Paula Dorf • Cheek Cream Brush • Makeup Brushes

*TOP REVIEWER* gna on 2/4/2009 8:58:00 AM more reviews by gna

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I've had this brush for years. It's THE brush for cream & gel-type blushes. I love the angle head, as I contour with blushes. I never apply blush just on apples. Makes blushes look fabulous on bare skin. Don't wear foundation, concealer, powder, so don't know how it would work with layers of MU. Tried MAC and all other recommended brushes, but this is the best for my purposes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jiney17 on 12/20/2008 2:45:00 PM more reviews by jiney17

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It's a sturdy, aesthetically-pleasing, high-quality brush, as is typical of Paula Dorf's line, but it's no miracle. I like the shape and size of the head and the angled cut of the bristles--these make it easy to apply cream blush to the precise apples of your cheeks. The bristles are also very dense and smooth, preventing this from leaving little brush marks on your face and diffuses the color nicely if you use a light touch when blending.



However, unlike other reviewers, I did find that this moved my base and concealer around (Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Secret Camouflage) so that I'd have to touch up again after applying blush. I ended up putting this brush on my swaplist.



My fool-proof method of applying cream blush these days is to press the pads of my fingertips onto the blush, gently rub my fingers together to warm up the product, then gently, lightly, quickly tap my fingers onto the apples of my cheeks. If I want to blend more, I gently press the palms of my hands to my cheeks or buff my cheeks a little with the MAC #187 brush.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MerelyGod on 7/31/2008 3:53:00 AM more reviews by MerelyGod

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I don't know if I am doing something wrong, because everyone else seems to love this brush, but I don't like it. I much prefer my MAC #168, which is a similar shape but fluffier. I never feel like I get quite the right amount of blush with this brush and it takes a lot of blending after I apply it. With my #168, I only have to do minimal blending.


That said, I rarely use this brush and would definitely not repurchase (in fact, wish I had not purchased it the first time). The quality is fine though.

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karrie on 9/9/2007 8:33:00 AM more reviews by karrie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

fantastic brush. i don't have a better cream blush brush in my arsenal. top quality!! applies paulas cream blush perfectly!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Shavwi on 5/17/2006 3:23:00 AM more reviews by Shavwi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I LOVE this brush. I always hated cream blush because it looked awful when I used my fingers to apply it. After buying this, I actually get complimetns on my cream blush al teh time. It is teh perfect shape for your cheekbone. Just get some product on the brush, drag it across your cheekbone adn blend a bit. So far I ahve used it with my MAC blushcremes, MAC Cream Color Bases, and NARS cream blushes and it works perfectly with all. Very expensive, but I would absolutely purchase again. I highly reccoment this.

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*TOP REVIEWER* wombat on 11/20/2005 3:46:00 AM more reviews by wombat

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Do I like it? Will I repurchase? Yes I have 4 of these brushes...that's right...four..

They are very pricey, but well worth it if:
1) You are a regular cream blush user
2) You hate smearing around cream blushers on your face with your fingers
3) You'd like to apply cream blushers over your powder or cream/liquid foundations without ruining the carefully applied base.
4) You have a pretty big cream blush collection (I have about over 25, see my profile pics for the different types. They range from tarte cheek stains, Paula Dorf cheek color creams, Armani, Nars multiples, Stila mousse or CCs, Anna Sui..This brush suits them all. If you only have a few cream blushes this is not very economical.
5) You have flushed cheeks and any slightly messy application will make your face look messy.
6) You have excess budget to afford $35USD or so on this brush. This is not a must, but a good handy one for blush fanatics.
7) You want perfect, precision blush/bronzer application to suit your face shape, for contouring or for blush purposes.

I'm probably all of the above, that's why I have 4 brushes (even though the cream blushes comes off easily if you swipe on tissue a few times after using, but I just prefer having 1 brush for each of my most regular cream blushes).

The brush features a silver handle with black metal wrapping connecting the slightly slanted orange taklon bristles and the handle. It's sturdy, not most beautiful but I only keep these at home so that doesn't bother me. The bristles are densely packed, must thicker than normal foundation brushes. There is also an engraving on the back of handle with patent number.

Ok, so what's so special about this brush: I have flushed cheeks and the apples of my cheeks are relatively low compared to cheekbone, which if I rub blush on apple + cheek area, means I get a huge blob of red on the face and makes my face look huge with two protruding red patch. This brush defines the perfect shape for blusher application One stroke along cheekbone, then another stroke below the first stroke gives the perfect area, without smearing your foundation. (I can now apply cream blush before or after my TM, liquid/cream or powder foundations). It also solves the problem of a lot of cream blushers being too pigmented or too sticky (tarte cheekstains!), it diffuses the color so beautifully and naturally. With fingers, no matter how much blending it's easy to get the strip or blotchiness happening. This brush solves those problems, of course you don't just paint two stripes on the face with the brush, but you can also blend lightly with this brush just by swiping it back and forth very gently on the exact area you want.

These are especially, absolutely perfect for paula dorf cheek color creams (bytheway, I think they got the best consistency in the world of cream blushers).
Pic in my profile.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sugarbomb on 9/8/2005 1:26:00 PM more reviews by sugarbomb

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I read all the positive reviews on here, and had to have this brush, so I swapped for it. I like it fairly well--it seems to distribute cream blush in a way that my fingers don't. It also works well with gel blush in stick form--Tarte's Flush looks especially nice applied with this brush. However, Im not sure that it works better than fingers, just differently, so for $35 I probably wouldn't repurchase.

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*TOP REVIEWER* julia178 on 5/11/2005 1:14:00 AM more reviews by julia178

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Great brush for cream blushes. At $35 not cheap, but IMHO worth every penny. An absolutely essential tool for me, I just bought a second one for travel.
Applies Paula Dorf's Cheek Cream blushes like a dream, I wouldn't want to miss it. Have used mine daily for over 1 1/2 years, I washed it after each use, and it still looks like brand new, very high quality taklon bristles.

