I'm the Queen of Blush—Strangers Compliment Me Every Time I Wear This One

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 formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, 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 one standout beauty formula our editors can’t shut up about. This time around, I’m highlighting Ami Colé’s Desert Date Cream Blush & Lip Multistick ($22).

I’m not me when I’m not wearing blush. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but blush is a key part of my signature look. It’s how people who haven’t met me IRL identify me and think, that’s definitely Aniyah. People have even nicknamed me “the queen of blush,” a title I proudly accept. All this is to say that there are very few blushes that I haven’t tested. As a Black woman with a deeper skin tone, I gravitate toward highly pigmented formulas with inclusive shade ranges (aka shades that can actually be seen on darker complexions), and Ami Colé’s Desert Date Cream Blush & Lip Multistick is one of my favorites.

I hate to admit it, but of all the beauty products I receive from brands, I use only about 20% of them in their entirety. I’m proud to say that this multistick is part of that 20%. I not only hit pan on the shade Spice, but I completely ran out of product—a testament to how often I use it compared to the other blushes in my collection. Desert Date is available in five shades, with Pink Sel—a gorgeous hot-pink color that is quickly becoming my favorite—being the latest addition to the lineup. I typically go for bright, hot-pink shades because they almost always show up on my skin tone, but I know some people have concerns about applying too much or their blush looking unnatural. Luckily, this product is super buildable, so I recommend starting with minimal product and working your way up. As you can see in my before-and-after photos above, Pink Sel added so much warmth and radiance to my face. I’m going on the record to say that Spice has some serious competition.

If we’re talking about formulas, I’m partial to cream and liquid blushes. (Shh, don’t tell my powder blushes.) This product’s cream formula adds a soft and natural glow to every single shade, removing the need for highlighter. You can apply the stick directly to your face or warm up the product on the back of your hand and apply it with a brush or sponge. I often blend my blush a bit higher, up to my temples, then add any leftover pigment to my lids for that editorial monochromatic look. When I want to have fun with my lip combo, I’ll even dab Dune or Flame to the center of my lips and add a gloss on top. That’s the beauty of a multistick—the use cases are endless.

Come for the pigment—stay for the ingredients. It’s nice to know that while I’m creating makeup looks and taking selfies to add to my camera roll, my cheeks and lips are being hydrated, nourished, and protected against environmental damage. The list of green flags for this product starts with it containing 90% naturally derived ingredients, and ends with how gorgeous everyone looks when wearing it. It’s such a confidence booster—when I wear the shades Spice and Flame, strangers and friends always say how amazing my makeup looks, followed by, “OMG! What blush are you wearing?” If that’s not a good enough reason to grab a shade or two, I don’t know what is.

This cream formula is elite. What were some nonnegotiables for you when creating this product?