7 Deceptive Drugstore Blushes That Perform Like Their Premium Counterparts

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

1. Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore, $13.19, Priceline
2. Maybelline New York Fit Me Blush in Rose, $9.49, Chemist Warehouse
3. 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