Josie Maran Cream Blush (Sunrise)

None of these photos of Josie Maran's cream blush in Sunrise are doing it justice. You can see, though, that it's a natural looking warm soft pink and guess that it would never make one look clownish. It lights up the complexion and gives a healthy glow that isn't over the top. The basic pigment in Sunrise is strong enough and shows up from first stroke, but it's also buildable and can give a stronger contouring effect if one desires. I've been wearing it almost every day part of my "just look alive in the morning" effort. It works.

The texture of Josie Maran's blush is smooth and creamy without melting and bleeding all over the place. It's not the softest I've encountered but there's no problem transferring it from the compact to the skin and blending it evenly into whatever else I'm wearing. On the advice of a very wise reader I've taken to using a liquid foundation brush with all of my gel or cream blushes, which eliminates both messy fingers and germaphobia.



My favorite tool for the task is the angled foundation/blush brush from Alison Raffaele. The synthetic bristles are super soft but never absorb any of the products. I swipe it over the compact in Josie Maran's case or the entire Bobbi Brown stick and it collects the perfect amount of blush. The Alison Raffaele brush is easy to wash and dries before the cats notice the potential of making it their new toy.

Josie Maran Cream Blush ($22) is available from Sephora. I purchased mine at the Times Square store. I ordered the Alison Raffaele Foundation Brush ($34) online from alisonraffaele.com.

All photos by me.