BEAUTY LAB Stick blushers

Each month, our beauty team test the newest products to see what reigns supreme. Here, Kate Pasola gets stuck into stick blush

Giorgio Armani Color Sketcher, £31

Pritt-stick chunkiness is all well and good, but if your mood (or your bone structure) calls for greater precision, this one’s your guy. The crayon tip is perfect for slowly diffusing a subtle flush into your cheeks (while also making lip application a breeze). And with a super-subtle shade range – including the ultimate cool-girl mauve – prepare to be putting that multifunctionality to work all over your face.

Editor’s pick... Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick, £46

Some products hit the spot so well they have you immediately hoping you’ll bump into an ex. From its sultry matte exterior to the stick of satiny joy mounted in chrome and gold, this is a glow-up at every corner – and lasts all day. It’s nourishing, too, with restorative jojoba oil and oilcontrolling China clay. Pricey, but you get big bang for your buck.

Nudestix Nudies Bloom, £30

Gorgeously dewy, if a little gluey on application – try pressing rather than sweeping if you’re conscious of your base. Forget the brush, which brings nothing more than a Piers Morgan vibe to the whole thing: dense and unnecessarily disruptive. Blend with something fluffier.

Make Beauty Lip & Cheek Stick, £24

Don’t be deceived by this dome of bubblegum’s glossy exterior. It’s here to pack a highly pigmented pastel punch, so go easy when applying lest you, as I did, end up looking uncomfortably postcoital. Minus points for staying power – it didn’t see me past my meal-deal lunch.

Burt’s Bees All Aglow Lip & Cheek Stick, £12.99

I like being passively hydrated by my make-up as much as the next person. But this stick’s inner core of moisturising coconut oil, though well intentioned, creates an unfortunate streakiness. I found myself blending it onto the back of my hand before it even reached my cheekbone, which ruined the fun of the whole “stick” thing.

Milk Makeup Glow Oil Lip + Cheek, £12

I believe the perfect blush should give the flush of a troublemaking little sister in some period drama who has an illicit crush on Colin Firth. Slightly translucent, this takes a while to build, but persevere – a couple of layers and this buttery little hero totally delivers.