Beauty Care: Rare Beauty Grateful Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Review & Swatches

Grateful

Rare Beauty Grateful Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($20.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a bright, medium red with subtle, cool undertones and a dewy sheen. It looked pinky-red to me–almost like a strawberry–when applied at less than opaque coverage (it was difficult to achieve really true red color in practice).

The finish was part of the dewy range, so it didn’t have a full dry down but set slightly so it didn’t slide around and did not feel tacky to the touch. The consistency was very thin, lightweight, and emollient with good glide across my skin, both over bare skin as well as over foundation. I preferred applying this shade by putting some product on the back of my hand and using a separate brush to apply it to my cheeks.

It was harder to control the diffusion and spread of the product, as it was extremely pigmented, even when I used “one to two” dots per cheek. I also felt like the brush helped it become a bit less fluid and ensured a more blended application of product. This shade lasted well for nine hours before fading visibly.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

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MAC Oh My! (LE, $24.00) is lighter, warmer, less glossy (90% similar).
NYX Crimson (P, $6.50) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
MAC Frankly Scarlet (P, $24.00) is more shimmery, warmer, less glossy (85% similar).
Viseart Coral #3 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar).
MAC Apple Red (P, $24.00) is darker, cooler, less glossy (80% similar).
Surratt Beauty Rougeur (P, $32.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
MAC Red Envy (LE, $24.00) is darker, less glossy (80% similar).
Surratt Beauty Classique (P, $32.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (80% similar).
Coloured Raine Prove My Loyalty (Blush) (LE, ) is darker, cooler, less glossy (80% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$20.00/0.25 oz. - $80.00 Per Ounce

The blush is supposed to have "long-lasting color pigments" that last "all-day" where "a little goes a long way." That being said, they also say it "blends and builds beautifully," though when one looks at the "how to" instructions, I could see that being achievable as they actually say to remove excess and then use one or two dots of product on each cheek. The line-up has includes four shades in a true, flat matte finish and four shades in a lightly, dewy finish.

Like a lot of the liquid products in the brand's range, they have a lot more slip and feel more serum-like, but a little did go a long way with respect to pigmentation. First and foremost, to control application, I would recommend dotting (lightly!) once or twice per cheek but I would work one cheek at a time, especially with the matte finish. I also felt using a sponge or brush worked well for diffusing and spreading about the blush better than fingertips when working over a base as fingertips seemed to leave slight imprints and seemed more prone to lifting up product.

When in doubt, use the least amount possible! I liked dabbing a bit on the back of my hand and using a fluffy, duo-fiber brush to apply to cheeks, which gave me a better diffusion with less chance of lifting up base product. This method worked best with the dewier finish blushes as there was enough playtime, but the matte blushes dried down faster and I had to use more product to keep it malleable on the back of my hand. The dewy finish shades have a light sheen but dry down enough that they don't slide around during wear. The matte shades fully dry down.

They wore between eight and nine hours on me before showing signs of fading. Though I haven't been able to find a clip I can reference specifically to it, I've had multiple readers state that the brand owner (Selena Gomez) has mentioned that the packaging was designed to be easier to open. I found that to be true of the flattened, knob-like tops found on the liquid blushes, as it took little pressure to twist open.

Browse all of our Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush swatches.

Ingredients

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Mica, Octyldodecanol, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Isododecane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Propylene Carbonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera (Sacred Lotus) Flower Extract, Nymphaea Odorata Root Extract. [+/- May Contain/Peut Contenir: Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410)].