Tag Archives: hermes blush on dark skin

Hermes Silky Blush Powder (Iridescent Version)

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I reviewed the first launch of Hermès Blushes (found HERE) when the brand released only matte finishes. Then, during the Summer of 2023, they added three shimmery blushes to the Rose Hermès line. Considering I felt that the matte blushes were equal to, but did not surpass my favorites, I was unwilling to pay full price to try a new one.
All of my blush favorites are under $40, so the refill price of $48 was pushing my limit. I waited months for the refills to be released so that I could add a metal sticker to the bottom and pop it in a magnetic palette, but it took so long that I stopped checking for them by the end of 2023. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon it on the Selfridges website and saw it was finally available!

I have to admit that sometimes my inability to purchase something (sold out, limited edition, early teased product that won’t be released for months, only available in certain countries, etc.) intensifies my feeling of missing out. With enough time, I can reason with myself that I probably won’t love the item enough for it to be worth buying.
That logic didn’t work in this instance, but I am very lucky that the outcome was in my favor! I actually like this blush so much more than I expected and I feel like it’s at least more worth the high price than the matte ones!

Hermès Silky Blush Powder (refill) in 58 Rose Cuivré

The shade that I purchased is the deepest of the three shimmery blush options. The right half of the photo above shows that the base color is medium-dark. When the light hits the shimmer, the blush looks medium peachy-pink instead, depicting how much the shimmer can lighten the overall look of the blush. This is one of the reasons I wasn’t certain if this shade would be too light for me. Shimmery blushes can sometimes look too ashy or like a pure highlighter on me, regardless of how deep the base color is, such as Nars’ Orgasm X.

Upon swatching Rose Cuivré, I discovered that it looks similar to MAC’s blush shade in Pinch Me, which was also similar to the first Hermès Blush I bought called Rose Feu. At least, Pinch Me and Rose Feu looked similar when applied on bare skin. When applied over foundation, Rose Feu darkened and looked slightly more red and less of a deep pink.

One of the things that I’ve come to realize is that Hermès makes the silkiest and softest feeling pressed powder products. Their bronzer is still my number one favorite in my collection. The matte blush was very good, but on par with my other favorites. This iridescent formula though is the silkiest feeling shimmer blush I own. It’s even softer than the Gucci blushes. The particles are so finely milled. There are no large sparkle or glitter particles. Visually, it looks like the MAC Sheertone Blush formula, except so much softer and more refined. I can also use my softest blush brushes, such as my grey squirrel ones that don’t pick up as much product as goat, because it’s still able to grab a decent amount of product and it doesn’t require a dense brush to buff the blush smoothly into my cheeks. Lightly sweeping the product into my cheeks produces a beautifully blended result. It adheres well to my skin and lasts all day.

I skip wearing highlighter when I use this because the glow is easy to see. It gives a pearly effect, but thankfully does not look too silvery for me to wear. It’s right on that cusp of looking slightly cool, but still flattering on my warm undertone complexion. I could possibly still enjoy this blush if I was a few shades darker, but I don’t know if this is deep enough for someone in the deep-dark category or beyond.

The sheen from this is what I imagine it would look like if my beloved Dior Powder No-Powder was made into a blush formula. The textures are not the same, since the Dior powder is much harder pressed in comparison. It just has the slightly blurring quality and is one of the few other products I can think of that gives off a sheen that’s nearly pearly-looking, yet works for my skin tone. Considering the Dior powder has holy grail status with me and is my favorite finishing powder of all time, that’s high praise for the Hermès blush to conjure that image for me.
I figured this product would make a great blush topper, but as one can see in the swatch photo, the luminosity lessens considerably on top of another blush. I think it becomes an issue of too much pigment and not enough of the shimmer in the mixture. If I add more of Rose Cuivré on top, it turns too deep and intense. So, this blush looks better when used on its own.

