'The liquid blush that made me convert from powder for good.'

For years, I was a powder blush girl. Loyal. Devoted. Emotionally attached, even.

For more than a decade, I swirled my fluffy brush into the same trusty compact, tapped off the excess like a YouTube beauty guru circa 2014 and swept it onto my cheeks with confidence (and perhaps just a hint of delusion). 

Liquid blush? It felt risky. Slippery. Like something reserved only for makeup artists, TikTok girlies and people with glass skin and absolutely no pores. Every time I tried one, it either disappeared into my face or moved all my other products around like a poorly planned university group project. 

So, I stuck with my powders. They were safe, they worked. Until, they very much didn't. 

Watch: You Beauty tries the 'boyfriend blush' trend. Post continues below.

Because something happened when I hit my 30s: my skin changed. It got drier. Thirstier. Finer in texture in some spots but also weirdly flaky in others. And suddenly, all those beloved powder products started turning against me. 

Blush that once gave me a healthy flush now clung to dry patches and had vanished by lunchtime. My skin stopped being a smooth, dewy canvas and became more like a mildly irritated sponge. And no matter how hydrating my foundation claimed to be, everything I layered on top just looked… tired. 

It was at this point I started reconsidering liquid blush. I needed something that would melt and make my skin look fresh and alive, not chalky and vaguely disappointed. 

Enter: NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush — a product I decided to try on a whim and now treat like a rare gem. Chosen purely out of convenience and possibly laziness (I had previously been an avid devotee of the brand's powder version), I very quickly realised I had found my face's new best friend. 

Image: Mecca.

One tiny drop (yes, that means one tube of this lasts forever) tapped into my cheeks and suddenly I looked awake. Glowy. Slightly flirtatious in a "just got back from a brisk walk or possibly a whirlwind romance" kind of way (especially fitting given my shade of choice is named 'Orgasm', don't you think?).

No patchiness, no creasing. Just juicy, lit-from-within colour that made my mid-30s face feel like it still had a little bit of collagen left. 

The formula is silky and serum-like, and is infused with skin-loving ingredients like sodium hyaluronate (for hydration), vitamin E (for protection) and vegan collagen (for plump and healthy-looking skin).

The pigment is sheer, yet buildable, meaning you can go from barely-there glow to full-on "flushed and fresh from the hardest Reformer Pilates class of my life" with just a few taps. And the finish? It's not glittery or shimmery, but instead soft and radiant. It's more dewy hydration than dusty pigment, which is an absolute win for those of us who've noticed their skin getting drier with every passing minute. 

This is blush for grown-ups. The kind that understands your skin has texture now (whether you want it to or not). It knows you've spent a decade pretending you didn't need primer (oops), had a few years in your early 20s without a solid SPF routine (double oops) and that you sometimes still skip your night serum because you fell asleep on the couch watching Netflix.

So yes, I am now a fully converted liquid blush girl. And I've since tried them all. Here are the ones I keep on high rotation and happily count as my personal favourites.

The best liquid blushes in Australia.

MERIT Beauty Flush Balm Cheek Colour, $48

Image: MERIT Beauty.

The cream blush equivalent of a chilled glass of rosé, this balm from MERIT Beauty is effortless, flattering and instantly makes you feel more alive. It melts into skin like butter, gives a dewy, just-woke-from-a-nap glow and never clings to dry patches or fine lines. It's my go-to for my handbag for nights out.

MCoBeauty Super Glow Blush Drops, $32

Image: MCoBeauty

A wallet-friendly option, these blush drops blend like a dream, leave a glossy, flushed finished and make your cheeks look like they've just been kissed by the sun (or someone cute).

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, $60 

Image: Charlotte Tilbury

The blush-highlighter hybrid that launched a thousand TikToks — and for very good reason. It gives that glowy, flushed, lit-from-within cheek without settling into fine lines. It's blush, highilghter and main character energy all in one.

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, $45

Image: Sephora.

Created by Selena Gomez herself, this is pure magic in a bottle. Just one dot gives a weightless, radiant flush that melts into skin and makes you look instantly fresher, softer and slightly more romantic.

e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush, $18

Image: e.l.f.

Want the Rare Beauty finish without the price tag? This liquid blush from e.l.f. is a seriously punchy dupe; it's dewy, long-lasting and packed with pigment. Plus, a little goes a long way making the low cost even better.

Naked Sundays CabanaGlow SPF50 Mineral Luminizing Blush Serum, $45

Image: Naked Sundays.

A radiant, pinky flush and SPF in one? We love a multitasker! The lightweight serum-like formula melts into skin, leaving you glowy, hydrated and sun-protected — no cakey layers or white cast in sight.

Feature image: Supplied.