Reviewed: Our Thoughts On The NEW Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush

How Many Shades Does Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush Come In?

Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush currently comes in six dreamy shades. If you already have a go-to shade of the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, you’ll be pleased to learn that the shades are the same. For example, Hope is the same soft nude in powder form, while Joy is a peachy hue. Truth and Love are great shades for darker skin tones, while paler skin might prefer Cheer and Happy.

Check out our swatches below, starting from left to right: Joy, Love, Cheer, Truth, Hope and Happy.

Meg’s Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush review

• Skin tone: Fair

• The product: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, € 29,00 in Happy

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I love this powder blush – from the delicate texture to the slight shimmer, it’s a dream to use. I used the Rare Beauty Always An Optimist Loose Powder Brush, € 32,00 and applied the formula to the apples of my cheeks. It blended in easily and I love that you can layer it up for a bolder look if you want.

Every time I wore this blush someone would comment on how nice and fresh it looked – even at 4pm! I was really impressed by how long-lasting it was and the colour pay-off.

I’ve used Selena Gomez’s liquid blush in the past and I feel like these are very different. They differ in both texture and finish, but impressively both formulas feel super light and natural. I’m definitely team powder now!

Yasmin’s Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush review

• Skin tone: Medium with yellow undertones

• The product: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, € 29,00 in Joy

Selena Gomez has done it again – I love everything about this blusher, from the formula to the chic packaging. The blush is so pretty with the slightest shimmer, which meant I could forgo highlighter. Texture-wise it’s really smooth and glides on. Like Rare Beauty’s other blushers, the Soft Pinch Luminous Powder is very pigmented, so you really don’t need very much. I went in too hard on my first go, so my advice is to have a light hand and layer.

I applied it with a fluffy blush brush and started on the apples of my cheeks and swept upwards towards my temples. I love the colour of Joy, it’s a punchy coral shade that left me looking sunkissed – I use the same shade in Selena Gomez’s liquid blush. The glow is gorgeous and leaves your skin looking really healthy and alive.

It lasted all day on my skin, which is combination, and I didn’t feel the need to top-up, but I would say the colour had softened. If I could only use this or the liquid blush again, I’d opt for the powder because I found it easier to blend out. Plus, if you apply too much, you can get back on track with your foundation brush.

Vanessa’s Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush review

• Skin tone: Medium with neutral undertones

• The product: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, € 29,00 in Truth

Much like Rare’s liquid blush, a little goes a long way with the Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush – the colour payoff is impressive! I had to be careful about overapplying as it’s super pigmented. The texture is lovely and similar to the Rare Beauty Silky Touch Highlighter as it’s very finely milled.

Truth is one of my favourite shades within the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush range, so I was intrigued to see what it’s like in powder form – it didn’t disappoint. It’s worth noting that the powder blusher has a very shimmery finish, which I think might be a bit much for some people.

I used my go-to blush brush to apply the formula and I found it quite difficult to blend – I felt like it settled on the apples of my cheeks very quickly. To countereffect this I made a point of putting as little product on my blush as possible.

Finding makeup that will last throughout the day on my oily complexion can be a challenge, and from a pigment perspective I was impressed at how well the colour lasted throughout the day. However, I did find it emphasised and settled on my pores on a few occasions. I imagine this could be solved easily enough if I experimented with different primers and foundations.

I don’t think the powder blush has conquered my heart the way the liquid blush has – the main issue being that the powder blush can emphasise my skin texture. I did use Rare Beauty’s liquid and powder blushes together and they worked well, but the finish was very punchy. I think I’ll probably stick to the liquid blusher on a day-to-day basis.

Hanitra’s Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush review

• Skin tone: Medium

• The product: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, € 29,00 in Love

When I first opened the blush, I was mesmerised by the texture and the finish, it very much reminded me of the Rare Beauty Silky Touch Highlighter. It didn’t look like your ordinary powder blush, there was something “softer” about the finish. When I first applied it, the texture felt really smooth and very easy to blend. The subtle satin finish looked quite natural too.

I applied the Rare Beauty blush on my cheeks and a little bit on my nose as well, using my Space NK powder brush. As someone who likes a strong blush look, I was not disappointed by how pigmented this blusher was and I like that I didn’t need to double dip to get the finish I wanted. Just like the liquid version, a little bit goes a long way.

Although I noticed it faded towards the end of the day, I could still very much see the blusher when I got home. On another day, I used the liquid version underneath and the colour payoff was still there at the end of the day. If you want something that’s going to last you from dusk ‘til dawn, give this combo a try!

Having used the powder a few times now, I will definitely keep using it and already have my eye on a couple of other shades. The liquid blush sets very quickly, so I really like having a bit more control with the powder blush. I would recommend this to anyone who loves the feel of the Silky Touch Highlighter and are looking for the same colour pay-off as Rare Beauty’s liquid blush.

Kirsten’s Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush review

• Skin tone: Neutral

• The product: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, € 29,00 in Hope

Like a lot of people, Rare Beauty’s liquid blush is an all-time favourite of mine, however my allegiances may have changed since trying Selena Gomez’s powder blush. What I love about the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush is that it’s more buildable. While it is highly pigmented, you can be strategic about how much you apply compared to the liquid formula.

I used a fluffy blush to apply the powder blush to my cheekbones and loved the highlighting effect. While I only needed a small amount for my daytime look, you can layer Rare Beauty’s powder blush up for a glam evening look and a more noticeable shimmer.

I chose to review Hope, a soft pinky hue, which is the shade I use in the liquid blush. It works really well on my skin tone and I can definitely see myself using this powder blush across my eyes for a gorgeous shimmery shadow this summer. I also want to add that the formula latest really well on my skin. Usually, I find powder blushers disappear by lunchtime, but this one saw me through until home time.

Our Verdict On Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush

With overwhelmingly positive reviews, it’s safe to say that the Space NK team are fans of Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, € 29,00. It’s lightweight, highly pigmented and long-lasting, and comes in six gorgeous shades, so for us it ticks all the boxes for a powder blush. While it works on all skin types and tones, if you’re someone who prefers more of a matte finish this might not be the best blusher for you. “I’m all for glow, shimmer and dewiness, but even by my standards I found this blush very, very shimmery,” says Vanessa.

What's the difference between the Rare Beauty blushes?

How does Rare Beauty powder blusher compare to the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush? “I would say the main difference between the two is the finish, the powder version has a much more satin finish than the liquid one, even the dewy versions,” says Hanitra. “It’s like Rare Beauty combined its dewy finish liquid blush and the Silky Touch Highlighter to create the Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush.”

And, what is the difference between the Rare Beauty powder blush compare and the Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush, € 25,00? Aside from the obvious texture difference, Selena Gomez's powder blusher offers a more illuminated effect, while the Rare Beauty cream blush has a subtler dewy finish. When it comes to which blush is better, it's a matter of personal preference in terms of both the texture and the finish. All three formulas are highly pigmented and long-lasting.

More From Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty might be renowned for its liquid blusher, but Selena Gomez’s makeup line has several other bestsellers that are worth exploring. Take the Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick, € 18,20 as an example, this creamy bronzer glides onto your skin and leaves you with a natural-looking, sunkissed glow. It’s so quick and easy to use, and it blends in seamlessly.

In the market for a new mascara? Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara, € 13,00 regularly tops our bestsellers list thanks to the lash lengthening and volumising formula. What we love most about this mascara is that it lengthens, curls and volumises lashes without making them feel stiff and crispy.