The 10 Best Orange Blushes for Every Skin Tone and Style, Tested
Don't let the color fool you—it's incredibly versatile.
- 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
- Why Trust Marie Claire
- Meet the Expert
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
- The Best Orange Blush Overall: NARS Powder Blush - Taj Mahal
- The Best High Pigment Orange Blush: Tower 28 Beauty Getset Blur + Set Matte Powder Blush - Downtown Daiquiri
- The Best Soft Coral Orange Blush: Gucci Luminous Matte Powder Blush - 04 Bright Coral
- The Best Warm Orange Blush: Hung Vanngo Beauty Very Beautiful Matte Velvet Blush - Possibilities
- The Best Luminous Orange Blush: HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush - Dim Infusion
- The Best Cream Orange Blush: Makeup By Mario Soft Pop Plumping Cream Blush Veil - Papaya Pop
- The Best Cream to Powder Orange Blush: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed - Golden Hour
- The Best Bright Orange Blush: Dolce&Gabbana Cherry Glaze Bar Cream Blush Stick - Cheeky Coral
- The Best Orange Blush Tint: Lancôme Juicy Tubes Cheeks Jelly Long-Wear Blush Tint - 02 Raspberry Jam
- The Best Blurring Orange Blush: Armani Beauty Dolci Blush Smoothing Cream-To-Powder Soft-Matte Balm - Apricot Blush
Best Orange Blush Overall
The color that started my love affair with orange blush is still around all these years later, and it’s just as delicious a shade now as it was when I was back in college. While I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a radiant finish, there are small golden shimmers in the formula that highlight the delicious bronzey tones in deep skin tones that I can’t get enough of.
Best High Pigment Orange Blush
Made in collaboration with influencer Toni Bravo, Tower 28’s Downtown Daiquiri is a vivid coral shade that looks fantastic on any skin tone. Use a light hand when applying, though; this one is the definition of pigmented.
Best Soft Coral Orange Blush
For a softer coral shade, Gucci’s Luminous Matte Powder Blush in the shade Bright Coral is fantastic. It’s more of a buildable formula, which I tend to find is easier for beginners, but it also leans a little more on the pink side of the coral spectrum, so if you’re new to orange blush, this one’s a great option.
Best Warm Orange Blush
The shade Possibilities from Hung Vanngo is nothing short of beautiful. It’s a warmer shade of orange, which I find looks a little more like a toasted blush on me. I’ve realized that shades like these are like a shortcut to looking extremely tanned.
Best Luminous Orange Blush
I love Hourglass Cosmetics and the brand’s blushes are insanely good. The shade Dim Infusion is a gorgeous, subtle coral shade. I prefer to use these formulas as toppers over my other blushes to bring out the complementary tones in each. So I’d go in with a shade like Tower 28’s Downtown Daiquiri, then put this one on top. The result is an ethereal effect that makes me look angelic.
Best Cream Orange Blush
Prefer cream formulas? Makeup by Mario’s Soft Pop Cream Blush in the shade Papaya Pop is a bright, peachy-orange shade that can be sheered out or built up to achieve the color intensity you desire.
Best Cream to Powder Orange Blush
Can’t decide between a cream and a powder? Danessa Myricks Beauty has you covered with its cream-to-powder Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed. The color Golden Hour looks almost like a neon orange on the skin, but once it’s blended, it’s the most gorgeous wash of (matte!) color. Oily-skinned crew, start here.
Best Bright Orange Blush
I love this glowy formula from Dolce & Gabbana. Don’t let the name fool you; the shade Cheeky Coral is a bright orange that blends out to a gorgeous flush on the cheeks. Plus, it retains that dewy glow that makes it feel like you just stepped out of the sun.
Best Orange Blush Tint
If you’re more of a barely-there makeup lover, Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes Cheeks have your name on them. Peach 'N Roses is a bright, warm orange shade that sheers out to a light (but buildable) tint that is perfect to wear on its own or to pair with a lightweight no-makeup makeup look.
Best Blurring Orange Blush
I didn’t have the highest expectations for the blush, but I stand fully corrected: this formula is phenomenal. Not only is the Apricot Blush shade a bright coral, but it's also super blurring, which is great if you have more noticeable pores around the cheek area. It’s like a two-for-one deal if you do your girl math correctly.
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Meet the Expert
Theo Turner is a celebrity makeup artist, creative director, and content creator.
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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.