Available in four shades, Patrick Ta’s Monochrome Moment Velvet Blush claims to be “a creamy, smooth, and seamless cheek color that glides onto the skin and melts upon contact for a flawless, second-skin finish.”  It also contains “Patented Biomimetic Pigments” that “mirror the skin’s ceramide structure, ensuring adhesion, true color, and the most natural finish.”  What does it mean for a blush to ensure adhesion to the skin to create a flawless finish?  Can I actually answer that question after trying it?

Price: $32

Find it HERE

Tested June 2020

The Monochrome Moment collection released by Patrick Ta included Silky Lip Crèmes, Precision Lip Crayons and Velvet Blushes with clever names like She’s Unapologetic and She’s Humble. I picked up the Velvet Blush in She’s Passionate. 

This pink cheek color comes in a large rectangular pan with an interior mirror.  The exterior is a mirrored rose gold, and the text on the package is really clean and modern.  I love the aesthetic here.  Even down to the decision to make this rectangular in shape instead of the usual round blush container

This may not be something a lot of people would care about, but I really like that I can fully open the lid on this blush compact so that it lays totally flat.  When a lid doesn’t hinge back all the way like this, it can easily snap off or break, but I don’t feel like that will ever happen here.  The design also makes it easier for me to hold the compact in my hand or lay it flat on a countertop.

Although this is a powder blush, it’s not dusty in the pan and it doesn’t feel powdery when swatched or applied.  It has a very smooth, evenly pigmented formula with just the teensiest hint of shimmer.  When I first applied this, I actually thought it was a matte blush; when I got really close to my face, I could see the shimmer, but it isn’t overt in any way.  I think the glimmer is much more noticeable in the swatch than it is on the cheeks.  Good news for people who might normally steer clear of any blush with shimmer.  This adds a little hint of glow, but looks mostly matte to me when applied.

This blush has real gusto.  It takes maybe two taps into the pan with a brush to get enough color payoff for my taste and fair skin.  If you are generally heavy handed with blush application, be gentle here or you could veer into 1980’s territory pretty quickly with this pink shade.  I like how highly pigmented it is because it’s a 5-second application onto the cheeks.  No need to build this up or add more in the morning because you expect it to fade quickly.

I don’t generally do the “smile and add blush to the apples of the cheeks” technique.  This can be great for other face shapes, but my face is round, so I like to start applying color to the cheeks about the width of two fingers away from the nose and then blend up towards the temples.  This provides a little lift, elongates the face slightly and keeps me from looking like a clown (hopefully!)

I was really impressed with the staying power of this blush formula.  I had to go to a meeting that involved wearing one of those disposable masks for a few hours, so I wanted to see how this blush would hold up (I did use setting spray on the entire face).  When I took my mask off after about two hours, there was some blush that transferred onto the sides near the ear hooks.  I thought it would be much worse though!  I still had color on my cheeks, it didn’t look smeared around, and it only transferred onto the edges of the mask that were directly in contact with my cheekbones, not the center of the mask that covers the apples of the cheeks. 

All things considered, it’s a challenge for any kind of makeup to hold up to hours of mask-wearing swamp face, so there might actually be some credence to the claim that this blush ensures adhesion to the skin with its “Biomimetic Pigments”.  I wore it without setting spray when I was inside working from home all day, and it barely faded at all.  I still looked “blushed” when I removed my makeup before bed.

This Velvet Blush blends easily and quickly, wears well, lasts a long time and provides smooth, vibrant color. The price is a tad up there at $32, but at least the pan is generously sized.  I’m obviously happy with this product because I’m already looking at the other colors I’d want to try (She’s Sincere might be calling my name). 

Liz’s Verdict: It’s a winner! Strong color payoff in an easy-to-use powder formula.