to flip down on some new makeup. So, you have to ask yourself where does Florence By Mills fit in? Is it mid-range? Is it drugstore? I think it could be a cross between the two. For example, Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Blush is $13.49 but quite a good deal larger at 0.26 oz. Drugstore brands have gone up in price the last few years so, honestly, $14 is actually more of a drugstore price versus a mid-range one.

Another good comparison here would be from the Tarte Sugar Rush Collection that’s very similar to Florence by Mills in the target demographic and also, in some of the launches. For example, Tarte Beach Cheeks Cream Blush is $15 and 0.15 oz in size. So smaller in size, and a bit more pricey. The lines have a lot of the same items though which is interesting! The Sugar Rush Collection contains a Lip Sip Vegan Lip Oil and Millie’s line also, contains a lip oil! Hmmm! Who’s copying who? Sugar Rush came out way BEFORE Millie’s line but one wonders if Tarte by some chance got wind of Millie’s Collection and decided to scoop her on the launch.

No matter how you splice it you may or may not feel $14 is a bit much for a small cream blush. I found myself not minding the price that much. It feels obtainable to me for today’s youth and the size isn’t bad either.

That being said, the packaging is fairly simple at this price which makes you wonder how much it actually costs to put together something like this versus how much they actually charge. The compact is a clear, translucent compact with a very simple logo. There is no mirror and the box the blush comes in is very lightweight. It’s all very simple and in someways, it reminded me of Milk Makeup’s standard, industrial packaging.

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush is available in six shades. I purchased Zen Z which they call a mauve brown and I call pink brown. It turned into a really good purchase since it reminds me a lot of Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blusher. I mean, I already own Pillow Talk Blush but if you don’t and the price makes you cringe I’d say Zen Z is actually a really good dupe of the shade but instead of a powder it’s a cream. The shade is a warm brown pink that looks very natural on cheeks.

The formula is odd as they do say it contains Kaolin Clay to absorb excess oil and to give a cream-to-powder finish but it’s main base is Candelilla Wax which gives it a light, emollient texture and a dewy finish. It applies and blends super easily with a thin, lightly creamy texture that wasn’t tacky nor sticky but did have a dewy to the touch finish. Don’t worry about the dewy factor as it isn’t a finish that makes you look shiny or oily. It’s a very subtle, natural looking blush that was easy to build up but never looked overdone or too overwhelming. It does pack some great pigment but no matter how much I applied I always came out of the experience looking fresh and natural. No clown cheeks here! The blush didn’t cling to drier areas and it had a very smooth finish. I got about six hours of wear from it before it faded. The wear is surprisingly good because my skin just eats up cream blush.

It’s not marketed for it but you can easily wearing this on your lips as well should you like. I tried it and it actually looks really lovely.

All in all, Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush was a very nicely formulated cream blush! I can see it being a hit with cream blush lovers. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars simply because it is a bit smaller for the price but the formula is quite lovely and it’s worth a pick up if you enjoy cream blushes!

Anyone try it?

Do share!

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush is available now.

Where to buy

Ulta

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush is a new blush created by Millie Bobbi Brown that’s $14 and 0.19 oz in size. The blush has a light, creamy, thin texture that’s light emollient and applies and blends very, very easily. The blush promises a cream-to-powder formula but I felt like the finish was dewy but not shiny nor oily looking. It’s pigmented but it looks very natural and fresh on my cheeks and wore for about six hours before fading.

Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Synthetic Beeswax, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera, Cire de Candelilla), Ozokerite, Tricaprylin, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Kaolin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Silica, Aqua (Water, Eau), Triethoxycaprylylsilane, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491/77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 15850 (Red 7), CI 42090 (Blue 1 Lake).

Pros

  • Great selection of shades.
  • Applies easily.
  • Natural and fresh looking on cheeks.

Cons

  • Not a cream-to-powder formula as marketed.
  • Smaller for the price.
  • Simple packaging.

Who

Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blush is a great pick up for cream blush lovers or anyone who wants an easy one and done look!

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Liz

    I have to comment on the controversy of Millie pretending to wash her face and use her line, cooing platitudes like ‘it’s so refreshing, that’s what Florence will do for you!’ meanwhile she is in a full face of makeup, pantomiming washing her face like she’s in acting class. Or playing dress up in mommy’s mirror.

    I think Jezebel had a great line like “This is why children should not be titans of industry, or brand ambassadors.” For me, if I saw Kylie Jenner do that, I would think “WOW, this is brand that absolutely deserves to fail.” Yet the world seems to be giving little Millie a pass because she’s still deemed likable. It’s weird.

    Then after like days of the internet mocking her fake cleansing routine she wrote something like “I’m sorry, I’m still learning.” …She’s still learning it’s wrong to lie when hocking your products to teenagers? I think I knew lying was wrong when I was 16! The whole thing just seems like a foray into the weird unhealthy lives of child actor celebrities, another one of which the world does not need.

    So rant aside, this old lady thinks these products might be good. But the brand is getting a bit more of a pass than it deserves.

    • Jane

      I can’t get too spun up about it. There’s artifice in most videos like that. I don’t perceive that as a lie – just marketing.

    • Kelly

      Wow! Millie didn’t just make that video on her own. It was scripted and produced, she was instructed on exactly what to do. She IS learning about the cosmetics industry and how to sell. If the products are good quality, it doesn’t matter if her first attempt at a video flopped.

  • Liz

    Well like Jezebel said, “this is why children should not be brand owners.” Because they will behave like children and put the brand in peril. I do think she is getting a pass because people like her, if she was less charismatic, like if it was Lindsay Lohan’s brand (sorry I can’t think of another celeb in the same age name as Milly) people would be eviscerating it and she would be done.