Joanna Gaines—interior designer, Magnolia co-founder and co-creator of the Magnolia Network—has shared plenty of personal essentials over the years, but in a recent interview with The Strategist, the mogul and TV host revealed the exact blush she always keeps on hand: Lancôme’s Blush Subtil Powder Blush ($34).
“I don’t leave the house without my blush—I keep an extra in my purse and one at the office,” Gaines says. “I reapply color around 1 p.m., and it resets me for the second half of the day. It feels equivalent to that midday cup of coffee but for my face.”
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Lancôme’s Blush Subtil Powder Blush is a mineral oil-free, silky powder formula that starts as a soft wash of color and builds evenly as you layer it on. According to the brand, the cream-to-powder texture glides on smoothly and won’t settle into pores, texture, fine lines or dry patches, making it ideal for mature, acne-prone and sensitive skin types.
Shoppers echo Gaines’ enthusiasm for Lancôme’s Blush Subtil Powder Blush, too. One Amazon reviewer raves, “I have been using this product for years, and I have never found anything better.” Another agrees: “I keep coming back to Lancôme. I like that the color is sheer, goes on evenly with a light brush and lasts.” A third calls it a “great quality blush that adds really nice subtle color to look natural.”
As NewBeauty previously reported, even amid an influx of cream, liquid, balm and jelly blushes in recent years, powder blush remains one of the most popular formulas. In 2024, the Instagram account Data, But Make It Fashion, analyzed 891 articles referencing blush types and ran a sentiment analysis comparing liquid and powder formulas. The results revealed that powder blush was 79 percent more popular than liquid blush that year.
As for Gaines’ other non-beauty essentials? Birkenstocks (“I have a pair of Birkenstocks for nearly any occasion.”); Kerrygold Salted Pure Irish Butter (“it makes everything taste better”); Chobani Dairy Creamer (“I’m a sucker for all of their seasonal options.”); sweatpants from Vuori (“The first thing I do when I get home is swap my jeans for these.”); and a cozy blanket (“This blanket has that perfect weight that makes you instantly relax.”).
