REVIEW | Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush

It's been a hot minute since I last blogged! I just wanted to spend the last few days of break with my friends and family. The Spring semester has just started for me so excuse my lack of updates. Now that I'm more settled, expect to catch a couple more posts before the end of the week :D I'll go back to my regular posting schedule (Mon & Fri) once I catch up with everything!

Onto the actual product now! I'm reviewing the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush and the Revlon Cream Blush in Berry Flirtatious. These blushes were created to mimic the glowing skin of a beach beauty, what I really need right now since it's the dead of winter. This blush also claims to be creamy, buildable, lightweight, with a smooth application. Apparently, there are photochromatic pigments that bend and reflect light to provide cheeks with a beautiful glow. Let's see which of these claims ring true. *ominous organ music plays*

I'll talk about the Revlon Cream Blush in Berry Flirtatious first since I only have the one. PACKAGING of the blush was bulky for me. There's only 0.12 oz product but the packaging is larger than the ones for the PhotoReady blushes. Granted, the inclusion of a pop-out mirror on the side is unique and handy in a pinch but I could do without it since I could hardly see one side of my face to apply the blush. Other than that, the plastic case hasn't cracked or warped on me. 

The FORMULA and FEEL of this blush is very smooth and silky, like a silicone primer. I don't have a problem with silicones but those who have sensitive skin and/or allergic reactions should be careful. This blush is described as a mid-toned berry pink and I agree. It looked much darker in online promotional photos but I'm glad it's much lighter than it appears. In the swatch below, I layered it a bit heavily on the left side so you can see the COLOR. The one on the right is me blending it out to show how easily it can be blended out--a bit too easily if I say so myself. It is possible to overblend this blush into nothing. Fingers is the best APPLICATION method for me since I can pick up more color and blend at the same time. Brushes sheer out the product too much and on my light-medium skin tone, it doesn't show up well. Since the PIGMENTATION isn't the best, I think it's a good introduction to cream blush for beginners or those with fair to light skin tones. The SCENT was a dusty lemon-y smell but it has faded since I've had it for almost 2 years. Over this period of time, it hasn't dried out or changed texture. WEAR TIME on my normal skin type cheeks without primer (just foundation) is 3-4 hours before I notice it has considerably faded. Since it's so sheer to begin with, it isn't noticeable. I have a naturally faint coral flush so this just naturally enhances my color when I wear a light foundation. 

The PhotoReady Cream Blushes are very similar, if not identical to the Cream Blush. The COLORS I have are Flushed, a bright magenta, Coral Reef, a bold scarlet, and Pinched, a soft, dusty peach with subtle gold shimmer. FORMULA and  FEEL are alike. SCENT-WISE, the PhotoReady ones smell a bit fruity. APPLICATION is smoother and less clumpy on the Berry Flirtatious but the PhotoReady are still very blendable. PIGMENTATION varies with application method. With my fingers, Flushed and Coral Reef don't build well and are sheer; these two shades apply best with a stippling brush, like the small version from e.l.f. Pinched doesn't show up very well on my light-medium skin tone, which I like. I don't always want a bold blush look so this complements my skin tone by adding a subtle sheen and color that doesn't look garish out in direct sunlight. This one applies best with my fingers as I get less shimmer and more color. WEAR TIME is shorter than I'm used to with blushes--at about 4 hours before I notice considerable fading. PACKAGING is the only distinguishable difference, aside from shades. These are in a pot, which cuts down the packaging considerably. I haven't experienced any drying out of the product with these either--just make sure you tightly recap the blush after you're done. 

⇥ OTHER THOUGHTS ⇤

Unfortunately, Berry Flirtatious is discontinued. It is available on ebay and Amazon but the prices are a bit higher than what I remembered paying for it. If I use the lowest price available, Berry Flirtatious would be $15 usd for 0.12 oz ($125 usd per oz). 

The PhotoReady Cream Blushes are still available at most drugstores for $10.39 usd to $13.99 usd. Calculating the cost per ounce using the lowest price, it would be $23.61 usd per oz. Each blush contains 0.44 oz, considerably more bang for your buck than the Berry Flirtatious. 

⇥ BOTTOM LINE ⇤

I don't recommend these. These were the first cream blushes I've tried. At the time, I didn't know about the ones from NYX so I thought these were the only ones from the drugstore. Two years later, I still haven't tried the NYX but I've heard many good things about them and they are considerably more affordable than Revlon's. The only one I'd keep is Pinched; the color is unique in my collection and the finish is the only truly dewy-looking. The other ones appear matte without any visible glow, which is funny since they are supposed to be a "cream" blush. I have a couple more that I'm testing at the moment so expect reviews of those this upcoming week!

⇥ WHERE TO BUY ⇤

REVLON CREAM BLUSH IN BERRY FLIRTATIOUS || Amazon | eBay

REVLON PHOTOREADY  CREAM BLUSH || Drugstore.com | Ulta

Have you tried out these blushes?

 Let me know your thoughts on cream blushes down below!

Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Bloglovin

XOXO,
MWAH ♥