Blush is one of my favorite beauty products. Whether it’s a velvety pressed powder, a buttery cream, or a rom-com-worthy stick, I own it, love it, and use it. Lately, though, I’ve been reaching for a different type of blush more often than not. I’m talking about watercolor blush, or water-splashed blush. This is dreamy, serum-like blush that deposits a soft, blooming wash of color on the skin—almost like a Claude Monet masterpiece come to life.
These modern formulas are everywhere right now, with major brands like Victoria Beckham Beauty, Refy, and Chanel hopping onto the trend. Ahead, learn everything you need to know about these products, including how to apply them for a professional, painterly effect, according to two top makeup artists.
What is water-splashed blush?
Before I wax poetic about the best water-splashed blushes, let me press pause for a second because I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t it just liquid blush? Is this another case of clever internet coining? Surprisingly, no. Take it from high-fashion makeup artist Joseph Carrillo. “The real difference is texture. Water blushes are thinner, more fluid, and more translucent than traditional liquid blushes. They almost behave like a serum, so you add color without adding much weight or visible texture to the face,” he says.
Carrillo says this product category isn’t completely new; it’s just trending right now. He uses Benefit Cosmetics’ Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain ($28) as an example. As he puts it, it’s “an oldie but a baddie” that has been creating a watercolor effect for decades. (As someone who’s been a beauty editor for the better part of a decade, I can confirm.) “What feels new is how sophisticated the formulas have become,” he adds. He credits that sophistication to K-beauty brands, which have been “ahead of the curve with these skincare-meets-makeup textures for a long time.” It might have taken us a while to catch up Stateside, but watercolor blush is officially saturating the market, featuring elegant formulas and delivering ethereal color.
I’m not the only one who turns to artistic references to explain the effect of water-splashed blush. Celebrity makeup artist Lila Childs does too. “They give you that sort of wind-burnt effect, like you just went for a winter walk—a little rococo-esque,” she says. “It should leave a natural skin finish, like how your skin looks when you wash your face and pat it dry before you put any product on it—taut and raw. You should be able to see the real skin underneath the blush.”
Carrillo agrees. “I think of it like watercolor on paper,” he says. “You can keep adding washes of color, but you never lose what’s underneath. That’s what a great water blush does on the face. You’re building the flush without covering the skin. There’s something very Renaissance about the result too. You see those pinks, reds, and warmth coming through the complexion, but you don’t see where the blush starts and stops. The color feels like it belongs to the face. For years, we relied so heavily on muddy contour to create structure. Color can do that too. Blush can lift, sculpt, soften, or completely change the mood of a face depending on where you put it.”
How to Apply Water-Splashed Blush
“I think there are some true watercolor-like blush formulas,” Childs says, “but it comes down to application and technique to achieve the actual look.” She recommends applying the product to the back of the hand and working it into the bristles of a brush. “This step is key if you are working with an extremely liquidy formula,” she says. “I love the Rephr Brush 38 ($38) for this because it replicates that painterly effect. Once the product is evenly distributed into the brush, apply it by lightly tapping to brush on the apples of the cheek. With very light pressure, swipe the excess product in a wide motion across the face, hitting the bridge of the nose and cheekbones.”
Check out Childs’s watercolor-blush makeup tutorial.
Carrillo says you can use your fingers too. “Fingers are great when you want the color to melt into the complexion (that’s what I do), while a brush gives you more control,” he says. “I also like to work one cheek at a time because some formulas can set pretty quickly.”
He recommends starting with less than you think you need and building it up from there. “Because these formulas are so fluid, the color can really bloom as you work it into the skin,” he explains, emphasizing that placement is paramount. “Higher and farther back can give you lift and structure. Bringing the color toward the center gives you that softer, naturally flushed cheek.” The same blush, he says, can create a completely different look.
“Anyone can wear these textures. They’re especially beautiful on bare skin, over a skin tint, or over foundation when you don’t want to keep piling on more texture. On deeper complexions, I make sure there’s enough pigment and depth so that sheer still means visible,” he adds.
The 11 Best Water-Splashed Blushes
Victoria Beckham Beauty Colour Wash Blush Water Tint
Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Colour Wash Blush was inspired by watercolor. As such, it soaks into the skin, delivering diffused color that looks like it’s “naturally rising from within.” Both Childs and Carrillo recommend it; the former calls it a true watercolor blush, and the latter calls it a favorite formula. The best part? It lasts for an exceptionally long time, thanks to a stain-like finish. “You get that sheer watercolor quality but with enough playtime to move the color and manipulate your placement before it sets,” Carrillo says.
Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush
Childs and Carrillo also both recommend this Chanel pick, which brings new meaning to water splashed with its unique formula. “It’s 75% water with pigment suspended in micro-droplets, so you really see how the formula changes the way the color looks and feels on the complexion,” Carrillo says. Expect an ultra-hydrating, featherlight texture and a museum-worthy finish.
Refy Water Blush Liquid Cushion
Childs also names Refy’s new Korean-inspired cushion blush as one of her favorite water-splashed formulas. “Because they’re so sheer and primarily water-based, they self-set on the skin quite well and last longer,” she says. “The liquid in the formula will evaporate once exposed to oxygen as opposed to a more balmy cream blush, which takes longer to dry down due to emulsifiers.” Translation? It delivers a dewy yet budge-proof glow.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush
Carrillo also recommends a Who What Wear favorite—Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush. It delivers juicy, glass skin color, and we love it so much we crowned it with a coveted Who What Wear 100 Beauty Award. He says it’s a great example of where this category is going: “Technically, they call it a tinted cheek serum rather than a blush, which I think actually speaks to the evolution of these textures. I’ve worked with the formula before, and it gives you that translucent wash of color while still feeling very skin-focused.”
Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Liquid Lip & Cheek Stain
I can’t forget the iconic Benetint. Per Carrillo, the best-selling product gave watercolor long before it was trending online. A few drops deliver highly pigmented, water-resistant, and nondrying color to cheeks and lips.
A’pieu Juicy Pang Water Blush
This Korean blush is infused with rose water for a hydrating, skin-softening bloom of color. It’s easy to work with, in that it provides some playtime before it sets into a long-lasting stain.
Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush
Hourglass’s Unreal Liquid Blush fits the water-splashed bill. The serum-like formula visibly plumps the skin with hyaluronic acid and upcycled white lupin–seed extract. Pair that with its “unreal,” buildable color, and you have a complexion worthy of a Renaissance painting.
Wonderskin Wonder Blading All-Day Blush Stain
Wonderskin is perhaps best known for its Wonder Blading All-Day Lip Stain ($22), a truly budge-proof lip product. This blush has a similar stay-put formula. It’s fade-proof, transfer-proof, and offers high-definition color. No wonder the brand calls it semipermanent.
Nars Insatiable Longwearing Liquid Blush
There’s no need for a highlighter if you’re using Nars’s Insatiable Longwearing Liquid Blush. The peptide- and ceramide-packed formula delivers a dewy, glassy glow with impressive 16-hour staying power.
Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain
This bouncy blush basically splashes the skin with moisture, and it’s all thanks to a hydrating formula that contains vegan collagen, aloe, and seawater. It’s so lightweight you’ll forget you’re wearing blush at all, and the cooling jelly-textured formula can be used on the lips too.
E.l.f. Cosmetics Sheer for It Blush Tint
When it comes to the drugstore, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Sheer for It Blush Tint is my editor-approved pick. It has all the hallmarks of a watercolor blush. A hydrating, watery texture? Check. A long-lasting, transfer-resistant stain? Yes. Blendable and buildable formula? Why, of course. With nine stunning shades, you really can’t go wrong.
