Review: Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

I’ve been looking high and low for a nice peachy bronze blush for some time now. I wanted a change from the pink NARS Super Orgasm blush that I’ve been using for almost a year since it’s nakakasawa and also because pink cheeks don’t really go well with smoky eyes (which I do often). I seriously considered getting another NARS blush, but since I wanted to try another brand, I turned to Shu Uemura.

Shu Uemura Glow On Blush in P Amber 83

So why did I pick Shu Uemura? Well, I really wanted to try something from the brand since I’ve been reading rave reviews of their products everywhere. I’ve also been made up by a certified Shu makeup-artist before for the eBay Fashion Challenge (a styling contest me and my friend joined last year as finalists, of which Shu Uemura was a sponsor) and I was very impressed with the products the MUA used on me.

One such product was the Japanese brand’s Glow On blushes. 

P1,500 at Shu Uemura counters in malls, $25 at Duty Free, $21 at the Shu Uemura US website

What I love about this product:

• Highly pigmented. It only takes one or two swipes on the pan to get good color payoff. I got the P Amber 83 shade, a peachy-bronze that looks natural on my NC35 (light medium) cheeks.
• Awesome staying power. It can honestly rival NARS in this dapartment! It doesn’t fade for 4 hours on me. After that, it sort of melts on my skin, but there is still an obvious color until I remove my makeup at the end of the day.
• Soft, silky, flawless finish. I like how it gives my cheeks that glow-from-within look, like I’m not even using blush. 
• 5 grams/.17 oz in the pan! That doesn’t sound much, but for pigmented blushes like this 5 grams will last you more than a year’s worth of daily use. I’ve been using my NARS blush (almost 5g too) everyday for 10 months and I haven’t even hit pan yet.

Shot under a fluorescent light

Cons of the product and final verdict after the jump!

What I don’t like about this product:

• A lot of powder sticks to the brush when I swipe it so better be careful not to pick up too much product to avoid wasting it. I wouldn’t say this is powdery, it’s more like the texture of the blush is too soft and smooth to begin with.

• Someone has to say this: the packaging looks cheap. If you didn’t know that Shu Uemura is a luxury brand you’ll never guess it from looking at this. When I showed my dad this and told him how much, his eyebrows shot up! The lipsticks have the same clear plastic-looking packaging. The case feels a little heavy when you touch it, but the first impression is definitely “wow, cheap product!”. Sucks since this is freakin’ expensive!
• …Which brings me to my next point. This is expensive here. NARS blushes cost P1350 here and $25 abroad whereas Shu costs P1500 here and $21 abroad! Isn’t that irritating or what? I hate how Shu jacks up their prices in the Philippines. You better buy this abroad, like Japan, HK and Singapore since it’s cheaper there.

Aaand that’s it. I love this blush and I can see myself using it everyday along with NARS. Is it worth the money I paid? Well, since I got it at Duty Free for only $25 (P1175 at the current dollar to peso rate) instead of in the malls, I would say that this is definitely worth the price I paid. I’m just really disappointed about the packaging since my NARS blush looks a lot better and classier than this. Still, the product works well so the packaging isn’t a deal breaker for me.

Have you tried this blush? Are you thinking of buying it? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be glad to answer questions.

Related: NARS Super Orgasm closeup pictures