Review: Yves Rocher Watercolor effect blush

A few weeks ago Yves Rocher was 25% cash back on Ebates (it's now 9%) and was also having a clearance sale and on top of that, a discount, so even though it's not really talked about in the blogosphere, I decided to give a shot. Yves Rocher is a french brand but their website ships to most countries and they offer free shipping with a $35 or more purchase which tends to be unusual for international sites. Anyway, my last run-in with Yves Rocher was several years ago when I ordered their Vanilla Bourbon perfume (which looks to be discontinued), which is a cheap favorite among vanilla perfume enthusiasts. I had never tried their makeup but at 50% or more off with all the promotions, I figured it was worth a shot.

Since I'm apparently obsessed with cream or gel blushes these days, when I found the Watercolor Effects blush on the Yves Rocher website, I added it to my basket.

The tube is really tiny. I honestly didn't take the website seriously when it said "Its irresistible mini format!" - it truly is small, only holding .23floz - but considering the $5 price tag, it isn't what you would call expensive.

The color I bought is Light Poppy which is an orangey red that winds up more of a coral when you rub it into the skin. The texture is very liquidy and with the rounded lip gloss like tip delivery system, has a tendency of spurting out a bit more than you would need for 1 application. I feel this is a pretty goof proof gel blush though. Because it is watery, it takes awhile to set on the skin (though it does eventually set after a few seconds so I would advise against applying to each cheek before blending - blend upon application) and also goes on rather sheer for the first application but can be built up. It blends into the skin pretty easily and creates a nice glow of color.

This particular swatch looks a bit more orange than it looks in natural lighting. It does have a hint of red to it which makes it a very wearable shade.

The above swatch rubbed in. Notice that where the majority of the product was placed has the outline but the rest is fairly even.

I'm pretty impressed with this miniature blush. My only concern is how quickly it will be used up (which I guess isn't so bad for someone like myself with plenty of makeup to finish) as the tube feels a bit empty now having used the product only 3 times however it did survive through my grocery trip today outside in the heat so no immediate concerns of needing to reapply throughout the day (and even if you do the packaging makes it very portable).

The Yves Rocher site says there is another color of this formulation but it doesn't appear to be available for sale yet. I think this color would suit most skin tones, barring the most dark ones. It's very subtle yet gives a nice glow to my NW10 (or thereabouts) cheeks.

Disclosure: This site includes a referral link (Ebates).