Why Blush Tints Are Perfect for No-Makeup Makeup Days
Glow Recipe took note of the trend, too, and used it as inspiration for its new Watermelon Glow Dewy Flush, which leans into the idea of using of less full coverage makeup and allowing skin to breathe, co-CEO Sarah Lee tells Vogue. The new tint takes inspiration from its bestselling Hue Drops which is best described as a brightening serum that lends skin a sheer bronze. “We have been seeing our community use Dew Drops in innovative ways and creating their own hybrid products by mixing Dew Drops with makeup products like foundation, bronzers and blushes to create a more sheer, skin-like formulas and finishes,” co-CEO Christine Chang explains. The new blushes are designed for the same purpose—treating skin as the primary focus, while the color can be customized to your liking. “It‘s perfect for an easy, natural flush for daily use—no mirror needed for application—and but also can seamlessly be part of more full face makeup routines as well,” she says.
The beauty of the blush tint lies in its ease. Applying it requires minimal effort—simply pat the pigment into the skin, and perhaps the lips and eyes—for maximum payoff. Below, a look at the best blush tints of 2025 for a sheer veil of color.
Best Overall: Benefit Cosmetics Benetint
- Why We Love It: Benefit Cosmetics’s Benetint is a certified classic that will never go out of style. It’s no wonder it rises to the top of the makeup conversation year after year, decades after its initial 1976 launch. Think of this as a traditional stain. Its thin, almost-watery texture delivers an exceptional burst of color, that despite its weight, does not sheer out when blended. “It’s glowy and stays in place all day without feeling heavy,” Della explains. Benetint itself delivers a rosy pigment, though there are five additional hues to consider—from Playtint, a pink lemonade hue, to Gogotint, which skews more cherry.
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin
- Finish: Natural
- Shades: 6
- Size: 0.33 oz / 6 mL
Best Serum: Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Dewy Flush
- Why We Love It: “Tt’s a flush, not a blush!” Lee explains of Glow Recipe’s most colorful debut yet. “Dewy Flush has all the benefits of a brightening and hydrating treatment with effective actives such as niacinamide and centella asiatica—which we clinically tested for real skin results over time—but also with jojoba oil-coated pigments is able to provide skin with a natural, flushed-from-within look. These skin-mimicking properties not only create a hydrating and weightless feel, but it also extends wear time, delivering a naturally radiant flush of color that lasts.” Echoing her sentiments, this really feels like a tinted skincare treatment. I have quite sensitive, reactive cheeks—prone to breakouts and discoloration—so opting for this in place of a traditional plus keeps my skin even, hydrated, and balanced.
- Key Ingredients: 3% niacinamide, jojoba oil coated pigments, watermelon extract, centella asiatica
- Finish: Glowy
- Shades: 2
- Size: .4 oz / 12 mL
Best Lightweight: Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush
- Why We Love It: Chanel’s Les Beiges blush is as airy as they come because its comprised of 75% water. It gets its coloring properties via MicroFluidic Technology, the micro-droplet pigments you see floating throughout the formula—which burst when blended into the skin to deliver a natural-looking flush. This duo, alongside natural tamarind seed extract and glycerin, give this a refreshing quality—almost like you just doused yourself in a face mist. A little goes a long way here—start with just a pump or two of serum, then add more to your preferred intensity.
- Key Ingredients: Natural tamarind seed extract
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 5
- Size: 0.5 oz
Best Viral: Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek
- Why We Love It: Milk Makeup broke the internet when it launched its Cooling Water Jelly Tints last year. One of the most viral beauty products of 2024, this became a favorite for its bouncy, Jell-O texture that looks good enough to eat. Though it is not edible, as the brand emphasizes, it lends a vibrant wash of color with a simple swipe. The finish is unlike anything we’ve tried before—undeniably radiant, but also with a watercolor-effect that reads very lit-from-within. You can keep it sheer with just a little color, or build it up for a more powerful pigment. Each of the six shades are packed with vegan collagen, aloe, and seawater to keep skin juicy and plump.
- Key Ingredients: Vegan collagen, aloe, seawater
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 6
- Size: 0.17 oz / 5 g
Best Drugstore: Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel
- Why We Love It: If you prefer to pickup your cheek tint at your local drugstore, I’d search the makeup aisle for this option by Pixi. Housed in packaging that’s as if a lip gloss and tube of jelly had a baby: it’s an oil-free, lightweight gel enriched with aloe vera, mica, and sodium PCA designed to soothe and moisturize while illuminating the cheeks. Best applied with the fingers, wear it on its own or beneath powder to amp up the color.
- Key Ingredients: Aloe vera, mica, sodium PCA
- Finish: Sheer
- Shades: 3
- Size: 0.45 oz
Best Lip & Cheek Tint: Jillian Dempsey Cheek Tint
- Why We Love It: Jillian Dempsey’s blush has the texture of a cream but the longevity of a tint. Perfect for that soft, velvet blur that’s taking over 2025, this diffuses straight into skin when buffed out with a brush. Not to mention, its packed with shea butter, avocado and coconut oils, making it exceptionally nourishing for even dry skin types. Dab a bit on the cheeks, eyes, and lips for sumptuous, natural-looking color all summer long.
- Key Ingredients: Avocado oil, shea butter, coconut oil
- Finish: Velvet
- Shades: 6
- Size: 0.11 oz
Best With SPF: Naked Sundays CabanaGlow SPF50 Blush Serum
- Why We Love It: You’re hard-pressed to find a blush with SPF, especially one with the staying power of a tint. Naked Sundays has addressed that with its CabanaGlow blush serum. Powered by non-nano mineral UV filters, this delivers SPF 50 protection for the sunniest of days, alongside hyaluronic acid, rosella extract, and pink algae keep your complexion hydrated and even. There is one pinky blush shade, though you can also take your pick of bronzing and highlighting hues to suit any look.
- Key Ingredients: Titanium dioxide 3.3%, zinc oxide 14.9%, hyaluronic acid, rosella extract, pink algae
- Finish: Radiant
- Shades: 1
- Size: 40 mL
Everything You Need to Know
“A blush tint is a sheer, liquid or gel-based cheek product designed to give your cheeks a natural-looking flush of color,” Della explains, adding that unlike powder blushes, tints blend seamlessly into the skin for a more skin-like finish. “Think of it like a skincare-makeup hybrid,” Mayo adds. “While a blush tint is a sheer tint of color, some formulas can stain or be long-wearing.”
What is the benefit of wearing a blush tint?
Per Mayo, blush tints deliver natural finishes and can appear virtually undetectable once blended into the skin. “Many formulas can give longevity, which requires no touch-ups throughout the day,” he says. Those who prefer something lightweight will appreciate it, in lieu of heavier cream formulas. Plus, because of their serum-like textures, they also lend themselves expertly on the lips.
How long do blush tints last?
Blush tints are known for their staying power. Like that of a lip tint, you might reach for these when you want hours on hours of budge-proof wear. “Most last six to ten hours depending on formula and skin type,” Della notes. “Because they stain, they’re great for all-day wear, even in humidity or heat and they fade evenly.”
- Christine Chang and Sarah Lee are the co-CEOs and co-founders of Glow Recipe.
- Dom Della is a celebrity makeup artist who often works with Paris Hilton, Helena Christensen, and Tiffany Haddish.
- Sean Harris is a Los Angeles–based celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Lori Harvey and Laura Harrier.
- Alexx Mayo is a celebrity makeup artist behind most of Lizzo’s most memorable looks.