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Kate_NS on 5/9/2005 5:53:00 PM more reviews by Kate_NS

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

You have NO idea what this cost in Cdn$!! but i had to have/try. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get it to work for me! because of the 'drag' of many cheek produts, the brush just felt un-natural and didn't seem to blend as seamlessly as I would have liked! Now I'm not knockin' the brush in-and-of-itself: it is an exceptionally well made and beautifully balanced brush with firm yet pliable bristles. For someone who lives with cream blushes and has tried (and mastered) cheaper versions of the cream blush brush, this would be a coveted treasure! I personally prefer the larger, flatter head of the Becca Creme Blush Brush.

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delhi on 4/19/2005 5:50:00 PM more reviews by delhi

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

How did I live without this for so long? I fell in love with Paul Dorf's cream blushes after I found out that it's the blush used by many celebs. ex. SJP wore "playmate" on SATC. Gywenth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox all wear "Candy Apple", etc. Anyway after finding my HG blush I also purchased the PD cream blush brush, and i'm so glad I did. Makes appication a breeze, goes on perfectly and also no breakouts due to rubbing your fingers into your cheeks to get your cream blush to blend perfectly. This brush does it for you. It's so great I purchased TWO!

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cristiana on 3/26/2005 3:20:00 PM more reviews by cristiana

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

The price is steep, but if you're going to buy the cream blush, you need this. I could not get the cream blush right with my fingers, but this brush is perfect. Also, I'm not skilled at blush application, but it doesn't matter - this brush seems mistake proof.

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*TOP REVIEWER* aried on 1/31/2005 3:06:00 PM more reviews by aried

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is a nice brush for applying creme blush. It has soft taklon bristles and deposits color evenly. The angular shaped head is perfect for blending in the creme blushes and sweeping up. That is what I like about this brush. The bad part is the handle. I have had this brush for two years and the laquer on the handle started cracking and peeling. Now, I am very careful with my brushes; I clean them, never submerge them in water and keep them in a brush roll. I have older brushes than this one without this problem. I called PD customer service but they said since the brush is 2 years old it is normal wear and tear. Oh, well. I definitely won't be purchasing another PD brush.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Aiko_Aiko on 11/15/2004 6:34:00 PM more reviews by Aiko_Aiko

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

To me, this brush is indispensable. I love the look of cream/gel blushes, but I do not have the artist's hands necessary to blend them properly. This brush makes applying them almost foolproof. It's of excellent quality, very gentle on the skin, and has never failed to produce a natural looking, even 'glow'. I have used it to apply Tarte cheek stains, Stila CCs and rouge, Paula Dorf's own cheek creams (which are about as awesome as this brush) - and well, you get the idea. As long as I'm careful not too load up too much product at once (I find it better to start off lightly and then build the colour if needed), the brush pretty much does the rest! Definitely one of my favourite brushes ever, don't let the price scare you away!

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gleam on 11/6/2004 8:18:00 AM more reviews by gleam

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This is my first cream blush brush so I can't compare it to others. But wow, this brush is great. The bristles are so soft and smooth yet firm enough to pick up the right amount of product. I also use this brush to apply NARS Multiples. Expensive but should last a long time.

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*TOP REVIEWER* valora on 8/25/2004 12:09:00 AM more reviews by valora

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I converted to cream/gel blushes in the past two years and became very good at blending by hand. I resisted investing in this brush but now that I have been using it for a few weeks I don't know what I would do without it! This brush allows for almost mistake-proof application. If you use cream blush on a regular basis, buy this!

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*TOP REVIEWER* yovivbabe on 2/1/2004 6:03:00 PM more reviews by yovivbabe

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

When I first bought Paula Dorf Cheek Color Cream, the salesgirl was trying to convince me to buy this brush and I blew her off. Then, a few months later--that's now--I decided just to try it, and OMIGOD--how did I live without it? It makes the application of CCC absolutely perfect and natural. It's expensive, but it's supposed to last. Good brushes are soooooo important.

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Minzi on 1/27/2004 9:39:00 AM more reviews by Minzi

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I love cream blush, and this appears to be the best way to put it on. It makes a huge difference. This brush is NOT cheap, and it took me about a month to decide to buy it. I am glad I did. Cream blush can be tricky to apply, and this makes it go on just right. Hopefully this brush will last a long time, I don't want to shell out another 35.00 anytime soon.

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Pekieboo on 12/19/2003 5:34:00 AM more reviews by Pekieboo

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

If you like cream blush (Stila Convertible Colors are my favourites) you will LOVE this brush! Way, WAY better for blending than fingertips, perfectly shaped and textured, it makes for flawless application. Absolutely worth every penny.

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MiloAukerman on 6/16/2003 10:12:00 AM more reviews by MiloAukerman

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Tan   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Expensive? YES! I will not buy this brush again because it better darn well last me eternity. Joking aside, it is a very good brush and I find that it makes application of PD's cheek color cream much more precise. To keep my brush soft and clean I use PD's brush-out bath. The container suggests cleansing daily...yeah right!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Calamity on 4/5/2003 2:22:00 PM more reviews by Calamity

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This brush costs one meeeeeellion dollars so I'm still puzzling over whether it's really worth it. The thing is, I haven't tried any other cream blush brushes, so I don't have anything to compare it to. It is a good brush. It applies colour smoothly and the shape is fairly effective. I don't agree with the person who said it made application idiot-proof but maybe I'm too big an idiot for it. I would buy this again (although I don't see why I'd ever need to buy another one... if I lost it maybe?) despite the sobs of my wallet.

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