A week before its launch date, Charlotte Tilbury’s new blush was already swirling on TikTok… such is the power of all things “Pillow Talk.” But should you buy into the early hype around the Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wands? Allure had three editors, with three different skin tones, try the new formula to find out. We also talked to Tilbury herself: mother of the blockbuster Pillow Talk franchise, makeup artist to the stars (Kate Moss, Amal Clooney, Naomi Campbell, and more), and — in her words — “an alchemist.” Tilbury told us she’s in the business of “stealing a little bit of DNA here, there, and everywhere” and this time the DNA in question is from babies. “You know when babies blush, and there’s a certain pop of color?” Tilbury says. “It’s lit from within.” (Don’t worry — “DNA” is figurative for Tilbury. No children were harmed in the making of this blush.)

The Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wands are the latest addition to the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk phenomenon that started a decade ago with just a neutral-pink lip liner. The company says one product from the line — which now includes various lip products, eye shadow, and blush — is sold every six seconds somewhere on planet Earth. When a franchise is this successful, more is more so this latest formula comes in three shades on top of the classic soft-rose Pillow Talk. There’s also Pillow Talk Pink Pop (a bubblegum pink), Pillow Talk Peach Pop (a bold coral), and Pillow Talk Dream Pop (a vibrant raspberry). “They don’t sit on top of the skin and blend right in,” Tilbury says of the formula. Cosmetic chemist Marisal Mou explains that the formula’s silica spheres are “critical to creating a natural look” and “fill into the gaps of wrinkles and lines to create a blurring effect.” And while this is certainly not Tilbury’s first wand rodeo — she also has the Beauty Light Wands, Hollywood Contour Wands, and Easy Eye Wands – the formula in these wands stands out because of its skin-like finish. “It’s unique because psychologically, we almost expect a cream or liquid product to give a dewy look, and when it gives the unexpected result of being matte, it can have a ‘wow’ effect,” says Mou.