Sally Foran: 8 new blush formulas to put a healthy glow on your cheeks

The easiest way to look instantly fresher, healthier and more radiant? Sally Foran makes the case for blush, with her favourite new formulas, shades and textures to try now

Check out our beauty editor's picks for blush

No makeup look is complete without blush. It’s the beauty equivalent of sunlight on skin (minus the UV damage). A single swipe can transform your face in seconds, making it look instantly more alive, warmer, fresher, brighter and healthier.

When applied right, it can also knock years off our faces. As we age, our cheeks tend to drift downwards and we lose some of that youthful rosiness. Cleverly placed blusher can disguise this and create the illusion of lifted features.

We seem to be particularly in love with blush at the moment — it’s the one beauty item that has landed on my desk more than any other over the last couple of months. These aren’t just any old blushers, either. In 2026, they come as creams, liquids, powders, cream- to-powders, multipurpose lip and cheek sticks, blushlighters, cushion compacts and watercolour stains.

We’re also seeing bolder blush placement, from sweeping it higher towards the temples to taking it across the bridge of the nose or layering it for added intensity. The latest trick is blending blush directly into your under-eye concealer for a brighter, more seamless look.

Colour choices have become braver, too. The days of sticking strictly to soft pinks are over. We’re now seeing vibrant corals, warm terracottas, burnt oranges, rich berries and deep reds. I even recently tried Nectar, a purple shade from Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Glow collection. I didn’t think it would suit me, but it was surprisingly flattering.

While most shades can work on anyone when applied correctly, it helps to know what flatters your undertone. As a rule of thumb, soft pinks suit fair skin, coral and apricot shades suit medium skin tones, while plum and berry shades flatter deeper complexions. Peach is one shade that suits all, making it the ultimate summer shade to instantly warm the skin and give a sun kissed look.

When it comes to application, there is no one size fits all. If you have high cheekbones, try sweeping the product across the nose, while for a rounder face shape, blend higher and outwards towards the temples to elongate and sculpt.

Always use a light hand — it’s much easier to build intensity than remove product. Work in layers for seamless, blurred edges without those tell-tale stripes.

If you’re nervous, start with a cream blush using your fingers for maximum control. For extra hold, layer your cream or liquid blush first, then set it with a matching powder.

Best cream – Sculpted by Aimee Cream Luxe Blush

I adored the original, and they’ve now been upgraded with three times more pigment, a smoother, more refined texture that melts into skin, has better staying power AND is infused with Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E and Castor Seed Oil for deeper hydration.

• €22, Meaghers Pharmacy

Best liquid – Rimmel Multi Tasker Turbocharged Glow Liquid Illuminator

Another blush/highlighter hybrid, but in a liquid version. With light-reflecting pearls, this bestows such a healthy, luminous glow that actually lasts all day - yes, really! Super easy to blend too, ideal if you’re nervous about using liquid blush. It’s also non-comedogenic, so perfect for oily/acne-prone skin.

• €11.49, Look Fantastic

Best powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur Blush

Inspired by the iconic Airbrush Flawless Finish powder, there are 11 stunning shades, which I got to see up close on my recent press trip with the brand. They’re super silky and give a beautiful veil of buildable colour, and they also smooth, blur and retexturise the look of skin. Hyaluronic Acid ensures they’re never cakey, patchy or drying either - the dream powder blush formula!

• €46, Brown Thomas

Best cream to powder Hildun Blur Balms

These multipurpose lip and cheek blur balms have a unique, light but creamy, velvet mousse-like blurring formula, which means they’ve exceptional longevity and they’re as comfortable on the lips as they are on the cheeks. Ideal for oily skin types and will save you a step, as there’s no need to powder.

• €16, Planet Beauty

Best lip and cheek stick Chanel Duo De Baumes

A silky balmy duo that enhances and illuminates the cheeks and lips, with three gorgeous shades available. I love Pure Glow, a vibrant fresh pink blusher and a shimmery lilac pink highlighter. They’re simply the perfect pairing. Be prepared for lots of compliments, if you can source them, that is, as they’re already selling out.

• €60, Armotts

Best blushlighter – Nars Light Reflective Luminizing Blush

These come in a range of seven stunning ethereal shades (my favourite is Lucky Love).

They feature a serum-powder hybrid texture, which explains their effortless blendability. I’ve never gotten as many compliments on a blush.

• €45, Brown Thomas

Best cushion – Catrice Cloud Tint Cushion Blush

This K-beauty-inspired blush gives cheeks such a natural, matte wash of colour with a gorgeous soft-focus finish. The water-like texture has buildable coverage and blends seamlessly into foundation without disturbing it, and is surprisingly long-lasting too. A brilliant budget option.

• €6.85, Penneys

Best watercolour – Refy Watercolour Blush

A stunning sheer, hydrating, lightweight, water-based blush that’s skincare-infused, melts seamlessly into skin and delivers a buildable, breathable, weightless wash of dewy, fresh colour that looks just like your skin, but better – perfect for “no makeup” makeup.

• €26, Space NK