Thanks to the Internet’s power as a universal equaliser, the gap between premium and budget-friendly beauty products is steadily becoming smaller and smaller.
This means, if you’re on a tight budget when it comes to makeup, you don’t have to compromise on the quality of your beauty products anymore.
Understandably, this is a great time to be alive if you’ve found yourself afflicted with blush blindness.
Now that drugstore blushes provide a premium performance, look and finish, you can slather on cream blush and frantically tap on powder cheek colour with wild abandon without having to worry about hitting pan.
Here, beautyheaven has wrangled all of the best-selling and top-rated drugstore blushes of 2024 for you to try.
2024’s Top 3 Best Drugstore Blushes
- Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore, $13.19, Priceline
- Maybelline New York Fit Me Blush in Rose, $9.49, Chemist Warehouse
- e.l.f Cosmetics Luminous Putty Blush in Maui, $15, ASOS
The Best Drugstore Blushes 2024
Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore
from $13.19 at Priceline
Love Hourglass Cosmetics’ array of luminous blush formulas? Fun fact: Milani’s baked blushes are made in the same factory in Italy using traditional sunbaking methods during manufacture. The cheek colours are baked in the sun on Italian terracotta tiles, which promotes the kind of warm lit-from-within glow synonymous with summer skin.
Key features:
Baked on Italian terracotta tiles
Warm, lit-from-within radiant finish
Richly pigmented
Highly buildable
Available in a range of 11 satin and shimmer shades
Available at:
- $13.19 from Priceline
Maybelline New York Fit Me Blush in Rose
from $9.49 at Chemist Warehouse
Prefer a blush with a natural finish that you can layer for an easy day-to-night makeup moment? This lightweight, buildable formula effortlessly blends and diffuses into makeup for a radiant your-skin-but-better look.
Key features:
Lightweight and buildable
Natural, radiant finish
Blends and diffuses effortlessly
Available in four your-skin-but-better shades
Available at:
- $9.49 from Chemist Warehouse
- $9.49 from Amazon Australia
- $9.50 from Big W
e.l.f Cosmetics Luminous Putty Blush in Maui
from $15 at ASOS
This transformative and pigmented, creamy, putty-to-powder formula adds a pop of colour and a subtle sheen of shimmer to skin for a glowing complexion.
Key features:
Pigmented and creamy
Putty to powder formula
Vibrant, shimmer finish
Lightweight and buildable
Available in six luminous shades
Available at:
- $15 from ASOS
- $16 from Target
- $16 from Adore Beauty
Revlon Powder Blush in Tickled Pink
from $13.97 at Chemist Warehouse
If lacklustre formulas have put you off powder blush then you need to try this pick from Revlon, which promises a fresh finish all day long.
Key features:
Microfine, smooth and buildable formula
Long-lasting, fresh finish
Natural colour that can be layered for intensity
Seamless, non-patchy application
Available in five wearable shades
Available at:
- $13.97 from Chemist Warehouse
- $13.97 from Big W
- $13.97 from Amazon Australia
Revolution Blusher Reloaded in Pink Lady
from $5 at Priceline
If you’re after a baby pink blush that works on olive skin and darker skin tones, then Pink Lady is the shade to try. The rich pink shade is highly pigmented with a matte finish that doesn’t accentuate pores or texture.
Key features:
Dark pink shade suitable for darker skin tones
Highly pigmented
Matte finish
Doesn’t accentuate pores or texture
Available at:
- $5 from Priceline
- $10 from Revolution Beauty
L’Oréal Paris Melon Dollar Baby Watermelon Blush
from $14.97 at Chemist Warehouse
This universally-flattering coral shimmer blush is a must-have in any summer makeup kit. The melon-scented formula boasts a soft, velvet-like texture and a juicy pop of watermelon-inspired colour.
Key features:
Radiant coral shade suits a myriad of skin tones
Melon-scented
Soft, velvet texture
Juicy watermelon pop of colour
Available at:
- $14.97 from Chemist Warehouse
- $15 from Big W
- $15 from Woolworths
NYX Professional Makeup Buttermelt Blush in Feeling Butta
from $14.39 at Priceline
As the name might suggest, this blush formula is butter soft and smooth to apply. The mango, almond, and shea butter-infused cheek colour is also highly pigmented and promises up to 12 hours of fade and transfer-resistant wear.
Key features:
Infused with mango, almond, and shea butter
Highly-pigmented
Up to 12 hours of wear time
Fad and transfer resistant
Available in four high-impact shades
Available at:
- $14.39 from Priceline
- $14.39 from Amazon Australia
- $23.99 from Adore Beauty
Are cream blushes better than powder?
Cream blushes aren’t necessarily better than powder blushes, they both have their merits. Cream blushes are fantastic for dry skin as they create a dewy, natural finish. However, powder blushes can be layered over the top of creams to improve longevity, and applied solo, powder blushes imbue the skin with a subtle wash of diffused, semi-matte colour.
What colour blush gives you the most youthful look?
This all depends on your skin tone and undertone. Fair skin can get away with baby pink shades, while olive skin should seek warmth (think: corals, mauves and plums), and vibrant, richly-saturated blushes work best for deeper skin tones.
Recommended articles:
- Get Flushed In A Flash With These Rosy-Finish Powder Blushes
- 6 Drugstore Concealers That We Keep Coming Back To
- The Best BB Creams For Under $20
Main image credit: @lindsaylohan
I use blush very lightly , and it seems to last for ages. I’m still using one I bought years ago.
That sounds ideal !
I would love to try Nude by nature virgin blush.
I love blush and some lovely formulations and shades here to choose form
There are so many really good choices .
She has such beautiful skin and looks lovely.
Not really into blush, I prefer a bit of bronzer.
Good article with so much good advice.
The ELF putty blush looks pretty!
I have been looking for a blush, but many are so shimery and I would love a pallete
The prices are so good and so no real risk to try any of them.
I prefer a cream blush, but I use a powder as well.
I think I prefer powder but cream blush is also nice.
so many different formulations now
The Nyx one looks really good
All very nice shades.
Good to have alternatives
I love a bit of blush, I use Maybelline in various shades and love the coverage