Two-in-one cheek and lip colours rarely feature here. They’re routinely disappointing and I can’t honestly recommend Stila Convertible Color, YSL Kiss & Blush or Nars Multiple yet again and call it a week’s work. My issue with others is that getting the formula right for creme blusher often makes for a flat, cloudy and unflattering lipstick. For one-product-does-all convenience, one usually fares better with regular lipstick rubbed into cheeks, even though it’s likely to be too waxy to last beyond lunch.
I’m delighted to see this problem somehow avoided in three lip and cheek colours, all new to me. Nudestix’s vegan Nudies All Over Face Colour (£28, 7g) is excellent. There are five neutral shades, but Naughty ’n’ Spice (yes, nauseating – it’s actually a dirty rose) makes for a flattering flush on any skin but the very pink (better served by Bare Back, a peachier nude). There’s a fat stick of colour at one end and a good, if somewhat prickly, blending brush at the other, though I hardly used it, as the creamy, movable but ultimately matte formula blended as easily with my middle finger.
A hugely satisfying find was the bargainous – and vegan – PS… Lip & Cheek Duo (£2, 5g) by Primark (in store only at time of writing), a chubby two-tone crayon of sheer, pale and bright pinks that I just stroked together on to the fattest part of my cheeks and merged with fingertips into one cheerful, summery hue. You could use either side for one distinct tone, but I feel slapdash should be the name of the game here. No doubt the fact that it costs little more than a Magnum adds something to my fondness, but I’d be impressed at three times the price. It doesn’t give the most polished finish (think T-shirts and flipflops rather than officewear), but blends nicely and prettily (over base makeup) with no hard lines.
Easiest of all is Chanel’s wonderful Rouge Coco Lip Blush Hydrating Lip and Cheek Sheer Colour (£28, 5.5g). The watery, semi-transparent shades (I loved Tender Rose, a peachy pink) come in lipgloss wands, ensuring swift and easy application, even by a novice. What I loved here was the lack of chalkiness on darker skin, thanks to clarity of pigment – think of it as spreading jelly rather than blancmange.
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