Kylie Jenner launched the brand new Kylie Cosmetics Hybrid Blush recently, and I’ve put every single shade to the test to see which ones are worth investing in – and one came out on top
If there’s one thing our summer makeup routines could never be without, it’s blusher. In the warmer months more than any other season, we’re all about adding a rosy flush to our cheeks that makes us look like we’ve spent all day outdoors enjoying the sunshine (even when we’ve been at our desks all day).
To coincide with the official start of summer, Kylie Jenner has launched a brand new blusher as part of her Kylie Cosmetics line, with the Hybrid Blush finally landing on May 30. It melts into your skin like a cream but has a powder formula that has a soft focus smoothing effect, and comes in eight shades to work with all skin tones– so I decided to put them all to the test to see which ones were worth buying.
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The Hybrid Blush is available for £21 at Selfridges, with Kylie saying: “I am so excited to launch our Hybrid Blush – this new formula is so different from anything we’ve ever created. I love how it melts into my skin seamlessly, feels lightweight and comfortable, and gives a gorgeous pop of colour that doesn’t get cakey or patchy.”
I tested everything from formula and pigment to staying power and how well they blended, and tested each shade to see which is the most flattering and which would work on all skin tones.
The formula
As the product listing promised, the Hybrid Blush does have a super soft suede-like texture, which is definitely a powder but does have hints of a cream to it. It’s easy to pick up on both your brush and finger, and the formula does have a lightweight feel to it.
The underlying cream feel helps with blending, as it settles lightly onto your skin and is easy to sweep around and diffuse. The main powder formula however makes it much easier to build than a typical cream blusher, as it doesn’t move around the existing product underneath and lets you add as little or as much as you’d like.
It does also have a subtle blurring effect, although it was nothing too dramatic and you could still see my skin’s texture underneath. The effect was, however, smoothing and felt lightweight on my skin, settling into my skin and didn’t feel powdery or chalky.
The shades
The eight shades in the Hybrid Blush line are:
- Slow Jam
- Cheeky Mood
- Sienna
- Winter Kissed 2.0
- Pink Please
- Petal
- Summer Sorbet
- Ladybug
I swatched each shade, and the first thing I noticed is that the bolder, darker colours definitely have more pigmentation than the lighter ones. The shades Slow Jam, Lady Bug, Sienna and Petal all gave a much deeper instant colour pay off, whilst the lighter, brighter ones like Cheeky Mood and Winter Kissed 2.0 required a little more building to get a strong colour.
Slow Jam and Ladybug in particular would be dreamy on darker skin tones, but were a little bright on someone with a paler complexion like me. On the flip side, Cheeky Mood and Summer Sorbet would take more colour building to be noticeable on deeper complexions, but were a great pick for my fair skin.
There was one shade, however, that would be universally flattering on all skin tones, and was the stand out shade of the lot for me. The Hybrid Blush Winter Kissed 2.0 is a bright pink with cool undertones, and whilst it gave my lighter skin a bright pop of colour, it would suit deeper skin tones too.
Although this has less pigment payoff than some of the other shades, this actually works in its favour as it allowed me to build up to an intensity I was happy with, rather than trying to apply a tiny amount and blend out until my arms fell off. Petal was another top pick of mine thanks to its more warm-toned peachy pink shade which makes it wearable for daytime and evening.
For some extra deeper toned options, Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush is £26 and has seven shades which all lean more dark toned. REFY’s Cream Blush, however, leans more bright and bold with a cream texture that’s lightweight and easy to blend.
The results
The final effect was very impressive. The colours were noticeable without being too dramatic, and I loved how easy the shades were to build or even mix together with no patchiness or separating.
It’s super easy to blend, and it really is longwearing – it even lasted through a 45 minute gym class without budging. Whilst there’s a little bit of a blurring effect I wouldn’t say it’s a hugely noticeable bonus of the formula, however I did like that it left my skin still looking natural rather than mask-like or chalky.
A little really does go a long way with the Hybrid Blush. A couple of taps of my brush in the pan was enough to do both cheeks (and still need a little toning down) for a more subtle effect. All in all, these have been a very welcome addition to my makeup routine, and I’ll be experimenting with all of them for the foreseeable future.