Let's hear it for multitasking. To borrow a phrase from Diana Vreeland, could you imagine a world without brunch? Camera phones? Swiss Army knives? Mittens-cum-fingerless gloves? Would you even want to live in it? Same here.
We share a similar two-in-one affection for lipstick-as-blush, which seems to be the face-enlivener of choice among many of our Top Shelf-ers. Space-economizing and never clashing, lip-to-cheek and cheek-to-lip products are among the creamiest, most-buildable, and longest-lasting beauty investments we’ve encountered. And we're not alone—here are some of our pals' picks:
Becca Beach Tint in Guava : Liv Tyler prefers this highly pigmented cream peach for a waterproof, powder-smooth finish on her lips and cheeks when it’s the only makeup she’s wearing.
Benefit Benetint : Izzie Burch, Emerald Carroll, and self-proclaimed “blush fanatic” Jenna Goldsmith all carry the rose-tinted (and -scented) stain on them for an everyday lip and cheek color that really soaks in. Goldsmith likes it best when layered under Guerlain Terracotta.
Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips & Cheeks in Powder Pink : Styleby’s Elin Kling likes “how fresh” Brown’s thin, moisturizing tan cream looks on her when she’s “in a party mood” because, as she puts it, “it’s not telling.”
Chanel Rouge Allure in La Sensuelle and Pirate: For a night out, CW werewolf-beauty Phoebe Tonkin likes to dab Chanel’s “wine-red” and “blue-red” (respectively) opaque colors on her lips with her fingers as a tint, and then on her cheeks to look “fresh, clean, and well-rested.”
Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss : Makeup aritst and cream-blush devotee Violette used this sheen-inducing, gel-based lipstick on Emily in Cannes, because she says, “it catches the light, so it will look like you have no shadows, like you slept for 20 hours,” but yet “doesn't hide the skin,”
Estée Lauder Cheek Gel in X-Pose Rose : Cupcakes and Cashmere blogger Emily Schuman uses Lauder’s rose gel for a hint of stain on her cheeks, but says “I love it even more on my lips… it lasts for hours.”
Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Magic Lip & Cheek Balm : For a shiny, “non-sticky' “magic mouth glow,” Alessandra reaches for this “healthy pink tinge,” that she swears looks good on “pretty much every soul with two lips and a desire for them to be pink and glossy.”
Lipstick Queen Oxymoron Matte Gloss in Minor Crisis : Elizabeth keeps this thick, matte blush for her lips and cheeks on reserve for winter, for a “natural-looking flush” that’s pretty, not “feverish.”
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in #9 : Blurred Lines muse Emily Ratajkowski showed us how she applies just a “tiny little bit” of this hydrating tawny-berry pigment to her mouth and face, because, as she says, “it works better than powder blush.”
MAC Mineralize Rich in Glamour Era : Diane Kendal kept things “very light” and “cool” at Proenza Schouler’s Spring 2013 show, rubbing Glamour Era into the models’ cheeks “because it’s quite sheer, has just a hint of color, and still has that sheen to it.”
Nars Sheer Lipstick in Vendanges : Town & Country fashion editor Sophie Pera replicates the look of having “drunk a little bit of wine” with a wash of this reddish-brown lipstick, or, if she “looks a little pale,” employs it as a moisturizing, rosy bronzer.
Nivea Lip Balm in A Kiss of Strawberry: Bianca Dueñas “obsessively' wears this “fruity, shiny, amazing' barely-there lip balm on her lips, cheeks, and occasionally her eyelids because “it looks a little dewy and natural' and “good everywhere,”
RMS Beauty Lip Shine in Sacred : The certified-organic shea butter, coconut oil, and mineral pigment is just as good at hydrating lips as it is at enlivening your cheeks with its sheer pink flush. Oh, and Miranda Kerr says “it’s really good.” So there’s that…
