I have come to accept that when party season rolls around, three things are certain for me. There will be scrambling (for a size-inclusive wardrobe). There will be sweating (who am I to refuse some festive fun?) And inevitably, there will be sliding make-up (down the neck, on my collar, etc.) These are the cards I’ve been dealt as a casualty of PCOS and chief of the oily skin committee. But when Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm entered the chat? I was freed from the shackles of at least one of those certainties.
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Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm is the primer that the beauty community is currently besotted with. Since launching in 2022, it has been trending online in cycles, garnering rave reviews by the thousands on TikTok this past summer alone. But to call the blurring balm a primer feels reductive, because it does so much more.
What does Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm do?
The Yummy Skin Blurring Balm works as a primer, concealer, skin tint and setting powder all in one. Powered by squalane, hyaluronic acid and Upsalite – the lab-accident-cum-cosmetic-innovation discovered in Sweden in 2021 – the formula is unlike any other beauty product on the market.
As a balm-to-powder complexion product, it nourishes the skin while blurring over texture, fine lines and pores. The coloured variations add a layer of sheer, skin-like coverage that can be built up to get you a polished, event-ready base. Best of all, if you’ve combination or oily skin, the Upsalite technology lends a helping hand by absorbing excess oil whilst you wear it, resulting in a hydrated, but shine-free finish.
How to use Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm
Guidance for the product welcomes application with either your fingers or a brush. To apply it, you can use the included spatula to scoop a small amount out and work in sweeping motions over any particular oily areas, or areas where your make-up tends to settle and crease in fine lines. Coming in clear and pigmented options, it can be used as a primer, but you can also layer it over already applied makeup with a brush to set the face and control shine.
My review of the Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm
My skin is oily, acne-prone and pigmented in areas. I’m also starting to see smile lines in which my make-up often creases.
I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the balm and discovered that it toes the line between moisturising and mattifying. It has neither chalky matte texture nor the emollient grease of, say, Vaseline. Instead, it has the uncanny texture of crushing rose petals between your fingers, with a velvety skin feel.
The first time I road tested the blurring balm was in the height of the summer heatwave, with a full day of work and a late night ahead. The technique I found works best is stippling it in with a dense brush, especially as I have decided to forgo foundation to put its full capabilities (particularly, coverage and longevity) to the test.
It merges effortlessly with skin on application, which is when I realise the appeal of skin-similar vegan squalane in the formula. There were no harsh lines or cakiness as it melted in seamlessly. What’s more, it made the blush I follow up with do the same, with very little blending required. I used Charlotte Tilbury’s cream blush stick, which, rich in castor oil, is risky business for my skin type. The Blurring Balm underneath fused everything together, and while it toned down the oily sheen of the blush, it didn’t suck the radiance out of my base completely.
Over the course of that day and into the evening, I was surprised to see that the coverage and glow stayed pretty constant – even on my forehead, which gets sweatiest, the product hasn’t separated or moved.
I find myself using it in place of foundation through the summer and into the colder months, because of how low effort, long-wearing and lightweight the thin formula is on the skin. Happily, it doesn’t break me out once.
Sold on the formula, I adopt the universal shade into my professional make-up kit and find it has merits for skin types beyond my own, too. On mature skin, it blurs fine lines and helps make-up sit incredibly smoothly. On dry skin, it conceals dullness and texture, and the hyaluronic acid it deploys helps bind moisture to where skin needs it most. On all skin, it lays a flattering, soft focus finish over pores that is like having a filter on in real life.
Vogue Verdict:
With its inconspicuous skin-like quality, Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm is the kind of base product that lends itself well to highly photographed occasions (think: red carpet and bridal) because it doesn’t flash back or mask the natural beauty of the skin. A feat of cosmetic innovation, it stops you looking like a greaseball by the end of the function, while maintaining a subtle glow. If, like me, your make-up is prone to a slip and slide during party season, it’s a must for your make-up bag.