lunchtime buy

This Cheek Duo Makes Me Look Less Dead

Photo: Courtesy of retailer.

The forecast is threatening snow later this week. Personally, that thrills me, but I know plenty of people could use a little sunshine around this time. Tom Ford’s holiday collection, Soleil Neige, has managed to make us all happy. The collection is made up of shades that would look great in a ski outfit (white with pops of celadon, charcoal, and metallic brown), and while Ford’s fragrance of the same name is edged in silver, the makeup is edged in gold — sort of like what I imagine the snow in Gstaad to look like.

But I’m here to talk about his Glow Stick (which sounds a little dirty when you write it). A generously sized crayon with blush on one end and highlighter on the other, the stick comes in three versions: Courchevel, a chocolate-brown and bronze duo; Megeve, a bronze/rose duo; and the coral and gold Soleil Neige, which I use.

I’ve been accused of not wearing enough color on my cheeks. Makeup artist Dick Page tells me I blend my blush to the point of erasing it, leaving my cheeks lifeless. But when I use this stick, I feel like it’s encouraging me to embrace my skin’s natural glow, or at least to fake what I’d like my skin’s natural glow to look like if I were the kind of person who could (or would) get a very subtle tan.

The coral is a happy coral that doesn’t veer too orange or too red. Blending it over the apples of my cheeks makes me look more awake and alive. I’m not a big highlighter person, so I’ve been pretty skimpy with the gold shimmer on the other end of the stick, but when I dab one little tap over the coral just on my cheekbone, I do like its slightly frosted effect. Kind of like how I imagine Gstaad would look after a fresh snowfall: quite pretty, and far from gauche.

If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. 

This Cheek Duo Makes Me Look Less Dead