Review: Makeup: Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

While looking back at my product reviews, I realised I had not reviewed what used to be one of my favourite blushes – the Shu Uemura Glow On blush.

Clockwise from left : M Pink 33E, M Amber 83, P Peach 40, P Purple OB5

My lighting is a little off in the picture above. The Amber and Peach shades look much peachier in real life than orange.

Texture wise Shu Uemura Glow Ons are awesome. They are very finely milled and go on very smoothly. There are 2 textures available – M – Matt and P – Pearl (shimmer). What is nice about Shu Uemura is that the shimmer isn’t over the top but is very subtle so you never end up looking like a disco-ball.

In terms of colour, Shu Uemura is par exellance. Color selection is wide and you can literally, find any colour to suit your skin tone. Colours range from red to pink, from orange to peach and every other colour in between. If you have trouble finding a blush colour to suit you, try Shu Uemura.

The colour pigment is also very good. Those with very fair skin have complained that pigment is so good that they have to use a very light hand with Shu Uemura Glow On blushes. I am fair as Asian skintones go, and I find that whilst color pigment is good, it isn’t as strong as say, Nars. So, I never have to fear over doing my blush when using Shu Uemura Glow Ons, as I do with Nars. The staying power is also very good with it lasting all day without fading.

I do have 2 gripes with the product though. One is the packaging. Shu Uemura uses these plastic clear cases that have a nice zen look to them, but fail miserably in terms of the blushes. Most of the clasps don’t work after a while so it ends up very loose. The blushes are made so they can be depotted or removed from the packaging easily (as with all Japanese makeup). There is a hole at the back by the label where you can poke a pin through to remove the pan and then place the pan in a palette. Shu Uemura does sell palettes for this purposes but they are expensive.

My second gripe is that the surface of the blush has a tendency to harden after a spell. I did not notice this initially when I was using it a lot, but after a spell of not using these blushes, I realised that the surface texture was different. A quick brush with an old toothbrush or a hard rub with some tissue paper solves the problem though.

My favourite blush of all I have is M Amber 83. It is a matt amber shade that sounds scary but isn’t. Its like Nars Amour – a very neutral shade that makes me look like I don’t have blush on, but just a nice healthy glow. Very pretty.

Shu Uemura blushes are definitely worth checking out. They used to retail for RM75 (US$23.51) but I’ve stopped going to the Shu Uemura counter now so I’m not sure of the current price. Perhaps a reader could update? :)

Pros: Good colour selection, Pigmented, Long lasting

Cons: Packaging sucks, the surface of the blush hardens over time

[rating:4/5]