After mentally compiling a “best of 2015” list but then completely forgetting to actually write up a post, I thought that I might work my way through and do some standalone reviews. At any rate, the Creme Puff Blush from Max Factor deserves its own page here on A Model Recommends; I probably use it more often than any other face powder product. (Or it definitely ties with Chanel’s Les Beiges!) Partly because it’s incredibly petite and compact and therefore a permanent fixture in my makeup bag, but also because the shade I use – Nude Mauve – is the most perfect “do-it-all” part-bronze-part-blush powder.

If you’re a fan of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush then you’ll know the joy of a non-shimmery, maximum glow cheek colour. We’re talking subtle luminescence, here, and not full-on highlighting, but the final effect is one of a beautiful wash of colour that somehow lifts and brightens the complexion. Max Factor’s Creme Puff Blush powders have the same multi-tonal idea; Nude Mauve combines swirls of a flattering bronze with a kind of Bonne Mine shade. Healthy glow. The overall effect is just that, though it’s slightly too dark for me to use as I would a complexion enhancer – I either sweep it over my cheeks for a sunkissed look or build it up beneath the cheekbones for more of a sculpted effect.

Read about the best nude makeup products…

For me, Nude Mauve is just one of those shades that you can’t go far wrong with. The hint of mauve stops it from being too flat and adds the tiniest bit of outdoorsy flush, but if you want to use the powder strictly to sculpt (in a low-key way) then the warmth doesn’t interfere. Here I’ve used it beneath the cheekbones (Bobbi Brown’s Face Blender brush for this):

And you can (hopefully) see that the wash of colour is just gorgeously nude and understated. If you like to look polished rather than obviously “done up” then it’s a great little blush/bronzer to have in your bag.

Equally, if you’ve been lusting after the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushers in the pinkier/coral tones then you could do a lot worse than to check out Alluring Rose and Seductive Pink from the Creme Puff range. When I find them in the quagmire of makeup that litters my office floor I shall take some photographs – in the meantime, you can find them all online here.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Nude Mauve is £8.99 from Boots.com