A common complaint among women is that their complexion lacks vibrancy and they look tired. The problem worsens as women age and skin naturally becomes paler. Luckily, a dull complexion is one of the easiest imperfections to fix. All you need is the right blush, a great brush and the know-how to sweep on a healthy, luminous flush. Here’s how to master all three.
Types of blush
Choosing the best blush for your skin tone and type is essential to creating a healthy-looking, beautiful glow. To begin, pick a blush formula based on your skin type.
Blush comes in three different formulas: cream, powder and stain.
- Cream blush is packaged in either a pot or stick and blends easily onto the skin.
It’s right for you if:
- Your skin is dry or mature. The emollients in cream blush moisturize and help the color glide onto your cheeks.
- You like your makeup to look dewy and fresh. For instance, cream blush tends to look more natural than powder formulas.
Avoid cream blush if you don’t want to do midday touch-ups; cream blush isn’t the longest-lasting formula.
- Powder blush is available in either pressed or loose form. Most women are familiar with pressed pans of blush, but loose powders are gaining in popularity as more and more mineral makeup lines include blush. Powder blush is the easiest of the three formulas to work with.
It’s right for you if:
- Your skin fluctuates between normal, dry and oily. Powder blush blends and works well on most skin types.
- You’re a beginner with blush. With powder blush, you can easily fix any mistakes, such as applying too much color, by dabbing away the excess with a powder puff or sponge.
- Stain blush comes in two forms: gel and liquid stain. The packaging for gels resembles a mini stick of deodorant. You’ll find liquid stains in bottles with screw-off caps or roller ball tips.
It’s right for you if:
- You’re adept at applying and blending the color quickly.
- You have oily skin. The moisturizing ingredients in cream blush can irritate and slip off oily skin, while powder blush can attach to oily complexions and look cakey.
Choosing a color
Once you know which blush formula is right for you, you’re ready to choose a color. The best color will fall within one to two shades of your natural flush.
To find the right color, take cues from your skin tone. Renowned makeup artist Bobbi Brown suggests the following shades in her book, Living Beauty.
- Fair to light: pale pink or pastel apricot.
- Medium to tan: tawny brownish pink or deep brownish rose.
- Olive to dark: plum or deep shades of bronze, rose or red.
Product picks:
Where to apply blush
When applying blush, remember that you’re trying to mimic a natural flush, which starts at the apples of your cheeks. Not sure where your apples are? Here’s how to find them.
- Smile at yourself in the mirror.
- Touch the fleshiest part of your cheeks — that’s the apple.
How to apply blush
Powder and cream
When using powder or cream blush, start by choosing a slightly tapered blush brush, whose head fits the apples of your cheeks. Make sure it’s not too fluffy or small. You want to be able to control where the blush is going without creating a streaky line of color.
- Dip the brush’s bristles into the blush. Gently press them into the color.
- Tap off the excess by shaking the brush or wiping it onto a tissue.
- Starting at the bottom of your temple, sweep the blush along the contours of your cheekbone down to the apples of your cheeks.
If the color is too vibrant or doesn’t fade into your skin, blend it out with a sponge or fluffy brush.
Stain
To apply stain blush, you’ll have to work quickly to avoid creating streaks of color across your cheeks.
- Dab a small amount of stain onto your fingers or a makeup sponge.
- Smile and press the stain onto your cheeks.
- Blend the color into your skin until you’ve achieved the desired look.
Start with a small, pea-sized drop of stain and add more color as needed. If the stain blush is too bright or appears streaky, wipe the area with water or makeup remover and start again.
See also:
The Sensational Power of Scent
Eyebrow Grooming Made Easy
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