New: Estée Lauder Pure Color Blush

Estée Lauder has introduced a new generation of cheek color with the new Pure Color Blush ($28). Now our cheeks will be vibrant with fresh, radiant color in an expansive new palette of shades to suit a diverse range of skin tones.

High-performance technology combines with skin-loving ingredients in this ultra-silky, modern powder blush to add instant dimension and glamour to the face, from a soft flush of color to dramatic contours that last all day. Created in collaboration with Estée Lauder’s world-renowned Creative Makeup Director, Tom Pecheux, Pure Color Blush allows women to experience a dynamic new cheek palette of amplified and multi-faceted color with innovative textures and finishes. Cheeks have never been so ready to glow!

There are 16 shades, from bold brights to subtle hues, with a chic, modern point of view that fits seamlessly into the world of Pure Color. The nudes, pinks, peaches, and plums left me with a dilemma. Which to select? I was shopping online had to make some tough decisions. They all looked gorgeous. One of my selections, Alluring Rose, is shown in Estée Lauder's photo directly above.

Pure Color Blush is available in two new finishes that masterfully combine tone and texture. Satin creates a soft, low sheen on the cheeks for "refined luminosity." I like that idea. Shimmer creates maximum-volume shades with prismatic light-reflecting pearls for a sophisticated cheek shimmer. I purchased one shimmer shade, Pink Ingenue, shown directly below (another Estée Lauder photo).

Pure Color Blush’s advanced formula offers the following features and ingredients.

• Exclusive True Vision Technology wraps concentrated pigments in a crystal-like coating to provide lasting, maximum color impact and enhanced wear.
• A skin-loving antioxidant complex featuring cranberry and goji berry extracts and “Luminous Optic” technology brings out the cheeks’ inner glow by adding natural radiance and dimension.
• The lightweight formula dusts skin with a smooth, non-drying, buildable coverage.

The oversized, luxury golden compact provides a generous amount of product for the price. The compact comes with a little contouring brush that was specifically developed for use with the Pure Color Blush formula to provide a radiant, smooth application, maximum adhesion, and the perfect lay-down of buildable color. I'd rather use my Estée Lauder blush brush, but the little brush would do in a pinch.

Here are swatch photos of my new shades, taken with "just enough" sunlight to snap away. I applied each shade moderately heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator. The satin-finish Alluring Rose (#05) is shown at the top of my arm, and the shimmer-finish Pink Ingenue (#13) is shown at the bottom. I really like both of them, even if they aren't exactly what I anticipated from the photos and finish descriptions at the Estée Lauder Web site.

Alluring Rose is a cooler tone than Pink Ingenue. Pink Ingenue has much more brown in it than I had anticipated, but that makes it look extremely natural on my cheeks.

Don't see much shimmer in Pink Ingenue? Neither do I. I have no idea how it was deemed to be a shimmer finish. That may be a good thing. A lot of sparklies on the cheeks can look unnatural.

I'd like to have at least one more Pure Color Blush. I'll be stopping by an Estée Lauder counter to select the third. That way, I can decide by testing whether it will be Mauve Mystique or Peach Passion. You can find these new Pure Color Blushes are all Estée Lauder counters or at the Estée Lauder Web site.

Photos at top courtesy of Estée Lauder; swatch photos by Best Things in Beauty