we heart this: Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush
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Here’s why it’s our Product of the Week…
Name: Urban Decay Afterglow 8-hour Powder Blush ($26)
What it is: It’s a finely milled powder blush infused with light diffusing pigments that promises 8 hours of wear.
Why we love it: This is a blush-lover’s blush. And if you aren’t a blush-lover, prepare to become one. Lemme break it down for you. (Editor’s note: You might want to brace yourself for gushing…)
Wear time: True to their name, I get a full day’s wear with Afterglow, which is a big deal for someone with oily skin that lives in the desert. Normally, I watch my blush slowly disappear as the day goes by. I’ve come to accept it (see: oily girl in the desert). But not with Afterglow. It’s nearly as bright when I get home as it is when I left the house.
Consistency: Wow, is this a creamy powder! Afterglow is finely milled to a smooth and buttery result that absolutely glides over your skin. UD says it has “coated” powders in it. Coated with magic is the only possible answer. It has me in its spell.
Shade range: It’s an exciting range of colors, but wouldn’t you expect that from Urban Decay? Sure, you have your pinks, you have your nudes, but you also have a red orange and an uber-grape. 12 shades, mostly matte, all interesting.
Pigment: This may well be the most pigmented powder blush I’ve ever used. Well, let me restate that: the most pigmented powder blush I’ve used more than once. I’ve used blushes that are just as pigmented. But they applied streaky and felt heavy, and I quickly pushed them aside. A minimal amount of Afterglow blends beautifully, leaving behind streak-free, vibrant color.
Packaging: I mean, will you shut up with that packaging? The dark grey metal with a see through fishnet UD window is stunning. You can peek at the color though the window, but I think more helpful for color identification is that the label is the same color as the blush. Smart!
Urban Decay Afterglow Blush swatches
(clockwise from top left)
Rapture – shimmering dirty plum
Kinky – peach-kissed nude with gold micro glitter
Crush – bright magenta pink
Bang – very poppy-like red-orange
indoors: Rapture, Kinky, Crush and Bang
in sunlight: Rapture, Kinky, Crush and Bang
Indecent – light apricot
Bittersweet – intense grape
Obsessed – cool light pink
indoors: Indecent, Bittersweet and Obsessed
in sunlight: Indecent, Bittersweet and Obsessed
I don’t like to throw around the word “perfect” but if this isn’t a perfect blush, I honestly don’t know what is. We heartsters – which is your favorite?
(Buy it HERE.)
Stef is many things. Amongst them: co-editor of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie.
skin tone: NC 25/30
skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea
favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products
Kinky & Indecent are just screaming my name! I love UD. They have the most amazing colors!
Bittersweet is really pretty, if only I was bolder.
I think I might also need Bang. Soooo many beautiful choices. How can a girl decide on just one? (Or two – or three). :)
Bang is amazing, LOVE it. You just need to use a very light hand.
Then I must have it. *swoon worthy colors*. Oh the struggle is real. How many blushes can I fit in my makeup bag? :)
Gorgeous! It really is hard to go wrong with UD!
Crush, Obsessed, Bang… oh hell, I want them all! Seriously, between these gorgeous blushes and the upcoming Naked Smoky palette, UD is going to break the bank for me this summer!
If you had to choose between Crush and Obsessed, which pink would win?
I did have to choose between Crush and Obsessed, actually! And I chose Crush. Obsessed was a bit light for me. Crush is perfection for my skintone; bright but not too bright.
Kinky was just sent my way and it’s a very pretty peachy nude. I love the packaging on these too! I felt like it lasted all day, even when my face was oily from humid weather.
I got to try Rapture. I was a little nervous it wouldn’t work on my pale self, but the plum shade actually applies much lighter than the pan would predict. On me, this was a natural, shimmering plummy rose shade that was incredibly flattering. The wear time was excellent. Like @spitfire77 said, this seemed to last all day. I wasn’t in humid weather, but this blush wore like a champ. If you’re thinking about getting one of these, I highly recommend swatching them in person first–I would have passed up Rapture based on how dark it appeared in the pan and that would have been incredibly sad! I think I’m going to have to swatch Bang the next time I’m at Sephora.
Bang is SO pigmented. But I adore it.
Those are some serious colors, there!
Indecent looks AWESOME!! Perfect for the summer!
I’m NC25, blonde, blue eyes…thinking Rapture would work for me, Obsessed might be too light.
Hi Ellen, I’m NC25/30 and I thought Obsessed was a bit too light for my taste. I totally could work though if you like lighter blushes, but Crush was my pink of choice.