Beauty Care: REFY Citrine Cream Blush Review & Swatches

Citrine

REFY Citrine Cream Blush ($20.00 for 0.05 oz.) is a bright, tangerine orange with strong, warm yellow undertones and a natural matte finish. The texture was smooth, moderately emollient, and lightweight with some tackiness initially, but the formula was quick to dry down to a more matte finish once applied and blended out on my skin.

It seemed quite pigmented when swatched as a single layer, but in practice, it was prone to sheer out quite readily, which was more in line with the marketing, so the application yielded medium, buildable coverage. The product applied fairly evenly on bare skin, but it took more effort to really diffuse the edges as I would have expected for a cream-based formula. It was easiest to work with using a brush, which seemed to do a better job at diffusing without lifting up the color, especially over foundation. It lasted for six and a half hours before fading a bit.

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

Top Dupes

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Melt Cosmetics Sonrisa (LE, $22.00) is darker, less glossy (90% similar).
Viseart Orange #1 (PiP, ) is lighter, less glossy (90% similar).
Lethal Cosmetics Tendril (P, $15.50) is lighter (90% similar).
ColourPop Lunar Has It (DC, $10.00) is lighter, more muted (90% similar).
NARS Intensely (LE, $30.00) is lighter (85% similar).
MAC Sunny Side (LE, $34.00) is more shimmery, lighter (80% similar).
Give Me Glow Hey Honey (P, $14.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar).

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Possible Dupes

These are likely to be very similar shades based on our duping algorithm.

Flower Beauty Nectar (P, $9.99).

Formula Overview

$20.00/0.05 oz. - $400.00 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to be "buildable" and have a "subtle dewy glow" finish. It had more of a "natural matte" finish that didn't look totally flat/dry when the formula set, but it wasn't dewy at all. The consistency was smooth, lightweight, and thin with a fair amount of slip and felt like a traditional cream blush with light tackiness.

I preferred applying it with a fluffy, synthetic brush for getting the most even application, especially over base products, as it resulted in the product being less likely to move around my foundation. When I tried patting it on with a fingertip, I was more apt to get product sliding around or some unevenness coming through (as a note: my cheeks have some natural unevenness, which can come through more with sheerer coverage products).

The coverage seemed more pigmented initially, but the formula was definitely set up to be sheer and buildable, so the end result was more semi-sheer, buildable coverage, which was as marketed. The formula stayed on well for six to seven hours before fading on me.

Also, the size of the cream blushes is extremely small and not at all in line with the average cream blush size from a myriad of brands. It felt like a sample size! I don't feel the price reflects the quantity received, so it felt really out of line with the rest of the brand's offerings.

Browse all of our REFY Cream Blush swatches.

Ingredients

Octyldodecanol, Silica, Synthetic Beeswax, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Phenoxyethanol May Contain: CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 15985 (Yellow 6 Lake), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 15850 (Red 6), CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake).

Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.