When it comes to luxury goods, there are a lot more factors to consider than just the performance or quality as to whether it’s “worth the price.” As much as I am enamored by this blush and impressed by the quality because it’s the finest shimmer powder one I own, it’s not the absolute perfect color tone for me. I intend to get a lot of use out of it, just like with the brand’s bronzer, but I still have blush colors that are my favorites from other brands.
It was worth it to me to buy this refill, and I will probably even put this in the Hermès blush compact that currently houses Rose Feu when I get it back from the US. However, I still wouldn’t be able to justify the $84 for this. Good lord, did the price go up since last year? Weren’t they $77? Hermès being the luxury brand that it is, the price could be considered next to nothing for their regular customers. So, it’s all about perspective.

I hope this has been helpful to anyone still curious about this shade. Technically it has been out already for a long time, but at least now the refill option keeps the cost down for those more interested in the product itself. One final note is that this contains fragrance.

That’s all for today! Thank you for giving this review a read!

-Lili ❤

A Little Luxury: My First Hermès Beauty and Dior Backstage Purchases

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I’m as much addicted to getting a good deal as I am to collecting blushes, so when I was able to get Rose Feu (the only shade I wanted from the Rose Hermès line) just ten days after the product launched, and for significantly less money via Mercari, it felt like I had reached the pinnacle of my blush obsession. This is the first, and most likely last, time I will ever exceed my $40 maximum for a single blush. I also know I will likely never get a deal as good as this one on a luxury makeup product again.

This special circumstance of obtaining a product that would normally be out of my reach has made new blush launches less exciting to me. For once, I finally feel like my collection is complete. That being said, I still have a plethora of blushes from my collection (and newer ones I purchased just before this one) that I have not reviewed yet on my blog, so the blush content will continue along with eyeshadows, face palettes, and other makeup I love.

Hermès Rose Hermès Silky Blush Powder in Rose Feu

The powder is soft to the touch and there is very little kickup when I dip my brush into the compact. The amount of blush I pick up with one tap of my brush is all I need per cheek. This blush gives good color payoff without sacrificing how well it blends into the skin, but I cannot confirm if all the other shades within the line are as pigmented.

I have quite an unreasonable amount of blushes, so I was surprised how difficult it was to find a color dupe for Rose Feu. It is described on the Hermès website as a, “purple hibiscus, fiery, intense, illuminated with a hint of carmine.” I see a slight plum tinge when I look directly at the pan, but it is a rosy terracotta hue on my skin. Perhaps the fiery claim comes from that.
I’m glad it’s somewhat unique to my collection because that makes it more special. However, when it comes to the formula and performance, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes and many of the blushes from MAC are just as good as this one. Rose Feu matches, but doesn’t surpass, the quality of my absolute favorites despite the vast price differences.

Rose Feu on the cheeks and in the crease of the eye.

How it looks on bare skin differs from when it’s applied over foundation. While dry, it takes on the rosy-terracotta I mentioned. The closest match I found was MAC’s Pinch Me, which is slightly more coral than Rose Feu. The Nearly Wild blush from the new Sigma Cor-de-Rosa Blush palette is close as well, but slightly too pink. Another somewhat similar shade, but in a shimmer formula, is Water Lily from Oden’s Eye.

Swatches over bare skin with flash off (left) and flash on (right).

As demonstrated in the photo below of the swatches over foundation, the most similar shades I have are CoverFX’s Spiced Cinnamon and MAC’s Burnt Pepper, depending on the light. The more Rose Feu is built up over foundation and blended in, the more red it becomes.

Swatches on top of foundation with flash off (left) and flash on (right).

I think this blush is beautiful and performs well, but you’re paying for the name and aesthetic on this one. I can’t even include the feel of the compact in what you’re paying for, only the design of it because a common complaint among luxury lovers is that the compact is plastic instead of metal, or at least that the component isn’t comparatively as weighty as the Hermès lipsticks. I’m so used to plastic packaging from brands whose blushes I love, such as Nabla, MAC, Lys, and Hourglass, that it felt on par with what I’m used to having. Patrick Ta’s packaging is probably the only blush compact I have that feels more expensive than the one from Hermès. It feels light for a luxury product, but certainly not cheap. I do admit, I would have been very unhappy if I paid full price (plus tax) for this blush because at that price point I expect Pat Mcgrath level of packaging.
As much as I like this blush, I recommend skipping it for those who want it purely for the quality. There are so many brands that charge less money for the same great performance.

