Sephora Colorful Cheek Ink Gel Trio
I’ve mentioned before that I have an interest in non-powder blushes. When Sephora released the Colorful Cheek Ink Gels, I made a mental note to give it a shot.
When I received the Sephora Collection Make You Blush! Colorful Cheek Ink Gel trio before Christmas, I was excited to but ultimately had to set it aside for a bit to get through the holidays. Well, the holidays have now passed and I’m finally settling back into my routine.
The Colorful Cheek Ink Gel trio features three of the six available shades in slightly more (0.35 oz) than half as large a the regular (0.67oz), individual Colorful Cheek Ink Gels.
Sephora Colorful Cheek Ink Gel Swatches
First (left) Peony, a light, cool pink. Kind of a baby pink. For me, Peony just doesn’t work. It is cooler on me than the picture lets on It would suit someone with lighter skin in (probably) a different skin tone – but this baby pink hue looks too artificial – too obvious – on me, unless I top it with something else to change its appearance.
Lotus, which looks quite red in the tube, but sheers out to a reddish coral-tone. My favorite of the three once it is sheered out.
And finally Dahlia, a rich, plum hue. I haven’t used this one much yet, but it is a pleasant depart from my coral pinks. All three dry matte.
Because of their gel formulation, the intensity of the color dispensed from the tube is not what you end up with once properly applied and blended. That said, they are buildable – so if you wanted a really intense color, you can work towards it. I think one pass is plenty, personally, but don’t let me tell you how to paint your face.
I apply these with my fingers; I tried my inexpensive stippling brush with the product and that was a firm no. I then tried to apply with a beautyblender. That worked OK, but wasn’t mind blowing. Fingers work best, and then I blend with a beautyblender.
These Colorful Ink Gels do dry fairly quickly, so unlike a cream blush you don’t have as much time to mess around and adjust it. You need to be prepared to work quickly with these, and they do stain somewhat. If you aren’t familiar with a product like this, I’d recommend purchasing one of the lighter shades to start with (there’s a lighter warm coral-pink, it just wasn’t included in the trio I have).
The Bottom Line
Their quick drying makes them a little difficult to work with. They’re fun and novel, but I would not pay full price for them, and will not repurchase UNLESS they are at least half off. I definitely would not repurchase Peony because it is not suitable for my skin tone.