Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush - Review

I'm a sucker for cream blushes. I love my Stila Convertible Color and Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges. When I heard that Maybelline was releasing a line of cream blushes, I started stalking my Ulta and Fred Meyer, waiting for them to surface. When I finally found a partially filled display, I selected two colors, Candy Coral, and Rose Petal.

The packaging for these is similar to the Dream Matte Powder - a beigey gold plastic with a clear lid. These appear to be small, but they're about the same pan size as a MAC blush. They're domed, as well. Maybelline says:

Freshest flush ever:
• Revolutionary gel formula provides a new bouncy texture.
• Lightweight like a powder, yet melts seamlessly into skin like a cream
• Natural sheer wash of color that is buildable for greater color intensity
• Dermatologist tested, Allergy tested
• Non comedogenic

The formula is unique. It's a dry feeling cream that dries to a powder finish. You can push down on the product in the pan, and make a dent.

From left: Candy Coral, Rose Petal

Ten colors are available, and the average price I've seen in my area for these blushes is $7.50. I think the color range is pretty good, and includes some unusual choices, like a lavender and red.

Swatching these shows how sheer they are. They are super, super sheer to start with. I'm a light NC 15, and Rose Petal, which appears to be a soft pink is essentially a highlighter, if that. Candy Coral has enough pigmentation that I can build it up a bit. I use a Sonia Kashuk cream blush brush to apply these. I have noticed that Candy Coral oxidizes on me, so I've found it can be easy to over apply them - after a few hours, what was a natural flush becomes that "I'm perpetually embarrassed!" flush. They're not sticky at all, though. Other than the oxidation issue, they wear very well.

Do I like these? I'm sort of meh about them. They're okay. I don't believe I'll replace these when (okay, if) I use them up. But, they're relatively inexpensive, and once you get the hang of how much to apply, they last all day.