This Is the Best Cream Blush and Highlighter Duo I've Ever Used
When I talk about my beauty routine with my crazy, makeup-loving friends, they're usually very unimpressed. Because by nature-or self-appointed laziness-I’m not someone who likes to undergo a complicated morning routine or get super glam for a night out. I just want simple.
Right now, my very edited makeup situation includes a few swipes of Milk Makeup Kush Fiber Gel through my eyebrows, a coat of Dr. Hauschka Defining Mascara over my lashes, and, if I'm wearing my Invisalign (ugh), a layer of Nyakio Baobab Lip Balm. Occasionally, if I'm feeling ~spicy~, I'll swap the balm for Bobbi Brown's Crushed Liquid Lip in Cherry Crush or Fenty's Stunna Paint in Unveil. That's it. Literally, three to four products max, five minutes total.
Notice that my routine contains absolutely zero face products (e.g. foundation, concealer, etc.). No, it’s not because my skin is perfect; it's because I just can’t be bothered with all that blending and buffing-that is, until I found my current obsession, the Kosas Color & Light Palette in Tropic Equinox.
This creamy blush and highlighter combo is so fool-proof to apply, I could honestly blend it on with my eyes closed (yes, it needs to be that easy for me). Founded by a kickass chemist, artist, and entrepreneur by the name of Sheena Yaitanes, the Kosas brightening palette not only looks really pretty, but has a ton of skin-friendly ingredients in it, too, like moisturizing moringa and jojoba oils (to give skin a pretty, natural sheen) and rice bran (to keep it from sliding off your face).
While there are seven shade duos to chose from (some of which are powder formulas), I swear by the creamy Tropic Equinox palette, a rose-gold highlighter paired with a bronzed, just-napped-on-the-beach blush. The combination, on my darker skin, gives me a perfectly dewy glow without looking greasy.
And although highlighter can get a bad rap for being tricky to apply and/or too gaudy, trust me-this one looks good at soon as you blend it on. “For cream formulas specifically, I'll use my fingers to apply them in a tapping motion,” says my friend (and makeup artist!) Lakeisha Dale. “The warmth from my hand helps soften up the product so it can melt into the skin.”
For me, I prefer to dab the blush on the apples of my cheeks first, using my (clean) ring finger, then layer the highlighter along my cheekbones. Both hues are buildable, so start with a little and add more as needed. Easy, right?
The whole process takes maybe 30 seconds, and the final result is subtle enough that you know I’m wearing a bit of makeup-but you can’t tell exactly what it is. Mission accomplished.
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