Sunday Riley Blush Swatches and Blushing Close Up

Onward to the Sunday Riley blush swatches…there has been a lot of buzz about these cheek colors, particularly the shade “Blushing” which is sold out on Barneys.com earlier this week.

The blushes, which retail for $30, come in a basic color-range palette, but what makes the very special is how finely milled they are. One swipe, and your cheek is met with a luminous flush that is not the slightest bit powdery. Barney’s in Beverly Hills had just received a shipment of the coveted “Blushing” shade and I promptly procured it for personal use.

On to the swatches…


The blushes come in six colors range in intensity from the perfect natural pink (Blushing), to a deep plummy berry (Dimples) with some fabulous options in between.
1. Blushing is shockingly pale in the pan and even to swatch, I thought it might be too light to show up (at first glance, it looks similar to Benefit’s Dandelion or Giorgio Armani’s Translumience from Spring 2011). However, once it has a chance to warm up on your skin, the most quintessential pinky rose appears, taking on a very natural life of its own. So happy I bought this…I can wear it alone or over bronzer on the apples of my cheeks and it is as if a moderate workout or brisk walk in cool air has touched my cheeks and made them glow–except I’ve only had to exert a very little amount of energy.
2. Honest is a nude/brown based warm blush with slight shimmer and a light wash of color.
3. Honeymoon Night is a deeper rose flush.
4. Intimate is a shimmery coral, similar to Nars Orgasm, but in my opinion, much more wearable. Because it is so finely milled, the shimmer is more glowy than it is frosty.
5. Rush is a darker rose/coral hybrid with no visible shimmer–this particular tester had taken some abuse and wasn’t yielding the pigment I needed for a proper swatch. I suspect that a fresh one would yield a much deeper tone than you see on my arm.
6. Dimples is a dark plummy berry, suitable for darker skin tones or a more dramatic evening look.
Below: Sunday Riley Blush swatches in natural light

Once I brought my Blushing home, I took some photos so you could see the lovely case and soft sheath within which the blush is contained.

As mentioned before, the blush looks very light and soft in the pan, but it goes on with such a radiance and healthy flush, one can only try it to believe its magic.

I am delighted with these blushes, especially the one I own, and cannot wait to try Intimate for summer.

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Comments (2)

  • Unknown Reply

    Hi Lovely, I know this is an old post but I have been looking at swatches of these blushes as the are now available in Australia and I'm going to by blushing and intimate and just wanted to know if you still love blushing and if you had bought intimate since this review and what you thought of it.
    I really loved Orgasm but it was a bit to shimmering so if intimate is more glowy sounds perfect.
    How does blushing show up on you in summer? It appears that we are very similar in our colouring so if it's good on you I think it should be good for me to.
    I have Nars Deep Throat is there any comparison between the two?
    I look forward to your opinion soon.
    Hope your week is off to a great start.

    Julie xoxo

    September 17, 2013 at 5:23 am
    • The Beauty Professor Reply

      Hello Julie,

      Thanks for the question! I hope your week is off to a brilliant start! I highly recommend Blushing…I've bought 2 compacts of it over the last year or so and love its subtle pink flush…it looks very natural and pretty and works for me year round. I never bought another shade from this formula because I loved Blushing so much that I wasn't compelled to stray (at least within this line!) ; ) In turn, I cannot speak to my personal experience with Intimate, beyond swatching it, but can confirm that it is indeed darker and less shimmery than Orgasm.

      I hope that helps…xoxo, keep me posted and have a wonderful week!

      –The Beauty Professor

      September 17, 2013 at 6:26 am

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