Blush is no longer just the final step—it’s the product doing the most work in your makeup routine. The prettiest new formulas launching for spring add a flush of color, and they blur pores, boost radiance, and layer in skincare benefits. Creamy textures that melt in like a second skin, luminous finishes that fake a full night’s sleep, and pigment that does double duty as both makeup and treatment will all contribute to improving how your skin looks over time.

From glow-boosting balms to soft-focus powders and serum-infused tints, today’s blushes are designed to enhance more than just your cheeks. Consider this your guide to the multitasking blushes that are hitting the market now.

Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush

The Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush is all about flexibility—adapting to whatever look you’re going for. What makes it unique is that it boasts a balm-like texture that even a beginner can blend out, giving you a sheer, barely there tint with one swipe. This product also has the ability to build beautifully if you want more color without ever looking heavy or overdone. Because it’s so forgiving, you can apply it straight from the tube and blend with your fingers (no precision needed) making it an easy, versatile staple, whether you’re keeping things minimal or layering for a more glamorous look.

Morphe Cheek Thrills Multi-Finish Face Trios

For an option that does far more than just add a pop of color, this trio gives you a fully customizable cheek in one simple compact. It has a mix of cream, balm, and powder formulas, letting you play with different finishes to create dimension, glow, and a soft-blur effect all at once. The cream absorbs into skin for a natural flush; the balm adds that dewy, lit-from-within sheen; and the powder diffuses everything for a smooth, perfected look. Whether you wear each formula on its own or stack them together, the product is designed to enhance your skin rather than sit on top of it—making your blush look more like real skin, just better.

Prada Touch Cream-to-Powder Blush

The Prada Touch Cream-to-Powder Soft Blur Longwear Blush is less about adding color and more about refining your entire complexion. The texture starts off as a silky cream, then quickly sets into a soft-focus powder that diffuses the look of pores and texture. What I love most about this blush is that it lends your cheeks a smooth, almost airbrushed effect. It also blends seamlessly on contact and builds without ever looking heavy, landing on a soft-matte finish that still feels fresh and dimensional—not flat.

Benefit Play Daze Airy Liquid Blush

If there’s one blush formula that feels tailor-made for spring, it’s this one. The liquid blush delivers that fresh, just-pinched flush in a formula that’s light enough for warmer days but opaque enough to elevate your whole look. The texture goes on as a weightless liquid, then diffuses into a soft, blurred matte that looks like real skin, not makeup. It’s especially ideal as temperatures rise because it sets without feeling heavy or sticky. As a result, you get that breathable, cloud-like finish that won’t slide around by midday. And because it’s waterproof and transfer-resistant, the color will grip without going patchy or fading.

MCoBeauty Blush & Go Cream Stick

This formula from MCoBeauty doubles as a skincare-infused essential that keeps your face looking hydrated and healthy throughout the day. The blush ingredient list reads more like skincare than makeup, boasting castor oil, jojoba seed oil, shea butter, and hyaluronic acid, which work together to nourish, soften, and give skin that naturally plump, dewy look. Even better, it’s designed for true versatility. You can swipe this onto both your cheeks and your lips for a quick, monochromatic moment that pulls your whole look together.

LYS Beauty Cream and Powder Blush Duo

Consider this duo from LYS Beauty your no-fuss blush that takes the guesswork out of adding color and smoothing your skin. It’s composed of a cream layer that melts in for a skin-like base, plus a powder that softly diffuses, helping to even out texture and give cheeks a smoother, more refined finish. Together, the two create dimension without heaviness, so your blush looks fresh and seamless rather than flat. Infused with skin-loving ingredients like niacinamide and green tea extract, it also helps boost radiance and brighten the look of skin over time, making it feel like a glow-enhancing step as much as a makeup one.

Call it the haircut that does the most without ever looking like it tried. “Butterfly layers” are officially back for spring, bringing with them that airy, face-framing movement that feels equal parts polished and undone. The look creates volume, shape, and bounce without sacrificing length, making it especially appealing if you’re craving a change but not a dramatic chop. Below, we tapped Los Angeles-based hairstylist Beau Dieda to break down exactly what makes butterfly layers so flattering right now—plus how to style them for that soft, bouncy finish all spring long.

What are butterfly layers?

According to Dieda, butterfly layers involve shorter, face-framing pieces that hit around the cheekbone to collarbone, and longer layers underneath that keep the length. “From the front, it feels like a shorter, voluminous cut, but you still have long hair in the back,” he says. Think of it as a two-tier effect: wispy layers around the face, paired with longer, blended layers through the rest of the hair.

If you’re picturing the choppy, hyper-layered cuts of the early 2000s, consider this your reset. Dieda says the biggest update to this cut comes down to softness. “We’re not seeing those chunky, super-separated layers anymore—instead, everything is more seamlessly blended,” he adds. “The face-framing pieces feel lighter and less ‘shelf-like,’ creating movement that looks effortless rather than overly styled.”

The easiest way to understand butterfly layers is to see where they fall on the layering spectrum. “Classic, long layers are pretty subtle—mostly just movement at the ends,” Dieda says. “A shag is much more aggressive, with layering all over, especially through the crown.” Butterfly layers, on the other hand, borrow a bit from both. They deliver that lifted, face-framing effect you’d get from a shag, but without removing a ton of weight or creating that intentionally choppy finish.

