Why You Need To Start Wearing Blush
I learned how to do my makeup in eighth grade, and in my middle school mind the ultimate beauty look involved bronzer in a “3” shape on the side of your face, pink blush on the apples of your cheeks, and multiple shades of Maybelline Baby Lips chapstick.
I want to blame the rise of Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palettes and the Kardashians for the death of blush in the latter half of the 2010s, but the upside is that COVID-19 marked the beginning of a new beauty era. Though face masks presented new challenges to the wearers of makeup that went anywhere except your eyes, it also marked what I believe is the start of a movement towards revitalizing colors, easy beauty routines and makeup that’s fresh and comfortable - all things that it should’ve been to begin with.
It was only recently that, thanks to TikTok, I reincorporated blush into my beauty routine. I think that flashbacks of hot pink powder blush applied by my middle-school hands turned me off of the idea for a while, but I recently began to want to experiment with cream blush around March of 2020 when all I did was sit at home and scroll through TikTok even though when I headed outside nobody sees the lower half of my face. My FYP was filled with girls wearing blushy makeup looks where the pink flush flooded their nose bridge and their cheekbones rather than being harshly applied in a sweeping motion much lower on the face. It turns out that the blush application method popularized in the early 2010’s did nothing to elevate the face but rather dragged it down with low placement. If you place the color on your upper cheekbones and blend it across the center of your face, it creates an awakened, romantic look that feels fresh and not overdone. My mother used to blend her blush into the tip of her nose and I never understood why she did that until I tried it myself. It’s life-changing.
I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite blush-centric makeup looks below. Beauty is a funny, fickle thing (a quick Google search will tell you that everything from powdery-pale to deeply tanned was at one point considered to be the beauty standard to emulate) but a pretty pink flush feels fresh thanks to new trends for placement and is universally flattering on all skin-tones and face shapes. With Valentine’s Day approaching, try incorporating a cream or powder blush into your routine and tell me it doesn’t change your life.
The classic TikTok blush-over-the-nose makeup: add definition by highlighting the tip of your nose and lightly contouring if you’d like! Try matching your lip color to the flush on your cheeks.
Good skincare is the best base for makeup, so try applying a hyaluronic acid serum and a lightweight moisturizer with SPF before going in with any cream products.
Experiment with product placement based on your face shape. The blush is placed at the apples of the cheeks and then blended up the cheekbones for lift in this makeup look.
Try incorporating a monochrome look by utilizing your blush shades on your lids as well, whether it’s a cream or powder format. Set your eye look with a similar shade of eyeshadow or highlighter to make the look pop!
Statement blush can be a look if done well! If you have a signature blush color that you knew is perfect for your skin tone, don’t be afraid to layer on the pigment.