The hack
Make a blusher out of dark pink or red petals and cornflour.
The promise
Less a TikTok trend and more something from the pages of a Georgian romance novel, this involves making your own rouge by mixing ground rose petals with cornflour.
The test
The recipe I’m following uses fresh rose petals, pulverising and then baking them. But I opt for ready-dried Persian rose petals, as they’re a nice bright pink – and hacks are meant to make your life better and easier, right? As instructed, I make a powder from a handful of petals using a pestle and mortar. The result is a little grainy, but passable. This forms my main pigment base, and to this I add quarter of a teaspoon of cornflour at a time, testing the formulation on my skin as I go. It needs some patience and dedication, but I found that my tone warranted no more than half a teaspoon of cornflour for the right blend. While this mix showed up well on my skin (this was my main concern), it was a little lumpy and patchy.
The verdict
I love the idea of this, but it’s a lot of hassle for very little reward and also quite dry. You may prefer a cream blush formulations such as Typology’s Tinted Balm in Coral Orange (£14.50), which gives that fresh, Jane-Austen-esque appeal.