How to style butterfly layers

If there’s one thing to know about styling butterfly layers, it’s that the finish should feel soft. For a bouncy, face-framing effect, start by blow-drying the front pieces forward, then flip them away from the face using a round brush to create that signature lift and bounce. “You definitely want to use a great blow dryer—I love the DryQ from SRI Labs,” Dieda adds. Once the hair is dry, go in with a flat iron and add a slight bend to a few pieces, especially around the front. The key is to keep everything a little undone—think soft bends rather than perfect curls.

SRI DryQ Advanced Ionic Hairdryer

If you want butterfly layers to really shine, air-drying is one of the easiest ways to bring out their natural movement—no full blowout required. Start with a leave-in conditioner like the Luseta Glossy Pearl Leave-In Conditioner; you’ll want to keep the products light so you don’t weigh down the layers. From there, gently towel-dry and comb your face-framing pieces into place. “Let the hair air-dry about 70 to 80 percent, then twist a few front pieces away from your face or clip them up for a little lift,” says Dieda.

Luseta Glossy Pearl Leave-in Conditioner

Like any layered cut, butterfly layers look their best when the shape stays intentional, not grown out and heavy, so Dieda recommends getting a cut every eight to 12 weeks. Because the shorter, face-framing pieces are what give the cut its signature lift and movement, they tend to lose their shape the fastest. “Even just a quick refresh around the face can bring the whole cut back to life,” he notes.

Who should get butterfly layers?

What makes butterfly layers stand out is how customizable they are. You can go softer and blended for a barely there effect, or lean into more dramatic contrast between the shorter and longer pieces for that full, swoopy, supermodel vibe. The look also works across textures—straight, wavy, or curly—because the layering is designed to enhance natural movement rather than fight it.

It’s also incredibly adaptable to different face shapes: shorter layers that hit at the cheekbones can help lift and open up round or softer faces; while longer, more elongated, face-framing pieces can balance out oval shapes. For square faces, softer, feathered layers can diffuse sharper angles, creating a more fluid effect. The end result is a cut that doesn’t just look good—it subtly enhances your natural proportions without feeling overly styled.

Call it the transitional shade that does everything. Caramelized brunette is quickly becoming the go-to in-between color for anyone not quite ready to go lighter, but still craving a shift that feels fresh, dimensional, and expensive. (Just look at Sofia Richie Grainge’s glossy warm-tone shade.) Sitting right between rich brunette and sunlit blonde, caramelized brunette threads warm caramel ribbons through deeper bases to mimic the kind of natural lift you’d get after a few weeks in the sun.

Below, we tapped Jess Gonzalez, lead colorist at Flore Los Angeles, to break down exactly why this shade is taking over—and how to make it work for your hair type and routine.

What is caramelized brunette?

“Caramelized brunette is a rich, dimensional brunette infused with soft golden and amber tones that mimic the warmth of caramel,” says Gonzalez. “It feels glossy, lived-in, and elevated—never flat or overly highlighted.” What makes this shade different from traditional warm brunettes or balayage is the intention behind the placement. “It’s more refined and blended than traditional warm brunettes, with less contrast than classic balayage,” notes Gonzales, who says the tones are intentionally melted together to create a seamless, almost “lit-from-within” warmth rather than obvious highlights.

Caramelized brunette is an ideal transition shade between seasons because it mirrors what naturally happens to your hair this time of year. As the weather warms up, sunlight subtly lifts brunette tones, creating that soft dimension—and caramelized brunette taps into that effect without needing a full color overhaul. It brightens just enough to feel seasonal, but still keeps depth at the root, so it doesn’t feel like a drastic shift coming out of winter. “This shade refreshes the hair after winter while still feeling grounded and low-maintenance going into warmer months,” says Gonzalez.

For whom does caramelized brunette work best?

“Caramelized brunette is incredibly versatile, but it’s an especially flattering shade on neutral-to-warm skin tones and natural brunettes who want brightness without committing to blonde,” Gonzalez says. Because the warmth can be adjusted from soft honey to deeper toffee, it can complement a wide range of skin tones without washing you out. If your hair feels flat or one-dimensional, those diffused caramel tones instantly add movement and light without looking streaky. It’s also a strong option for anyone growing out old highlights or color—because the blend is so seamless, it helps blur harsh lines and makes everything look intentional again.

Caramelized brunette works across virtually every hair type too. On fine hair, those soft caramel ribbons create the illusion of depth and movement, making strands seem fuller and more voluminous without requiring heavy styling. When it comes to thicker hair, the look helps break up density so the color doesn’t feel too heavy, adding lightness and flow throughout.

It’s especially flattering on wavy and curly textures, where the warmth catches along bends and coils. Even on straight hair, the subtle tonal shifts keep the color from falling flat. And the glossy reflective finish feels polished and expensive.

How to style and maintain

Styling caramelized brunette is all about enhancing the dimension you already have. Gonzalez recommends going for styles with movement, like loose waves, soft layers, or a blown-out finish. “The color comes alive when the hair catches light and has natural flow,” she adds. To enhance the shine, use a lightweight oil or glossing serum on the ends and style with soft bends rather than tight curls.

14th Night Hair Elixir

Maintenance is refreshingly low-key. Because the color is diffused and blended, grow-out is much softer than traditional highlights, meaning fewer urgent salon visits. To keep the tone looking rich and not brassy, use a color-safe sulfate-free shampoo and consider a gloss or toner every few weeks. Hydration is key too—weekly masks or hair-strengthening treatments (like Filament’s Tensile Strength Hair Treatment Mask) will keep the hair looking shiny and healthy.