A good blush colour can work wonders and knock ten years off, because apparently, that rosy flush “recaptures the essence of youth.” In a study carried out at the University of St Andrews, rosy cheeks were perceived as healthier, younger and more attractive – thanks to healthy blood vessels. And apparently, our blood vessels were also affected by levels of sex hormones, which diminish with age.

Isn’t that just depressing?

Which is why the most important thing about blush (apart from the right colour) is location, location, location!

It’s all about adding colour to the apples of your cheeks to get a youthful flush, and there’s no need to be afraid to take the colour quite high and towards the nose. A make-up artist I know even takes the colour down towards the jaw to mimic a flush. Very romantic, I tell you.

The trick to this is to use a nice, sheer formula, and I’ve got just the one for you – Hervana by Benefit. 

The latest addition to Benefit’s Box O’ Powders, Hervana is described as a “soft orchid blossom flush”, though I’d be really grateful if anyone can describe that that really means!

Hervana comes in a pinwheel design of four shades – Lucky Shell (pale beige), Divine Peach (a warm shimmery peach), Heavenly Rose (soft rosy peach) and Berry Delight (a deep pinky-plum) – and also has a slanted brush which I don’t use. I’ve tried swatching them individually, but gave up – it was just too much of a bother because the sections were too small.

But mix and give them a swirl with your brush, and you get a pretty warm peach-pink, though on my cheeks, it’s more a coral/peach flush. Then there’s also a slight shimmer which contributes to the soft glow.

What I’ve also started doing is to use Lucky Shell and Divine Peach on the eyes – and it works out like a dream when you want to go for a natural look.

Now the bit that bothered me about Hervana was that I really needed to work my brush to get the colours to come out. The featured look had LOADS of Hervana, I kid you not – almost three layers of it! Still, this will mean good things if you’re looking to keep the look natural as you’re able to really exercise control over the colour.

Like most Benefit cheek powders, I think this one’s a keeper. Try it.

Worked Hervana with Guerlain’s 4-Colour Eyeshadow in Écrin and Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Rose Tea.