Ask model Emily DiDonato if there’s such a thing as too much blush and she’ll emphatically say never. The 34-year-old’s Instagram is filled with posts and reels where blush is the star of the show (complete with captions like, “Never not applying blush”), and they always come with a product recommendation, or, lucky for us, several.
In the last few weeks the “self confessed blush expert” has raved about a particular one on at least two occasions: ULTA Beauty Collection’s Too Cheeky Lip & Cheek Color Stick in shade Debut ($12), which she calls “the best drugstore dupe” for the Rhode Pocket Blush in “Toasted Teddy” ($25).
The former is described as a “cool cocoa,” the latter a “bronze terracotta,” but in a quick side-by-side comparison, we can’t say these two hues don’t look exactly the same. According to DiDonato, both are brown-based, deeper-toned shades that mimic the coveted true-to-life flush; she also wears “Debut” on the lips, eyelids and upper forehead for a true monochromatic makeup look.
Also making the list of DiDonato’s “all time favorite blushes” are Jones Road Beauty Lip and Cheek Stick in Royal Plum and Chocolate Mocha ($36 each), Merit Beauty Flush Balm in Fox ($30), Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush Powder in Fire Moon ($32) and Benefit Cosmetics Benetint ($28).
