Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Pale Pink

Truth be told, I swore off cream blushes right after college even though I considered them so useful for my perpetual lazygirl makeup routine. It’s because I started to find all the finger-dipping a little gross and I started a love affair with powder blushes. After a couple of years, I guess I’m ready for the creamy again. This time, it’s Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink (PHP 1,550).

In real-life, the blush on the pan is slightly warmer/redder than on this photo

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink

Ingredients

Quick Specs: 0.13 oz / 3.7 g ; made in Canada

Bobbi Brown Pale Pink Pot Rouge on lips and cheeks

I mentioned Bobbi Brown Pale Pink blush before, when I was looking for an everyday-appropriate staple blush and ended up with Nars Deep Throat. Well, I finally went back for Pale Pink, but it didn’t come in powder form as I expected. While I was at the counter testing out the powder version, I also asked to try the Sandwash Pink lipstick. The makeup artist suggested the Pale Pink lipstick as a better fit, but applied Sandwash Pink on me anyway. He was right, because Pale Pink’s brighter pastel pink made my lips pop with a bit of color versus Sandwash Pink that looked a little too nude and washed my complexion out. I didn’t want to buy two pieces in the same color, so I sampled pot rouge despite my current lukewarm attitude towards cream blushes and decided to purchase that instead.

Another occasion, when I took the photo at the end of the evening

Pros:

• New and improved packaging. I remember seeing my cousin with the old screw-top plastic jar packaging over two years ago. I didn’t even know much about Bobbi Brown back then. In fact, some BB counters still use the screw-cap jar for pot rouge testers. So glad that the current snap lid packaging comes with a mirror and generally looks sleeker.
• A convenient dual-purpose lip-and-cheek color like this easily becomes a beauty bag staple, because it’s excellent for a quick lipstick alternative and a mid-afternoon blush boost.
• What puts this high-end cream blush a step above the others I’ve tried is how easy it is for me to blend the color on the apples of my cheeks. Part of the reason I was put off cream blushes in the first place was the pulling of skin I always experienced because the formulas I’ve tried from before had  a tendency to be too thick in addition to having poor pigmentation. With Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge, the lightest pressure on the skin is enough to spread out the color. That’s the right consistency to have for cream blush.
• Not a cream-to-powder blush but a regular cream blush, thus making it ideal for dry skin types.
• Because it is intended for use on both lips and cheeks, the color has to show up either way. A few dabs here and there already has sufficient pigmentation to make those two features pop.
• It has a very light lipstick scent that isn’t bothersome.
• Pale pink is a lovely color for my equally pale skin that registers as a pastel pink glow on the cheeks. On the lips, it literally looks pale pink, so a boldly colored/lined eye would pair nicely.

Neutral:

• In my opinion, the cream doesn’t fully absorb. The color tends to sit on top of the skin. It gradually fades at the end of the day, but still looks perfectly natural. If you have a lot of makeup on, a touch-up may be necessary as the fading may make skin look washed out. On the other hand, if you are the type who’s into natural-looking makeup, you’ll appreciate that gentle fade that lends to your cheek’s natural flush. Personally, I prefer it to stay put the entire day. I don’t want to do that trick where I have to layer it on thicker in the morning, so that it evens out sometime in the afternoon. That said, longevity leans to the Cons side for me.

Cons:

• Lip balm required. The formula does nothing for dry lips, so start with a well-moisturized mouth.
• Price can be a little up there. Bobbi Brown hardly ever goes on sale in the Philippines. 😦

Verdict: I love the color and spreadability, but the lasting power could be improved a teeny-weeny bit. Gorgeous for everyday use, though. It goes with most of my makeup. Shoutout to the BB makeup artist for giving an excellent recommendation.