Just when you thought the 'self-adjusting' make-up trend was well on its way out, another company comes out with a
Universal Blush* ($27.95 for 4g/ 0.14 oz) this time around. You know, I've never much bought into these claims nor have that Unique Selling Point seemed very attractive to me personally, but I could see the appeal if you were just starting your make-up adventure and wanted some products to take the shade guesswork out of the equation. However, being a make-up veteran, I don't need or want that, and generally don't think these products actually have any magical self-adjusting properties at all.
So there's that. But let's forget about the whole universal thing for now and review this So Susan blush like any other powder blush, wild claims or no wild claims. I actually wasn't even aware or the So Susan brand before receiving this blush as part of November GlossyBox. From their website, it turns out that it's a company dedicated to manufacturing make-up products with skincare benefits: they offer serum-based foundations (in two shades?!), pore-minimizing blushes, plumping lip tints and more.
I don't see any particular skincare ingredients in the Universal Blush ingredients list apart from maybe kaolin (clay) and Brazilian buriti oil, but many powder products are formulated with some sort of moisturizing/ binding ingredient, most commonly glycerin. I guess it's nice to have a natural oil in the formula instead, but it doesn't make a huge difference to me personally.
In the pan, the shade looks like a rather shimmery muted warm rose, but as you can see in the arm swatches, it appears a lot more pinky peach on the skin than my usual browny rose selection. It is also very shimmery, almost pearlescent in the heavy swatch, but some of the shimmer can be softened when buffing onto the cheeks. Still not a great choice if you prefer matte and satin finishes, but not a discoball territory.
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| Clockwise: NARS Blush in Douceur, So Susan Universal Blush, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled, Stila Convertible Color in Lillium |
The texture of the So Susan Universal Blush is soft, smooth and a bit powdery, and the pigmentation is very good, so I'd recommend caution when applying. I feel that on my cool-toned skin, it leans quite a bit more pink than what I expected just from looking at the pan. It wears well all day, although I have to admit I'm quite scared to wear it more often because I feel that the profusion of shimmer accentuates all the usual lumps, bumps and texture imperfections on my cheeks.
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| L-R: So Susan Universal Blush, Tarte Dazzled, Stila Lillium, NARS Douceur |
Would I buy the So Susan Universal Blush if it wasn't included in a Glossybox? Highly unlikely. It's very average, decent but average, to begin with, and the nearly $30 price tag for a blush from brand I'd never heard about before probably wouldn't make me more inclined to try it out. I also feel that the packaging, while functional, isn't exactly in line with the price - looking at the compact I was expecting this product to be more along the 10-15 dollars price range.
Well, I'm sorry for this rather unethusiastic review. Maybe it's silly to be feeling so blah about this perfectly nice blush, like I always need to feel a thrill from using my make-up products, lol. But I do! I kinda have a feeling this Universal Blush will end up in the giveaway pile - I'll give it a couple more tries, but if I still can't get myself more interested in using this product, it will have to go away.
Do you also sometimes feel so wishy-washy over certain make-up products?*Disclaimer: The So Susan Universal Blush was part of a complimentary Glossybox I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!
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