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What they are: Saie Dew Blushes are semi sheer liquid blushes with a dewy finish. They have a very hydrating feel and never fully set down, remaining dewy looking throughout the day. A few shades have some fine shimmer up close in swatches but I don’t notice any sparkle or shimmer once they are on the cheek.
Price/Quantity: $25 for 12 mL / 0.4 oz
Availability: Saie, Sephora, Kohl’s
Shade Range: 9 Shades
Packaging: Plastic container a bit larger than a lipgloss with a large doe foot applicator. The shade names are printed on a label on the bottom of each container.
Smell/Fragrance: These are fragrance free but they do have a mineral/chemical scent. I don’t find it to smell paint-like or offensive and it’s not something I notice with normal use but it is strong enough to easily detect when looking for a scent.
Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 months after opening.
Ingredients:
ISOCETYL STEAROYL STEARATE GLYCERIN TRIBEHENIN SAMBUCUS NIGRA (ELDERBERRY) FRUIT EXTRACT MICA GLYCERYL STEARATE GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA (LICORICE) ROOT EXTRACT SILICA MORUS ALBA (WHITE MULBERRY) ROOT EXTRACT SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE (COMFREY) LEAF EXTRACT OENOTHERA BIENNIS (EVENING PRIMROSE) ROOT EXTRACT [+/- MAY CONTAIN/ PEUT CONTENIR TITANIUM DIOXIDE CI77891 IRON OXIDES (CI77492, CI77491, CI77499) YELLOW 6 LAKE RED 7 LAKE RED 22 LAKE FERRIC FERROCYANIDE
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Performance
Shade Selection: I originally was just going to pick up the shade Baby to give this formula a try. That shade is pretty straightforward and I had a good idea of what I was going to get with it. But I had a harder time visualizing what the rest of the shade range might look like on me, which is why I thought doing a post on this would be helpful. There are groupings of pinks, peaches, corals, a berry shade, and a brown shade. I think because of the color payoff these are generally suited better to lighter/medium skin tones, though the shades Poppy and Dreamy may show up on deeper complexions.
Application: I dot the product straight onto the cheek and blend it out mostly with my fingers and may do a final light blend with a brush, especially around the edges. Saie recommends adding a few dots to the cheek. Personally, I find one not-too-tiny-dot to gives me plenty of color payoff. Once I blend that out, I may add one more layer right in the center to build up the color. So far I’ve tried them over KVD Good Apple Serum Foundation, Too Faced Born This Way Multi Use Sculpting Concealer, and Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Foundation and it has gotten along well with all of them without lifting the foundation (much). They can slightly sheer out my coverage but not to an amount that I feel is a problem. The cooler/pinker shades kind of emphasize old acne scarring when I don’t wear a high enough coverage base underneath but the warmer shades are a bit more forgiving. I think someone that has pretty even skin without much need for coverage will probably like the cooler shades better.
Texture/Consistency/Finish: These have a lightweight gel serum texture that feels super hydrating upon application and remains tacky unless set with a power. There is enough tack that my hair can stick to my cheek which is a tiny bit annoying. They give the skin a wet (kind of sweaty) look, in a good way, without visible shimmer or sparkle.
Pigmentation/Color Payoff: Semi sheer. They show up better than some drugstore options I’ve tried and are easier to avoid over applying than the Elf Camo Liquid Blushes I tried recently. When applying with fingers, I find it more difficult to layer and build up the color but using a brush makes building up color or applying it more heavily from the get-go easier. Because they are so dewy/hydrating, they move super easily if touched, so it’s not hard to move or pick up color from a previous layer as I’m trying to add more.
Longevity: So far I’ve tried Baby and Chilly for wear time. Baby seemed to fade by the end of the day one of the times I wore it (set with powder) but not on a second test without powder. Chilly did not fade after wearing it all day. They can be sheered out and transfer easily if touched, though, and that can shorten wear time.
Pros and Cons
Things I like:
- I don’t have to be too careful about application. With most of the shades, it’s hard to overdo or apply too much.
- Pretty much every color works for me.
- Depending on the shade, these can look very natural. Oddly the warmer ones look more natural on me.
- Part of Saie’s brand image/mission is to be environmentally conscious.
- I think the dewy finish without relying on shimmer is unique.
Drawbacks and other considerations:
- The tackiness is a bit much but I can tolerate it for the effect.
- There are a couple options that may work for deeper skin tones but these are probably going to be most suited to lighter/medium skin tones.
Worth Buying?
Liquid blushes are not a thing I have loads of experience with but of the ones I have tried, these are the dewiest. Most I’ve used have been the kind that set down completely and I never did love that kind of formula. If you really want the wet-skin look, these will definitely give you that and I’m not really sure of a good alternative option. If you think sticky skin will get on your nerves, they probably won’t be the best bet for you.
Swatches
Peachy
Peachy is one of the lightest options aside from Baby but has more color payoff than I was expecting. This is one of my favorite shades out of them all.
Rosy
Rosy is similar to Peachy but a bit more pink and also a bit more pigmented. I can use a little less of this one for the same level of color payoff.
Cutie
Cutie is like a deeper version of Peachy. I really like this shade as well and think I could use this one to get a pretty similar effect as Peachy by just using less of it.
Spicy
Spicy is a deeper reddish brown. This one didn’t swatch the same as the others but ended up applying to face about the same. The color ended up looking not too different from Cutie once it was all blended out.
Baby
Baby is a light cool pink. It was the first shade of this I tried which led me down a rabbit hole of trying to find the rest of the shades. This is the lightest/sheerest out of them all and requires the most building to show up well on me. When swatching this, this one left a very faint stain on my arm but I didn’t notice the same issue on my face with regular use.
Chilly
Chilly is cool-ish medium mauve. I’d probably grab for this one for an “everyday” color if I wanted something cooler.
Dreamy
Dreamy is a like a deeper version of Chilly. I can use this one to get a similar look if I use it more lightly. This is one of the few that I feel I could apply too heavily by accident.
Sweetie
Sweetie is a medium pinky coral. This one also stained my arm when swatching a bit more heavily than the shade Baby did.
Poppy
Poppy is a bright orangey-coral. This looks more orange in a heavy swatch but when sheered out, ends up looking more pink. This one left the heaviest staining on my arm during swatching and the stain was noticeably pinker and cooler than the orange in the photo above. I would avoid using this one with brushes that have light hairs/bristles to avoid staining them. This is the other shade I feel the need to be careful to not apply too much of.