As the days get darker we have to adjust to changing our color palette. Trading in your brightly-colored clothes for black, blue, and gray as we suit up with cardigans, pants, and sweaters is common nowadays. Along with that, we have to bid a little goodbye to our bronzers. A tanned and sunkissed look will just look fake and won’t go well on dry skin that often haunts us during the colder months.

As you are doing that, sporting a pop of color on your face in the middle of the rain and gloom will perk your look up. Also, a nice blush will keep you from looking pale towards the end of the day. Actress Katie Holmes likes to keep one in her bag: “I always keep powder blush in my purse. That’s my little trick because, sometimes, you never know what the day is going to bring, and blush can really wake you up and make you look presentable.”

A good blush product, especially a cream one or stain, also doubles as a lip product if that’s the feature you want to highlight. A word on cream blushes: According to Tom Pecheux, when applying cream products, especially on top of foundation, it’s best to use a synthetic brush for easy blending. Stains can be dotted and spread with your fingers.

With that, here is a list of blushes and stains fit for the job:

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge

Pros: Easy to apply and can be used for lips and cheeks. It’s also buildable if you want to go for a subtle color or for a more intense look. It comes in 10 shades to suit every occasion.
Cons: Fades after a few hours.

Bobbi Brown. Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source. For more information, visit their website.

Make Up For Ever High Definition Blush

Pros: This cream blush is highly pigmented. A dab on the cheeks will give them color that will actually stay put. Plus, it comes in 16 shades so there’s a color to suit everyone.
Cons: The cream compact can get a little messy. You might also find it more difficult to control the amount of product you need.

Make Up Forever. Available at SM Megamall, Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, and Mall of Asia. For more information, visit their website.

Benefit Fine-One-One 

Pros: This unique stick blush sports three colors—light pink for highlighting, a mid-tone watermelon pink for a rosy tint, and a coral shade to add dimension to your face. The color is pretty sheer. It’s perfect for people who would rather build than dab in one go.
Cons: This only comes in one coral palette, which might either look too orange on very fair skin tones or hardly visible on darker skin tones.

Benefit. Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source,Greenbelt 5, Trinoma, and Mall of Asia. For more information, visit their website. 

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Pros: The powder is silky smooth, the color looks natural, and the shimmer is just enough to lighten the skin.
Cons: For those sensitive to smells, the blush comes with a fragrance. The brush that comes with it also tends to shed easily.

Chanel. Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source, Glorietta 3. For more information, visit their website. 

Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush

Pros: The different palettes give off a nice glow. Iced Lotus gives that goddess-like radiance to fair skin tones, while Aglow is sheer enough to be that blush-bronzer mix. The product also lasts a really long time.
Cons: When applied, the product looks sheer—a turn-off for those who want highly pigmented blushes.

Clinique. Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source,Glorietta 3. For more information, visit their website.

Nars Orgasm Blush

Pros: A cult classic. Its pink-peach shade suits all skin tones for an everyday healthy look.
Cons: Although the shimmer in this product is pretty fine, you can see them up close. This might not look nice on skin with large pores.

Nars. Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source, Glorietta 3. For more information, visit their website.

The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain

Pros: This is probably the easiest to apply. The watery liquid blends seamlessly with skin as the color is so sheer and natural-looking. It works well on its own to give you that post-gym look: healthy and natural sans the sweat.
Cons: It wears off easily, so you might have to reapply every now and then. Also, this works better on bare skin and is only available in one universal shade.

The Body Shop. Available at Greenbelt 3, and Mall of Asia. For more information, visit their website. 

Laura Mercier Lip Stain

Pros: A lip product that works on the cheeks, too. Shy Pink is a dusky pink color that enhances the color of your lips without looking fake. Apply it on the cheeks to look equally radiant.
Cons: Its pot packaging. You might find it unhygienic to dip your fingers inside. The formulation is also a bit hard and dry, so depending on your lip situation, you might need lip balm on hand.

Laura Mercier. Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source, Greenbelt 3. For more information, visit their website. 

L’Oreal True Match Blush

Pros: It promises to adapt to the tones and undertones of your skin, rendering a natural flush. No more worries about having big red dots on your face.
Cons: It’s pretty sheer, and the texture might not be as smooth as other blushes.

L’Oreal. Available at SM Makati and PCX, Greenbelt 3. For more information, visit their website. 

Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Lip & Cheek Mousse

Pros: A cross between a cream blush and a stain, the texture makes this product easily blendable and versatile to use. You can apply with your fingers, but it’s easier to blend with a synthetic brush. Also, the nice thing about Happy Skin is no matter how bright a shade may look in the tube, once you blend the product, it looks healthy and natural.

Cons: The lasting power. It’s not for people who get annoyed with retouching during the day. Also, it only comes in three shades.

Happy Skin. Available at Beauty Bar. For more information, visit their website. 

Art by Dorothy Guya