Throwing it waaaaay back today with an oldie but goodie, Chanel Malice Blush. I first wrote about it in 2014! This peachy pink blush is still a classic, and I wear it all the time. Oh, and the
goodgreat news? Chanel still carries it in their permanent collection. Shockingly, unlike other brands that have raised their prices steadily over the last few years, Malice’s $45 price tag is still the same as it was in 2014. If there was a handful of makeup from Chanel that I’d recommend as must-haves products, Malice would certainly be on that list.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why this blush is called Malice because it doesn’t have a malicious bone in its sweet, blushy body. There’s nothing malicious, cagey or wicked about it at all…unless you count how wicked cute you look with yo’ fresh cheeks when you wear it.
Peachy pink Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Malice ($45) has been not-so-maliciously sweetening my makeup bag for about two weeks, and in that time I’ve literally not wanted to wear anything else. I think it just might be the most flattering blush in Chanel’s entire permanent line, and it’s all about versatility.
Vehemently versatile
Malice is like NARS Orgasm…only not. Like, if glittery golden NARS Orgasm was a wild child sent to finishing school for a year, she’d come back wearing pearls instead of a leather jacket and be calling herself Malice.
Malice and Orgasm have a similar peachy pink vibe, but Malice’s shimmer, which is more like a barely-there, soft-focus sheen, is much less outrageous and flamboyant.
And it’s that finish that makes Malice one of the greats for me.
I thought it was a matte the first time I swatched it, but then I saw the light reflecting on my skin, almost like the dreamy haze of candlelight, and I realized its greatness.
Effortless and flattering, it just always seems to look natural and good — never like clown cheeks — whether I wear it sheer, or layered to increase its intensity.
It should really sing on a wide range skin tones, and because its sheen is so forgiving (unlike many glittery and/or shiny blushes), that includes the skin of more mature makeup lovers.
On top of everything, it’s just as easy to dress up as it is to dress down. I wore it to run some errands yesterday with the LORAC Pro Palette 2…
OK, I went to Anthropologie to look around, LOL! (Not my fault. There was a sale!)
So anyway, I wore it to run “errands,” also known as “go to the mall.”
I wore it because, well, I think it looks lovely in natural-looking, dressed-down makeup looks and makes me look alive, but also because it carries dramatic eye looks well. It doesn’t compete with whatever else you might have going on your lids and lashes.
The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorite permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands.
Last week I wore it with a thick black liner and a bright coral lipstick, and I think it balanced with what I had on my eyes and lips perfectly.
Whether as an everyday blush, a going-out blush — what have you — it’s really one of those blushes that goes with everything.
And because it strikes such a brilliant balance between peach and pink, it partners well with peach lips, pink, coral and even orange lips, which are super trendy right now.
But, Coco, it’s crazy expensive!
Yes it is. Craaaaaaazy expensive, as are the rest of the Chanel Joues Contraste Blushes at $45 each, but there’s quality there, and these are some of the easiest blushes I’ve ever used.
There are certainly less expensive blushes out there, but if you’re definitely going the high-end blush route, a la Dior, Givenchy, Guerlain or YSL, I suggest taking a detour toward Malice or one of the other Joues Contraste Blushes.
They’re just so smooth! I hardly have to do any blending to get the edges nice and diffused. Plus, they’re so easy to build up in layers and last all day long without touchups.
They’re really some of the best performing products in the Chanel line, and Malice, I think, is the best one.
If a friend asked me to recommend just one of the Joues Contraste Blushes, I’d say Malice without a second thought.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Your hair looks great Karen!
That blush is so pretty too!
Aww, thanks Rachel! These are pics from a while back — 2014! That’s when this post first appeared on the blog.
Omg LOL had me fooled! 😆
Love Malice – So glad they still carry it – Got mine when it first came out and it still looks great.
Did you get your hair cut? It looks super fab!! Love it!! And I love the Chanel blush!! Tres jolie!!
Hi, Sherry! This post was from waaay back in the day (2014). I’m secretly kind of thrilled that you think that these pics are from 2022! LOL
I’m off to find this tomorrow! I have been in a whirlwind lately but coming out of it and start my new job, in a new city Monday after finishing at one Friday. My dream job and I am picking up this blush to wear there as good luck.
Your hair cut is fabo – and you look younger in a fresh way, not a childish way.
Thank you for your blog, the positivity and light humour got me through a tough month. Lots of medical stuff for family and friends and reading your blog in hospital waiting rooms reminded me of the positive, lighter side of life and the hood people in the world.
Vita, I hope that everyone in your life is doing OK. Sending you and all your people good, healing vibes.
P.S. This post first appeared on MBB back in 2014, so the pics are of me eight years ago! I am thrilled that you think this is present-day me, LOL!
The blush is a beautiful 😍 shade of perfection.
The other day I was looking for a blush to wear with a coral-y lipstick and all my blushes seemed to pink or too mauve. Then I opened Malice and was, “Aha! This is it!” Almost forgot I had it.
BTW, Malice in French means “mischievousness, impishness, prankishness”. So perhaps they named it Malice because it plays between pink and peachy and you can never quite pin it down as one or the other. And it always seems to bring a smile to the face of the wearer.
I love that it’s name is kind of a naughty, but not in an overt way!
BTW, I read in a recent comment that your daughter is in Chicago now. I admire her ability to pick up and move to new cities. 🙂
I like to think of it as playful with an undertone of naughtiness. Lol.
As for my daughter. It’s either pick and move to a new city or be unemployed. She’s lucky she has such a good Dad, because he flew out to DC and helped her pack up a truck and drive it to Chicago. Of course they stopped along the way and spent the night with one of her good friends from grad school and his cats Thor and Tyr.
She has always been curious, adventurous and intrepid. No qualms about camping with her class since kindergarten, or sleepovers. She even picked a summer camp in MA and flew across country alone when she was in 7th grade. I guess now is the time for her to do all this. She’s young and single.
You know a blush is good when its lasted this long!
Rose | Beauty & Lifestyle Blogger
@rosemaryhelenxo | https://rosemaryhelenxo.com
Yes, I thought it was you after a new haircut!! How about that? Well, that haircut and color really suits you. Just beautiful!!
I’ve had Malice for years. Bought it for a wedding & it’s become my go to every time I need a reliable do it all blush.