BLURRING BALMS: PHOTOSHOP FOR THE FACE

How amazing would it be to hashtag #nofilter on all your Instagram selfies?

No, it’s not a hopeless dream. You can make it come true in under one minute. By using just ONE beauty product. Still skeptic? Let me introduce you to blurring creams, your new BFF.

What are blurring creams?

They’re Photoshop in a tube. Flawless skin in a bottle. An instant fix for a #nofilter-worthy complexion.

The next generation of makeup primers, blurring creams fill in your fine lines and wrinkles, blur out your large pores and cover blemishes, giving you the flawless complexion you’ve always wanted.

There’s more. Blurring creams mattify your skin so you won’t need to blot your face every two hours or so. At the same time, their light reflecting particles make your skin look like it’s glowing from within. Dewy, not shiny.

They create the perfect flawless base for makeup. And with that, I mean, bronzer, blush, highlighter… You won’t need to use foundation afterwards. You may even get away with skipping concealer. They’re that good.

How Do Blurring Creams Work?

Curious to know how the miracle happens? Marketing spiel likes to rave about “high-tech ingredients and clever light-reflecting particles”, but the truth isn’t so glamorous.

It’s silicones that do most of the heavy-lifting, so if you’re not a fan of them, this is a trend you’d want to skip. But if you’ve always avoided silicones because you don’t want them to suffocate your skin, I have good news for you. That’s a myth. Silicones have a particular molecular structure made of big molecules with wide spaced between them. So, the barrier they create on the skin is able to trap moisture in and let skin perspire at the same time.

So, what do they do in blurring creams? Lots of things: they fill in fine lines and wrinkles, smooth out the skin’s texture, absorb excess oil, improve the spreadability of the formula and even hydrate skin. The only drawback? Silicones are a temporary fix. When you take off your blurring cream at the end of the day, your imperfections will still be there.

Then, there are the light-reflecting particles. They’re like shimmers, but much smaller. Their job is to trick the eye: when the light hits them we see a beautiful glow where spots and wrinkles used to be. Together with silicones, they act like an IRL Instagram filter.

Of course, silicones and light-reflecting particles are nothing new. They’ve been in our makeup products for ages now. So, what’s the difference with blurring creams? While silicones and light-reflecting particles are just an extra touch, in blurring creams they make up the bulk of the formula.

What’s The Downside Of Blurring Cream?

I wouldn’t really call it a downside, but blurring creams tend to have rich and heavy textures that may put off some people. But, once on the skin, they’re so lightweight, you feel like you’re not wearing anything!

How Do You Use Blurring Creams?

A blurring cream goes on after skincare but before makeup. Depending on how creamy the formula is, you can apply it with a foundation brush or beauty blender, but I find I get the best results when I use my fingers.
You can also retouch them during the day, of course. Just apply a tiny dot over problem areas. If you’re wearing makeup, that’s not a problem. You can use a blurring cream on top of it.

What Are The Best Blurring Creams?

There are plenty out there, but these are my favorites:

Indeed Laboratories Nanoblur ($19.99)

This is the blurring cream that started it all. Unlike other blurring creams, this has no color at all, so it works for all skin tones. It softens the appearance of wrinkles, pores and any other flaw, mattifies the skin, and provides high-definition ready skin in literally a few seconds.

Lancome Visionnaire 1-Minute Blur ($57.00)

A blurring cream with a velvety matte finish, it smoothes out the skin’s texture, makes pores invisible and reduces the appearance of the signs of aging. It blends so easily, you can get picture-perfect skin in just one minute!

La Roche Posay Effaclar BB Blur Instant Oil-Absorbing Coverage Cream Mousse ($29.99)

This is my favorite blurring cream because it works for all skin types. It’s emollient enough to add some extra hydration to dry skin but absorbs enough oil to keep combination and oily skin matte for hours. The mousse-like formula blends easily on the skin and blurs out large pores, fine lines and other noticeable imperfections.

So, Should You Try A Blurring Cream?

If you’ve won the gene lottery or you fave foundation is enough to Photoshop your face, you obviously don’t need a blurring cream. But if you feel like your foundations and primers somehow always fall short, it’s time to take your makeup game to the next level with a blurring cream.

Will you try a blurring cream? If you already have, which one is your favorite?

About the Author: Giorgia Guazzarotti is a freelance beauty writer and blogger obsessed with skincare. She loves dissecting ingredient labels, debunking beauty myths, and delving into the science behind skincare products to discover what really works and what doesn’t. She also adores shoes and is addicted to chocolate.