The sad irony of having a full-time job: I now have more disposable income to spend on makeup, but less opportunity to pounce on a much-hyped launch before it sells out. Not that I do that often (or did it often when I was unemployed), mind you. But when ColourPop announced that it was bringing back the heart-shaped blushes from last Valentine’s Day and adding a few new shades, Flirt Alert immediately caught my eye—it looked like a cool-leaning pinkish beige, a powder version of Illamasqua Zygomatic—and I resolved to make it mine.

The launch was at 1 pm Eastern on January 27, and I decided to wait until the end of the day to place my order. But by the time I got around to checking the ColourPop website that afternoon, all but two of the blush shades were sold out, including Flirt Alert. Noooo! So on the day when the blushes were restocked two weeks later, I brought my personal laptop to school and quickly ordered Flirt Alert during a break.

Yes, I bought this blush partly because of the cuteness of its packaging. No, I don’t have any regrets (though I wish ColourPop had reproduced that tattoo-style cursive typeface on the blush compact itself). I’ve been displaying Flirt Alert on top of my dresser since I got it, and I love picking up the compact, stroking its soft matte coating, and cradling its domed top in my palm. It feels like a chunk of sea glass or a river-smoothed rock. If that makes me a fetishist, so be it.

The compact contains a mirror from which, predictably, I have yet to remove the protective plastic sheet.

I’ve seen some complaints that these blushes are hard to open. It’s true that the compact has a tiny latch that reminds me of the mouth of the unibrow baby from The Simpsons; it doesn’t give me any difficulty, but I can see how it could present a problem for some.

Flirt Alert is a hard color to describe accurately. With its usual disregard for the whole language-as-a-means-of-communication thing, ColourPop characterizes the shade as a “dusty mauve.” Which…no. Urban Decay Rapture is a “dusty mauve.” Flirt Alert has the tiniest hint of purple in the same way that a well-made martini has the tiniest hint of vermouth, but in the final analysis, a martini is basically a glass of gin and Flirt Alert is basically a neutral-toned beige-pink. This shade reminds me of Pat McGrath Fleurtatious, and I suspect it reminded ColourPop of Fleurtatious, too, considering the name ColourPop came up with.

Like most blushes, it reads a little warmer on my skin than it does in the pan. It’s not peachy or purplish or taupe, just a straightforward subtle flush. I think I’ve finally found my perfect nude blush!

Swatches! One swipe each, L-R: Tarte Paaarty, Flirt Alert, Illamasqua Zygomatic:

Some more swatches, because why not. L-R: Tower 28 Magic Hour, NARS Threesome, Flirt Alert, Urban Decay Rapture, ColourPop Aphrodisiac:

ColourPop’s powder blush formula has improved significantly since I first tried it in 2018, when it was thick, clumpy, and weirdly moist (why I still own Whirl, the blush I bought back then, I don’t know). Flirt Alert is free of those issues. It’s finely milled, matte with just a hint of glow, pigmented but blendable, long-lasting…really, I couldn’t ask for more. On my face, Flirt Alert doesn’t emphasize skin texture or contribute any texture of its own; it just makes me look a little more polished and alive. I’ve been wearing it almost every day for the past three weeks, since it lasts through my workday and goes with absolutely everything. It even photographs well!

Here I am wearing Flirt Alert with ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Truth and MAC Satin Lipstick in Paramount, a current favorite:

With Truth again, plus Etude House Shark Red, my favorite ’80s rhinestone sweater, and a seatbelt (why is it so easy to get good lighting in a car and so hard to get it at home?):

Closeup to show (possibly too much) texture:

Today is the second day of my three-week spring break, and I hope to write at least one more post before I go back to work. See you again soon!