Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Rose Bloom Review: A Blush Crush for Brown Skin

Long before highly pigmented blush became the trend, Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Rose Bloom gave brown skin rich, buildable color with an incredibly lightweight finish. The blush may be retired, but my original 5-Bling verdict still stands.

The Quick Take

Product: Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour
Shade: Rose Bloom
Formula: Velvety powder blush
Finish: Natural, lightweight
Best For: Brown skin, buildable blush lovers, anyone who wants pigment without heaviness
Beauty Closet Status: Archive Blush Crush
Would I Repurchase? Yes — if it were still available
Rating: ★★★★★

Archive Note: Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour is no longer widely available through major retailers. This review has been refreshed from my original 2014 testing experience.

First Impressions

I’m a blush fiend. I really have a hard time feeling complete without my blush, so naturally I wear it every day. When a new blush lands in my hands, it makes my day.

Laura Mercier has long been a brand I love and respect — what I consider a necessary luxury. When I received Second Skin Cheek Colour in Rose Bloom, it quickly became a Blush Crush.

Despite the name, Rose Bloom reads more coral than rose to my eye, and that warmth is one of the reasons it looks so beautiful on brown skin.

Why I Love It

I have brown skin, and when I apply blush, I expect it to show up. Rose Bloom does.

The pigmentation is impressive, but the formula never feels heavy. A little goes a long way, yet the color remains natural-looking on the skin. It can be worn softly or built until you get exactly the depth you want.

That balance — strong color payoff with a lightweight finish — is what made this blush special to me.

Application & Blendability

Rose Bloom is buildable, so I recommend starting with a small amount and adding more where you want intensity. For my original photos, I deliberately applied more than I normally would so you could see how well the shade shows up on brown skin. Even with the extra color, it still looked natural.

For the most flattering placement, blend the color upward along the cheekbone rather than concentrating everything directly on the apples of the cheeks.

Tracey’s Beauty Tip

With a pigment-rich powder blush, tap excess product from your brush before touching the skin. Build in thin layers. You’ll get dimension without creating a heavy patch of color.

Wear Test

This blush wore for hours on me without noticeably fading. That was one of the standouts of the original formula: the color had staying power without looking thick or cakey.

How Rose Bloom Looks on Brown Skin

Rose Bloom is a perfect example of why I don’t judge a blush solely by how it looks in the compact. On my brown skin, the shade comes alive as a warm coral-rose that gives the complexion noticeable color without overwhelming it.

Who Should Skip It?

If you prefer a very sheer blush that is almost impossible to overapply, this formula may require a lighter hand than you like. Rose Bloom has real pigment.

And because Second Skin Cheek Colour is retired, I would not recommend paying an inflated resale price simply to track it down. This is an archive favorite, not a product I want you chasing across the internet.

Worth the Splurge?

When it was available, yes. My original review gave Rose Bloom 5 Blings for its lightweight feel, beautiful pigmentation, buildability and wear.

Today, its value is also as a reminder that a great powder blush doesn’t have to look dry, heavy or flat on brown skin.

Beauty Closet Status

ARCHIVE BLUSH CRUSH.

Rose Bloom earned its place because it delivered exactly what I want from blush: visible color, a flattering finish and a formula that could be built without becoming heavy.

Would I Repurchase?

Yes — if Laura Mercier still made it.

My original answer was yes, and I’m keeping that verdict. Rose Bloom was a beautiful example of a powder blush that understood brown skin.

If You Loved This Blush…

Second Skin Cheek Colour has been retired, so rather than hunting down old stock, I’d look to Laura Mercier’s current cheek-color lineup for the same kind of polished, complexion-enhancing approach to blush. I would not call any current shade an exact Rose Bloom replacement without testing it side by side.