The 10 Best Orange Blushes for Every Skin Tone and Style, Tested

Don't let the color fool you—it's incredibly versatile.

A woman wearing an orange dress and holding a white bag is looking over her shoulder. She is next to 2 bottles of orange blush.
(Image credit: Getty/Sephora)

If there is one beauty product that I’ve sworn by for years, it’s orange blush. When I first got into makeup, the only cheek colors touted as “made for deep skin tones” were typically rich berry hues. While I love a good plum cheek, purple is simply not a color I'd choose regularly. Plus, I really didn’t like that it basically was the only color I was constantly being told was wearable for my skin tone.

​After years of searching (and an aversion to deep purple blushes that is only now being rectified), I stumbled upon Taj Mahal from NARS Cosmetics. It was a blush that the brand claimed was made specifically for Naomi Campbell, and thus, my obsession with orange blushes began.

​“Orange blush adds a natural warmth to the cheek and even has a slight color-correcting effect, which is really nice to balance and brighten the complexion,” celebrity makeup artist Theo Turner tells me. “They also do a great job of adding dimension and shape to your makeup look.”

​I am a sucker for a good orange blush, and of the hundreds that I own, I’m almost certain that at least 40 percent of them are some variation of orange. Speaking of variation, that’s another reason why orange blush is so popular: there’s a shade for everyone. “So many colors fall under the orange umbrella,” Turner says. “Apricots, corals, terracottas; orange, in its many shades, can be very versatile and work on all skin tones, as long as you use the most flattering and appropriate shade for each skin tone,” Turner adds.

​I do consider myself to be an orange blush connoisseur, so of course, there are a myriad of orange blush shades that I can recommend off the top of my head. Still, I’ve curated this list down to only my absolute favorite formulas, so if you’re in your orange blush era, keep reading to see the best ones that I think are worth adding to your makeup collection.

The Best Orange Blushes

Best Orange Blush Overall

Best High Pigment Orange Blush

Best Soft Coral Orange Blush

Best Warm Orange Blush

Best Luminous Orange Blush

Best Cream Orange Blush

Best Cream to Powder Orange Blush

Best Bright Orange Blush

Best Orange Blush Tint

Best Blurring Orange Blush

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Meet the Expert

Theo Turner
Theo Turner

Theo Turner is a celebrity makeup artist, creative director, and content creator.

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Ariel Baker
Beauty Writer

Ariel Baker is the Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. Previously the associate beauty editor at PS and briefly freelance, she has bylines in InStyle, Forbes Vetted, Women's Health, and more.

Since she started out in the non-profit sector, Ariel enjoys looking at beauty from a sociocultural lens, looking to avenues like politics, music, and the arts, to inform her views on the space. That being said, as a true beauty-product obsessive, testing the latest items to hit the market, keeping up with trends, and meeting industry icons, will always be her favorite part of working in the beauty space.

When she's not working, Ariel can be found hanging out with her fiancé and loving on their two cat daughters: Cow and Chicken.