Review: Illamasqua Promise Cream Blush

Despite reading a lot about the brand in various blogs, I'd never actually tried anything from Illamasqua before and when I saw this cream blush become available on BuyaPowa I snapped it up. 

 

I'm usually not that adventurous with blushes, preferring to stick to something peachy from the Nars Orgasm family.  Over the past year, I have started trying some cream blushes and have been very impressed with offerings from both Bobbi Brown and TopShop.  So how did Illamasqua fare?

First off, I have to say that I really like the sculptural designs of Illamasqua's packaging.  It is just really ergo dynamically pleasing.  It doesn't feel; luxurious in the same heavy way that brands such as Chanel and YSL do but it does seem as though a lot of thought has been put into the packaging.

 

The cream blush itself is a bright, cool-toned bubblegum pink in the pan (even more pink than it appears in these photos) and it feels quite soft to the touch, although not so soft that it is tacky.  I have to admit that it was with some trepidation that I tried this as I thought it would be way too bright and out of my comfort zone.

 

As you can see from the swatches below, it does apply fairly bright initially, but then blends away to a light pink, subtle glow with a  dewy finish, which actually looks very natural on my NC20 skintone.  If you require a brighter hue, the colour is very buildable, so it is certainly possible to apply a couple of layers for extra intensity.

 

Lasting time on my oily / combination skin is unfortunately only about 4 hours after which it seemed to vanish on my skin.  I do have rather oily cheeks but I did find the wear time a little disappointing as the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges last all day on me!

Verdict

For cream blush lovers with dry or normal skin, I think this product would work very well on you and have good lasting power.  If you have oily cheeks however, you will probably need to either set this with another pink powder blush or retouch after 4 hours.  A little does go a long way and for a healthy pink flush, this is certainly a great buy which I think would look fantastic on those with fair skintones.

4/5

Price  - £16.50

Where to Buy - Illamasqua, Selfridges, Debenhams, ASOS, Cult Beauty