According to this Youtuber, the refill pans that Hermès is selling for $48 will not stick in an empty magnetic palette. Naturally, one would think that a great way to have the blush, but save money by not purchasing the packaging, would be to get a refill and pop it in a magnetic palette. A magnetic sticker that can be attached on the back of the pan would be required to get it to work for that purpose.

Dior Backstage Face and Body Powder No-Powder in 4N and 5N

The photo on the left was taken with my camera and shows the more neutral tones to these shades. The photo on the right was taken with my cell phone. The photo below, taken using my camera with flash on, is the most accurate depiction of what the powders look like.

I mentioned my luck with the Hermès blush. Ironically, I had a chance to save money on the Dior Backstage Powder, but I purchased the wrong shade during the Sephora VIB sale and the one I needed wasn’t restocked before the sale ended. I was impatient to get the right color, so I purchased it at full price from the Dior website.

In the initial reviews I saw for this product, the recommendation was to get a shade lighter than your Dior foundation match. This made sense because Dior described this as being a product intended to “warm the complexion,” in addition to setting makeup. To have that “sun-kissed effect” they advertised, the shades would need to run slightly darker. In my particular case, I should not have gone lighter. 4N was nice and did give the promised “luminous matte finish” without looking glittery, or even that shimmery. However, it was a touch too light to use all over my face. It worked great as an under-eye brightener, but I didn’t want a $40 powder I could only use under my eyes. I returned that shade to Sephora and purchased 5N directly from Dior’s website. I was impressed by the presentation when it arrived. The gift bag is cute and I like that Dior gives free samples and offers free shipping.

In terms of what the powder can do, it does set the face without looking powdery. I can pack on multiple layers and it doesn’t ever looked textured, cakey, or dry. I also really like the sheen it leaves on my skin. However, because it still contains micro shimmer, it doesn’t remove shine from the face. It may mattify the oils a little, but areas will still have a sheen, so I’m not sure how much those with oily skin will like this powder. It also doesn’t blur* or extend the wear of my makeup. I don’t consider it a must-have product, but I liked the way it made my skin look, which is why I still wanted to have it in my collection.

*May 18th, 2021 UPDATE: I cannot see a blurring effect when I apply this powder over foundation, which attests to the quality of the foundations I use most often. However, when I applied the Dior powder over my skin on a minimal makeup day when I skipped using foundation, I was able to see the blurring properties. So, I have to amend my statement and say that it does blur, but the results range from minimal to very noticeable depending on what other products are paired with it.

I’ve also seen the recommendations to get a deeper shade to use as an actual bronzer. I’m intrigued by that idea, but considering my difficulty getting a shade for my face, I fear I would have trouble figuring out how dark of a powder I would need to get a product like this to show. Plus, I suspect the outcome would be similar to the effect and performance of my Nabla Skin Bronzing powder in Profile. In fact, my first thought when I tried the Dior powder all over my face was that it’s exactly how I imagine a Nabla Skin Glazing Setting Powder would be like.

This also brings me to the point where I have to give Dior praise for these powders running so deep. It’s not a common thing to see. I just wish they offered more than neutral powders and included some warmer options as well. That being said, in the product photos, some shades look a bit red toned. 5N would have been perfect if it was a little more golden, but I’m happy with the shade match. It’s close enough to my skin tone that you can’t see a difference in photos between when I’m using it and when I don’t have it on. I’m wearing it in the Hermès cheek swatch photo, but the luminous look to my skin is from the Uoma Beauty Foundation, Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, and a Jaclyn Hill highlighter. Although this powder doesn’t break the bank as much as the Hermès blush, I don’t know if I fully recommend it either. It all depends on whether it’s worth $40 to have a nice sheen that will never look powdery, with minimal additional benefits.

Lastly, I try to remember to mention whenever products have fragrance in them. The blush has a floral perfume-like scent and the powder has a soapy perfume-like scent. I can smell them when I first apply them, but it doesn’t linger on the skin.

That’s all for today! Much love!
-Lili ❤