This New High-Tech Blush Is Going Viral, and It Won Over Our Whole Beauty Team
Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.
The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on a standout beauty formula our editors quite literally can't shut up about. This time around, we're doing a group format as I join a few of my fellow beauty colleagues to share honest feedback (plus pretty major before-and-after photos) on a newly launched product from Haus Labs. Enter Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush ($38).
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Who What WearBlush has been enjoying a sort of renaissance. Over the past few years, we’ve watched blush completely explode onto the scene. It’s not an afterthought that you dab sparingly into the apples of your cheeks anymore—blush is the main event. People are sculpting their cheeks with blush, tapping it onto the bridge of their nose for a sunburnt effect, and even “blush draping” by blending it into their eye shadow.
As blush continues to dominate, tons of new, better blush formulas have entered the market. Most of the newer formulas have been in the form of liquids and creams (think the TikTok-famous Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, $20), but we haven’t seen many powder formulas on the market. I’ve personally been fairly happy with the shift—I find that powder blushes have the tendency to cake out my makeup, nix my glow, and accentuate every pore, crease, and blemish.
Now, the new Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush is here to change everything. It’s a unique gel-powder formula that fixes every woe you’ve ever experienced with powder blush in the past. Rather than sitting on top of makeup, the gel powder is able to melt flawlessly into your skin and give an ultra-natural finish.
“I love that Color Fuse Blush is smart color,” says Sarah Tanno, Haus Labs global artistry director. “It is packed with hydraberry and fermented arnica, which helps to calm and soothe the skin while you’re wearing it, and it is great for acne-prone skin. All the shades were formulated to work on every skin tone. The shade range is beautiful, buildable, and versatile.”
The blush comes in five colors, each using patented biomimetic pigments that mimic the natural ceramides found in skin, which make the blush feel weightless once you apply it. There’s Açaí Sky, a berry purple; Dragon Fruit Daze, a cool-toned pink; Hibiscus Haze, a mauve-leaning pink; Pomelo Peach, a soft coral; and Watermelon Bliss, a bright red.
After I got my hands on these blushes, I knew I had to put them to the test. To do that, I had seven members of the wider Who What Wear beauty team join me in testing out each blush color and letting me know what they thought. Keep reading for our unfiltered input on the hottest powder blush formula we’ve seen in a minute.
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Who What WearWhat did you like about the Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush formula?
“I feel like these blushes have the perfect amount of pigment payoff, and I’m one of the few people left on planet Earth who prefers a powder blush. This formula isn’t so saturated that you immediately go overboard and have to go back and do damage control with foundation or concealer, but they’re saturated enough so you don’t feel like you have to add a million layers. The colors are also just so stunning, and the blush itself feels really silky and velvety on the skin.” — Jahns
“I’m usually partial to cream blushes, but I loved how well Haus Labs’ blush blended. There were a couple of times when I was worried that I applied too much product (especially with Watermelon Bliss and Dragon Fruit Daze), but I was able to blend them out to a gorgeous, natural-looking finish.” — Thomas
Is there anything you didn’t like about the formula?
“I typically stay away from powder formulas because I prefer a dewy finish. Despite it looking gorgeous on my skin tone, I was missing the glow that most other blushes give me. For some of the lighter shades, the product applied almost a little too powdery for me. Some of the lighter shades, like Pomelo Peach, could have appeared a bit ashy on me if not applied heavily enough.” — Morinia
“Honestly, because these blushes are so highly pigmented, you really have to make sure you choose a flattering color. It’s hard to tone them down or apply them in a subtle wash, so it’s imperative that you love the shade you choose.” — McLintock
“I did love that these formulas are pretty light and forgiving, but there can also be a downside to that. For those who do like a heavy wash of color on the cheeks, the lighter shades might be too subtle for you. I also noticed that I had to build the lighter shades up quite a bit to show up on my skin tone—something to keep in mind if you have Black, Brown, or olive skin. I love a subtle sun-kissed look when it comes to wearing blush, so this didn’t exactly bother me, but I think it’s something to note before purchasing.” — Hudson
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Who What WearDid you like how the Haus Labs blushes applied?
“This stuff packs a serious pigment punch. I love it, but be careful with how much you apply at once. A little goes a very long way, so be conservative to start. The formula is buildable, but once it’s on, it’s on.” — Schlisserman
“The shades do not shy away from pigment. Upon first application, I realized I had done a little too much, but because the formula is so silky smooth, I was able to diffuse it, and it blended out super seamlessly.” — Walsh
How would you rate the product out of five, and why?
“I would give this a five out of five! It does exactly what you would expect it to do and more. The pigmentation is absolutely incredible, and after trying all five shades, I can honestly say that they all managed to look good on my skin tone. Because I have darker skin, not all blushes even show up on me, but I am so impressed with the versatility and range. I’m excited to see what other colors launch in the future.” — Morinia
“I would say 4.5 only because I want more shades! Other than that, I have nothing bad to say.” — Schlisserman
“For me, 4.5 out of five! Only taking a half point off for the fact that it takes a lot of product to build up the color, so the pigment payoff could use a little work. Other than that, these are beautiful blushes, and I’m excited to have them in my arsenal now.” — Hudson
Keep reading to see how each shade looks on different skin tones.
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Who What Wear“Hibiscus Haze is my favorite of the bunch. I’ve been using that one in my everyday makeup routine for weeks now. It just provides the perfect flush of natural color on my cheeks. Any time I use it, I look like I just spent a nice day at the beach.” — Hudson
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Who What Wear“I love Watermelon Bliss. I’m really fair, so I was a little worried it would look too bright on my skin tone, but I was pleasantly surprised by how natural it looks on my skin. It’s super pigmented, but it’s also really easy to sheer out. You end up with the dreamiest pop of pink-toned red on your cheeks—like you just got in from the cold.” — Berohn
“My favorite is a tie between Watermelon Bliss and Hibiscus Haze! I love pinkish-red shades when I’m doing my makeup because they brighten up my face a lot. They’re all I’ll be wearing this spring.” — Thomas
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Who What Wear"I loved Pomelo Peach. It was the most natural-looking one on my skin, and it seemed to complement my blue-green eyes. I love a peach-colored blush. I just think it makes the skin look so bright and sun-kissed." — McLintock
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Who What Wear"My favorite shade was Dragon Fruit Daze. Hot-pink blush always looks shocking and intimidating in the compact, but people need to know how flattering it looks once it’s actually on your skin! I’ll be wearing this all summer long. It gives you the prettiest rosy flush. I went a little nuts and also topped it off with the Gel-Powder Highlighter in Rose Quartz ($40)—a move I highly recommend if you like incandescent skin as much as I do." — Jahns
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Who What Wear"If you’re forcing me to choose one favorite, I’d have to say Acai Sky. It’s the perfect deep berry that makes the most simple makeup look pop." — Schlisserman
"Açaí Sky was my favorite shade to test. It will definitely become a staple in my routine. I can already see it paired with a glowy highlighter this summer!" — Morinia
