Review: Mood Recipe Blush (3CE)

When ever someone asks me to recommend a blush, 3CE is always where I turn to – especially their pressed powder blushes. I’ve used so many of them before (and have a thing for collecting their matte shadows) and they’ve almost never failed me – except for their red blush which wasn’t bad but wasn’t as perfect as the others. Either way, the simple fact is that I absolutely love their blushes and I’m always really confident in their formula.

When 3CE started teasing their new Mood On & On Collection, I was absolutely over the moon. Their original collection had some amazing products – including one of my favourite brown/bronze shimmer shadows – and the Red Recipe was a brilliant collection that bright some vibrancy back into the kbeauty scene. For their new Mood Recipe collection, they pulled things right back again and settled somewhere in between with soft, nude pinks and really wearable colours that fit really well into anyone’s make up routine. These colours are ‘reminiscent of a secret garden’ and ‘gentler and softer than ever’.

Whether you like nudes or bright colours, I think that there’s a place for these new tones and so I was super keen to get some things in Korea. I wanted their new eyeshadow palettes, but I feel like they’re pretty pricey, and so I got one of the blushes instead! This product has that same soft blendability I like, as well as a more elegant colour range – which is totally new to my collection.

Read on!

So the blush that I chose is the Rose Beige shade. It is a muted rose toned nude blush colour, which is perfectly suited for a soft and natural flush. This collection has a lot of these nude blush colours and I think that it’s best to pick a colour that most flatters your natural skin tone – as it is unlikely to clash with any other colours that you put onto your face (unless you use extreme shades).

The packaging for this blush is really simple and, aside from the colour, it is no different to the other Mood Recipe blushes that have been released in the past. The case has a soft, matte finish and it (as well as the box) is colour coordinated to the product. 3CE has some of my favourite packaging and I love how it is super simple but also very impactful and representative of their brand.

Because of the simplicity in design, the entire collection also looks really beautiful and cohesive together. You can also combine it with the Red Recipe or the original brown Mood Recipe and it will still look like a beautiful set. This really encourages me to pick out my favourites from every collection!

Aside from that though, there isn’t much to say about the packaging of this product. It’s really pretty and it’s… well, what you see is what you get. The colour is described as having ‘depth and maturity’ with a ‘sophisticated and alluring mood’. It also claims to be highly pigmented with a single swipe application. Here are some other points taken from the website:

• A tinge of translucent colour: Subtle and rich colours melt into your skin’s natural tone, enhancing the beauty you already possess.
• Silky smooth sliding texture: With a soft touch and excellent blendability, the silky sliding texture natural(ly) tinges your cheeks with colour.
• Budge-proof fitting system: Sebum-controlling powders absorb sweat and sebum, allowing product to blend without clumping, imparting seamless colour that lasts all day long.

To be honest, I find that 3CE is really exaggerating this product a little but I can give my own observations from it. The colour is definitely very natural and flattering – I have a light, neutral-warm skin tone (generally 21) and the colour appears like a natural flush on my skin. It also also possible to build it up but, in general, I find that these tones pair with my complexion so seamlessly that it doesn’t distract too much from the rest of my make up and – therefore – it is a really easy choice to pair with any look.

The formula is also very soft and blendable. I have no problems with patchiness and, as you can see from my own swatch below, the blush definitely blends out perfectly.

The one thing that I am unsure about is their sebum controlling claims – I don’t find that this blush helps to control my natural oils and the longevity of it is average (it isn’t bad as I get a good couple of hours from it, but it isn’t super longwearing either). On this front, I would likely consider it average.

And yes! Above is my swatch. All in all, I seriously love 3CE blush formulas and I will likely keep buying and testing them until I am all blushed out (which I never will be). I don’t wear this shade every day as I still prefer my 3CE Pink Gradation Bold Blush but I often reach for it if I do an eye make up look that needs a more natural cheek colour. Most of my other blushes are pink or red, so this is a really different addition to my collection.

I definitely think that I’ll be looking into buying a few more things from the Mood Recipe collection and – of course – I’ll keep buying their blushes! Say blush one more time. Blush.

Okay, time for my verdict! This was a short one but please let me know if you have any other questions that I missed out.

SO WHAT IS IT?

A soft and natural pressed powder blush

THE GOOD

• Cute and colour coordinated packaging
• Natural colour
• Buildable
• Soft and blends seamlessly into the skin
• Decent wear time
• Super flattering and easy to use
• Versatile and suitable for day-to-day use

THE BAD

• Limited colour range generally suits light to medium-light skin tones

RATINGS

• PACKAGING | 5/5
• PRICE POINT | 3/5
• FORMULA | 5/5
• PIGMENTATION | 5/5
• BLENDABILITY | 5/5
• COLOUR RANGE | 3/5

OVERALL RATING? 8~9/10

WOULD I RECOMMEND?

Yes! I do love this blush and this colour but I highly recommend checking out any of the 3CE pressed powder blushes anyway because I genuinely think that they’re so beautiful and flattering – they have practically never let me down and I live in them. I also recommend checking out their matte single shadows that are super pigmented and fun.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

I got this from the flagship store in Myeongdong, but you can also get it online at the Stylenanda website – I’ve linked the product page. Unfortunately, I haven’t found it stocked at any of my regular sponsor websites yet so I would recommend waiting for their free shipping sales (which happen quite often) as international shipping can sometimes cost a limb!

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