Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market’s most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.
The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors’ honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we’ll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors quite literally can’t shut up about. This time around, I’m highlighting the Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush ($40).
As I’m someone with skin that will rarely be described as “sun-kissed,” blush is the main makeup product I will never go without. When I’m not wearing it, I look as exhausted as I usually am. Over the years, I’ve transitioned to primarily cream blushes, as I find that they look the most natural on my skin. But after catching wind of Dior’s cult-favorite powder blush, I had to see what all of the hype was about myself. Videos about the blush have racked up millions of views on TikTok (it’s great for the platform’s “cold-girl” makeup trend), and the pink shade is a go-to of Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner. I needed no further convincing.
I’ve always been intrigued by color-adjusting products, and Dior is the creator of one of my favorite ones, the Lip Glow Lip Balm. So I was confident the brand knew what it was doing with this color-adjusting blush. It uses Color Reviver technology to work with the moisture levels in your skin, adjusting to a custom natural, rosy glow after a few moments.
The blush comes in just two shades: the original Pink and the newer Coral edition. Truth be told, the shades are so versatile that you only really need two, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a pinky nude in the future. I found both shades to be stunning, but I was a bit surprised to find that Coral was my favorite of the two. I suppose I already have a fair amount of pink in my skin tone, so it’s easy to go overboard with pink blush for me. For this reason, I used a very light touch with the Pink shade but was able to build the Coral shade a bit more.
In addition to my cheeks, I brushed the blush onto the bridge of my nose and the other high-touch points on my face. As I mentioned before, a light touch really is key with this product so that you can build it depending on how much of a rosy glow you desire. On my skin, the color popped after just a couple of light brushes, and the glow lasted throughout the day, which is usually 12 to 14 hours of wear for me.
Upon application, the blush made me look instantly awake and like I’d just returned from a brisk run. I’ve received several compliments on my makeup since I started wearing it, and the silky, blendable powder doesn’t make me miss cream blush in the least. In fact, I find that it lasts much longer than creams.
What sets it apart from other blushes: “What I love about those blushes is how subtle they look. They give a natural rosy cheek with a nice glow without being too sparkly, and they are buildable if you want to have more of a statement blush.” — Sabrina Bedrani
Application tips: “I suggest using a big, fluffy brush. I like the Dior Backstage Blush Brush N°16 ($45). I apply a light coat at first and add as needed. I usually start in the apple of the cheek and brush it up toward the temple, and with whatever is left on the brush, I like to dust the bridge of the noise to give a nice sun-kissed look.” — Bedrani
Which shade to try: “I have found that these two blushes, Pink and Coral, actually look good on everyone no matter the skin tone, but I have to say I particularly like using the Coral one on olive or darker skin tones.” — Bedrani
Next up: The Chanel Mascara That Never Fails to Cause a Commotion