Rare Beauty Liquid Blush Is Selena Gomez’s Red Carpet Go-To, and Has Over a Million ‘Loves’ On Sephora’s Website

Crafting the perfect red carpet makeup is a tall order. Not only does it have to look good IRL, but it also has to photograph flawlessly and stay put until the end of the night. One product that pros can rely on to check all of those boxes? Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($20), which was the centerpiece of Selena Gomez’s glam at Tuesday night’s Golden Globe Awards.

In the two years since its launch, the blush has gone TikTok viral, garnered over 1.1 million “loves” on Sephora’s website, and is constantly selling out. It’s become one of those iconic products that seems to be everywhere, from your best friend’s makeup bag to—yes—the Golden Globes red carpet, and it’s for good reason.

Rare Soft Pinch Liquid Blush — $20.00

Available in 11 different shades, the above is my favorite, “Happy.”

Why we love Rare Beauty Liquid Blush

For starters, the formula is made in such a way that it’s high-pigmented but buildable. A single drop is enough to impart a pretty kiss of color, but it’s also easy to layer on for a bold, luminous flush that doesn’t look caked on. The consistency is, in a word, “perfect”—it’s not so liquid-y that it sinks unpleasantly into pores, but it’s also not so thick that it’s impossible to blend. It gives you that “freshly pinched” look—without the actual pinching.

Best of all, it’s sold in 11 shades—seven of which tout a luminous finish, while four offer a matte end look—so there’s something for everyone. Though Gomez’s Golden Globes shade, Hope (a nude mauve), is currently sold out, there are plenty of other gorgeous hues to choose from—like Encourage (a soft neutral pink) or Joy (a dewy muted peach).

How to use Rare Beauty Liquid Blush

Because Rare Beauty Liquid Blush is super pigmented, know that a little bit goes a long way, and it may take a little practice to find the line between “just enough” and “way too much.” Thankfully, the foe-foot applicator makes it easy to play it safe with how much product you’re applying. Start with a single dab on your cheekbones (which, honestly, may be enough on its own) and go from there.

If you want to amp up the color a bit, dab a few dots along your cheekbones, starting at the apples and moving up toward your temples (a la blush draping!). Then, borrow a page from Gomez’s book and dab a single, teeny dot on the bridge of your nose and one on each eyelid to create an all-over sun-kissed look. Then, blend, blend, blend. Personally, I like to do this with a damp Beautyblender, as it prevents the product from drying out more quickly than I can get it where I want it to go, and picks up any extra pigment to prevent things from looking too clown-y. Et voila! You, too, will be red-carpet ready.

See the rest of Rare Beauty’s products in action: 

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