June 02, 2019 – Vinz Lamorena
The first time you rub the smooth and flawless surface of a newly opened Airblush (P445), you’ll be obsessed with its creamy and powdery texture. We found ourselves swirling our fingers on the pot of pigment as much as needed, which proved to be a satisfying and addicting motion.
Unlike most cream blushes, the product glides like liquid. It’s a marriage between the texture of cushion makeup and the form of balm. It doesn’t clump on your fingers nor dry easily on the pot.
Placed inside a smooth matte exterior that mimics the color of the blush it contains, it easily nails that modern minimalist look. The circular compact also comes with a handy built-in mirror. The cream box is a callback to the original Fluffmate packaging, but it will also remind you of 3CE’s Take A Layer blush pots.
The actual product is a bit tinier than expected once you open your package. At 2.5 grams, Sunnies Face’s newest creation (which was formulated in Italy) falls under the standard size for minis and travel kits.
We’re not a big fan of kilometric lines, so we opted for the lazy way out: Online shopping. You’ll definitely save time and money with Lazada’s 45-peso standard shipping rate. True to its reviews, the shopping service does deliver your Sunnies Face orders within 24 hours no matter where you are in the Philippines.
While one shade was instantly sold out on the platform (the Airblush shade Moon, an obvious bestseller and great partner for the Fluffmate lippie Mood), Lazada’s promptness and tracking features still very clearly make it the winner. It notified us on every step during the whole processing of our orders, albeit the short wait.
We ended up ordering Moon from Shopee, the only site that carried the shade at the time we clicked “Add to cart.” Not only does the shipping fee go higher when you have more purchases, a whole weekend has gone by and we still don’t have that toasty rose blush to play with. Our order didn’t arrive on the day the courier texted it would.
Airblush gives a soft and sheer color on the cheeks, much inspired by Korean beauty. It dries out matte but gives a dewy look and highlights the right parts of the face. But unlike famous multipots of Korean brands, the Airblush is so much easier to apply on your cheeks.
The silky feel definitely lets you apply it wherever you need color. The influencers weren’t lying when they said the product did not tug on the skin at all.
As it oxidizes, it fades a bit to blend seamlessly on your skin. That gorgeous color stays put for a good two hours—max, if you’re lucky. Like the Fluffmate, the Airblush starts off pigmented but fades quite easily. It doesn’t stain your cheeks throughout the day. Like most blush creams, you can’t trust it to stay on a humid day or a long commute.
Without the extra help of a primer or setting spray, you’ll be doing a lot of retouching. It disappears quicker over sunblock, too. That’s probably why they made it pocket size—you’d be needing to bring it with you at all times.
Yes, we’ve seen people post their forearms bearing Airblush swatches that survived the night. Just a little reality check: Your face has an entirely different texture. Oil glands work harder on some of us, and skincare finishes are additional factors, too.
We’ve also been shown that the Airblush can be used for both the lips and eyes. For those who are cursed with eternally dry lips, you better slather your pair with lip balm and do some serious exfoliating before you can pucker up and put these tints on—for its light shades, at least.
Airblush’s lighter colors (Doll, Peached, Biscuit) tend to cling on the cracks of the lips. For this specific use, we recommend the darker shades of the collection as it easily stains the lips with just a few taps. The light and powdery finish definitely works for Razz and Disco. It also looks the most natural among the shades. It blurs and smoothens out even the driest of lip imperfections.
Razz and, judging from the looks of it, Moon are our top choices for the eyes. Meanwhile, Biscuit can be your versatile go-to base for eye makeup. However, bad news for those who have oily eyelids: The Airblush pigments tend to gather on the creases after a while. While it dons gorgeous colors on its own, it would be best to set it with your trusty powder shadows.
Peached gives you the kind of flush after spending time under the sun. It works (and looks) best with at least three layers for that ideal tinge of color. It’s also the exact tint equivalent of Vacay, the peachy papaya Fluffmate, but with a different formulation.
Biscuit, when you build it in layers, comes really close to the Peached shade. We recommend going for another color if these two particular shades top your choices. Biscuit also works as a no-fuss cream contour for those who have fair and medium skin tones. This tint is almost invisible for those who have medium to dark skin tones. It’s made for those who want the illusion of a tan, or fans of the no-makeup makeup look.
These two shades instantly give you that tanned, sun-kissed look without bathing on sunlight by the sea. This duo is best applied over your cheekbones, too!
Described to have “a vibrant berry” tone, Razz easily gives you that drunk blush look with just a few taps. This beautiful shade is anything but subtle and you’d want to apply it all over your cheeks and over your nose.
Moon is like the love child of the shade Biscuit and Razz. It is the darkest shade in the collection but once you put it on your cheeks, it surprisingly gives you a pinkish glow effect, especially for morenas. Putting it on the lips is reminiscent of a blotted Baked Fluffmate. It adds a subtle color on your lips, that is, if it doesn’t dry easily on your fingers.
Disco is perfect to put right on the apples of your cheeks. It was made to achieve that classic Disney princess flush! The shades of Razz and Disco are the blushes for the casual days in and wild nights out. These two also help you achieve that almost-natural, blotted lip look so easily.
Last but not the least of what we were able to try, Doll embodies the shade that we immediately think of when the word “pink” is mentioned. The carnation flush reminds us so much of the romcoms we watched as teens, including “Clueless,” “Mean Girls,” and “Legally Blonde.” The pigmentation is lighter than most of the shades offered, but it looks very natural on fair skin.
It has great color payoff, a long shelf life (three years!!), and, true to its name, feels incredibly light as air. Its non long-lasting formula and the fact it runs a small size for its price are, however, its greatest downsides.
For either its pros or cons, we’re sure we’ll hit the pan on this one!
Photos by Sean Xie for alike. Shop the Sunnies Face Airblush online and in stores.
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