Blush has the ability to make or break your base makeup. Yes, foundation and concealer that match your skin tone are important, but swipe on the wrong shade of blush and you can undo all your previous hard work with a shade that washes you out or adds too much color and a clownish effect. Finding the best blushes for olive skin tones is all about enhancing the warmth in your skin, according to Los Angeles-based makeup artist Omayma Ramzy. "For olive skin, you really just want to avoid pale and cool-toned blushes," she says, noting that pastel shades tend to make olive tones appear green.
If a true pink flush is what you're after, Ramzy says that you can still rock a berry shade because of the warmer red tones that complement warmer skin tones. But her absolute favorite method when it comes to blush for olive skin is sticking to peachy and golden hues. "I love using burnt orange-pink blush to perk you up," she says. "One of the beauties of olive skin tones is that you look stunning with a bit of bronze, too," she adds, noting that she likes to use bronzers that have a little color to them for a beachy glow, or a warmer blush with shimmer.
Ahead, you'll find five of the best blushes for olive skin, including a few of Ramzy's go-to picks when she's working with clients who have an olive skin tone.
1Best Burnt Rose Blush For Olive Skin
This line of oil-free and noncomedogenic blushes is designed to make finding a match for your skin tone simple. Instead of swiping through dozens of tester shades, L’Oréal True Match Super Blendable Blush in Subtle Sable identifies that it works best for warm skin tones, like olive, right on the packaging. Though there are multiple L’Oréal True Match blushes for warmer skin tones, several Amazon users note that Subtle Sable is a great natural pink shade for olive skin because it isn't a pastel. "This color works great for my olive complexion," writes one Amazon user, adding, "It stays on for most of the day and doesn't cause me to break out."
2Best Orange-Gold Blush For Olive Skin
One of Ramzy's top picks due to its "beautiful warm tone with gold shimmer that enhances your glow," the Becca Luminous Blush in Tigerlily is a rich tangerine shade. The pressed powder is buildable and feels creamy on skin so that it never cakes, and ultra-fine luminescent pearl reflects light for a blush that doubles as a soft highlight. But the coolest part about this Becca blush is the adjusting mineral pigments that adapt to your skin's undertones once applied, so that you're guaranteed your most perfect match.
3Best Berry Blush For Olive Skin
Ramzy notes that for olive skin tones that want a more traditional pink flush, berry colors should be your go-to because they're warmer than bubblegum pinks. The Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Berry is lightweight and blendable, and several Amazon users write that it works particularly well on olive skin tones. One reviewer with olive skin shares that this blush is the perfect shade of berry that's "not too red or too maroon."
4Best Peach Blush For Olive Skin
Another one of Ramzy's recs, the Benefit Cosmetics GALifornia Blush combines shimmering gold and peachy hues to enhance the warm tones in olive skin. Ramzy notes that this combo gives you a sunkissed look that looks particularly great with a tan. With a pink grapefruit and vanilla scent created just for the GALifornia blush, it smells sweet, too.
5Best Red-Brown Blush For Olive Skin
If you prefer more natural products, HAN's All Natural Multistick in Toasted Nutmeg is formulated without parabens, artificial colors, or potentially irritating chemicals. Instead, the cream blush hydrates and nourishes skin with ingredients like shea butter, cupuacu butter, argan oil, coconut oil, and açai oil. Toasted Nutmeg is a warm red-brown color that you can swipe onto cheeks for a sheer wash of color, or layer on for a bolder finish. The creamy formula makes it easy to apply on lips and eyes, too, if you want to create a monochromatic beauty look.
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