When it comes to sheer makeup, I’ve always been a skeptic. I mean, isn’t the whole point of makeup to cover, conceal, disguise? Until recently, the sum total of my sheer experiences amounted to a single swipe of gel blush on the back of my hand and a brief encounter with a liquid cheek stain that made me look more kewpie doll than flushed flower. There is a product, however, that has turned my view of sheer makeup upside down: Tarte Cheek Stain ($28 each; sephora.com) has made me a convert.

First off, it comes in a firm stick, rather than a watery liquid or gooey gel formula. Its glycerin base makes it nongreasy—a must for light-olive, oily-skinned girls like me—yet it glides on as silkily as a cream. It stays moist, making blending easy, and you can layer it on to make it as light or dark as you like. What’s more, the moistness evaporates after a while, leaving only the color so you don’t look shiny. Previous attempts at sheer blushing always accentuated my skin’s imperfections, but Tarte’s version leaves a transparent tint without adding to existing dark splotches (this is no mean feat, I assure you). I was delighted with Blushing Bride—the lovely deep-plum color you’d turn if you pinched your cheeks—until a trip through Sephora revealed Flush, a gorgeous dark pinky red that will be my next sheer experiment. —Syren