Justice for Juvia’s Place
Pigmentation is a sensitive topic within the beauty community. If a product doesn’t have enough color payoff, it gets a bad rep for being too subtle, but if a product has too much color payoff, people complain that it’s difficult to blend out and looks harsh on the skin. So naturally, when Black-owned brand Juvia’s Place launched a highly pigmented liquid-blush formula a few months ago, the internet had something to say about it. Here is what happened if you’re not up to speed: Several white creators posted videos of themselves applying way too much of the Juvia’s Place Blushed Liquid Blush, then aggressively trying to blend it out and being visibly shocked when they couldn’t.
Juvia’s Place Blushed Liquid Blush
So what’s was the drama with Juvia’s Place blush?
Kevin Lee (@SimpleeKevin) posted a since-deleted TikTok video that went viral, where the creator attempted to blend out the product with both a sponge and a brush. He failed miserably and was left with an opaque wash of bright pink blush covering his entire cheek and under-eye area. “Oh my God. I can’t fucking do it,” the creator says, while trying to make the product work. These types of negative, click-bait-y reviews are running rampant on TikTok, so someone mindlessly scrolling through their For You Page might just assume the radiant, vitamin-E-infused blush is another poorly formulated product that isn’t worth their time or money. Thankfully though, other creators used their critical-thinking skills (imagine that!) and were quick to point out a few issues with Lee’s review and others like it.
The internet was swift to respond.
Simply put: “It’s not for you,” @makeupbybernice1 said in a TikTok stitch. Another creator with the username @tiffanicvd agreed, explaining that people with dark skin tones “need a pigmented blush” like the one from Juvia’s Place because blushes from makeup brands that cater to white people won’t even show up on them. A third person with the username @thebargainbeauty22 pointed out that the Soft Pinch Liquid Blushes from Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty brand are just as pigmented as the ones from Juvia’s Place, yet beauty buyers don’t seem to mind. (Not only do they not mind, they actually seem to love it; The best-selling blush reportedly sold 3.1 million units and raked in a whopping $70 million in 2022 alone.) It’s also important to note that most of the negative reviews came from people who didn’t use the product correctly. Less is more in this case, as @makeup.b.iconic demonstrated in a viral stitch. “If you take the time to understand a product, it should work for you,” the creator said. “Just because something is too pigmented for you, doesn’t mean it’s too pigmented for someone else.”
So, is the Juvia’s Place Blushed Liquid Blush really too pigmented?
No, not at all. After seeing so many conflicting opinions on the internet, I had to test the product for myself — and I was thoroughly impressed with the results. I opted for a peachy shade that I knew would flatter my skin tone called Soft Tulip. I applied one dot (read that again: one dot!) to the back of my hand, then picked up the product with a beauty blender and lightly dabbed it in a C-shape from the top of my cheekbone to my temple. Sure, it’s pigmented, but it blended out effortlessly and gave my cheekbones a nice glow. I applied a bit more product to intensify the color and didn’t see any separation or cakiness. I also noticed that it lasts a lot longer on my skin than other liquid blushes in my collection; it’s been a staple in my makeup routine ever since!
Asia Milia Ware, the Cut’s fashion and beauty writer, has also been using the Juvia’s Place blush in an orange-toned shade called Marigold. “The pigment is undeniably great on deeper skin tones and it also has a subtle shimmer so I can ditch highlighter, which I already do,” she says. “I applied two dots to my high cheekbone but because it’s so pigmented, I could’ve done one. I blended it in lightly with a brush and it left me with this flushed rosy glow.”
Shopping writer Chinea Rodriguez tried a bright pink called Barbie Rose and was surprised how natural it looked when applied with a light hand. “It’s pigmented but buildable,” she says. “With the lightest dab, I got a nice diffused flush of color that was easy to blend out with a large, dense fluffy brush. I applied some concealer on my under eye and under my cheekbones to blend the edges out just a bit more and felt I could add another tiny dab of product. The shimmer in the pigment adds just the right amount of glow.”
How should you apply the Juvia’s Place Blushed Liquid Blush?
When it comes to applying highly pigmented products — or even just a new formula you’ve never used before — it’s important to remember that you can always add more (but once you apply too much, it’s difficult to remove excess product without disrupting the makeup underneath). Start with a small amount (one dot) of product then build it up if necessary. And for liquid makeup like the Juvia’s Place blush, apply a bit of product to a mixing palette or the back of your hand first, then pick it up with a brush or sponge and gently stamp it on your face. Not only will this method allow you to see the true color and pigmentation before fully committing, but it will also give you more control over how much product you apply. Another pro tip for creating a more natural look with highly pigmented liquid products is to mix in a drop or two of your favorite lightweight serum — this will help diffuse the color and add extra glow.
What should I do if I apply too much blush?
If you do happen to go overboard, don’t panic. Simply go back over the edges of your blush with the same sponge or brush you used to apply your foundation. If you used a liquid or cream blush, make sure the excess foundation you dab on top is also a liquid or cream product so as not to disrupt the formula. (For powder blush, use a small amount of powder foundation overtop.) When all else fails, embrace the Victorian-doll look — heavy blush is trending, after all!