How to Use Blush

When it comes to blush, makeup experts agree that the look should be natural. But natural doesn’t have to be boring. No matter what look you’re after when applying blush, cosmetics companies have come a long way in offering great selections in every color and form. Whether your goal is a warm natural glow or a hot, sultry sizzle, here’s how to choose the best blush makeup for you.

How To Choose The Right Type Of Blush
The first thing you’ll want to consider is which type of blush is going to work for you. Powder blushes are by far the most common, but cream, gel, and liquid blush cosmetics are gaining popularity. Each has its own benefits and advantages.

Powder blush can come in a compact as a pressed powder or as a loose mineral powder, often packaged in an applicator bottle. Powder blushes blend well, pack a lot of color, and have great staying powder. They also work well in combination with powder foundations, giving a nice matte appearance that helps to reduce shine for people with oily skin. If you use a powder foundation, powder blush may be the best choice for you.

Cream blushes usually come in a pot or a stick and are applied with fingertips, cosmetic sponges or broad, soft stipple brushes. Creme blush is very blendable and easy to work with, although it can leave a heavy, made-up look if used improperly. But don’t hesitate to try it, even if you don’t know how to apply cream blush. A big advantage of cream blushes is that if you apply too much, it’s easy to blot away the excess. Cream blush may be a good choice for dry or mature skin, since powder blushes can make those skin types appear ashen.

Liquid blush or gel blush is a color stain that contains no powder or cream. It can come in a squeezable tube or in a bottle (often with an applicator, very similar to liquid lip gloss). The color is light and translucent on the skin, and is built up in layers. Since liquid blush does not typically contain creams or emollients it dries rapidly once it’s on the skin, so you have to work quickly, blending with your fingertips in a circular motion. While this takes some skill, the results can be worth it if you want a blush that looks entirely like your own natural flush. Liquid blush can be used with or without foundation.
How To Choose The Right Shade Of Blush Makeup

One of the trickiest aspects of choosing a blush that is right for you is finding a shade that works well with your own coloring. Whenever possible, purchase blush cosmetics from a department store that will let you sample the colors on your own skin or from stores with liberal return policies.

Cosmetics companies often designate colors as cool, warm or neutral. A trick to determining which shades look best on you is to think about your clothing choices. If you look wonderful in oranges, peaches, or beiges, a warm shade of blush will probably be best. If turquoise, bright pink, or silver look stunning on you, you’ll most likely want to choose cool shades of blush. Neutral blush shades work for either skin tone, although they aren’t generally meant to give a lot of color to the cheeks. Neutral shades can be great for contouring, while either a cool or a warm tone of blush gives nice highlights or shimmer.
How To Apply Blush

Several considerations factor in to how you should apply your blush. First of all, are you looking for a quick daytime look or a sultry evening sizzle? Second, do you need to broaden a narrow face or lengthen a wide face? Third, how much time do you have or want to spend applying blush?

The most basic look with blush is to mimic your own natural flush to add a hint of color to your face and brighten your features. This can be achieved by bending over and letting the blood flow to your head for a few seconds, then standing up and noting where the color shows on your face. Blush those areas, which usually include the apples of your cheeks and the temples. Apply just a light dusting or a small shimmer of blush in a color that most naturally matches the color of your flushed skin, and you’re done.

If you’d like to balance out the shape of your face or minimize and highlight certain features, there are several tricks you can use with blush. First, remember that darker tones tend to minimize, while lighter shades tend to enhance. This is called contouring. So for instance, to lengthen a wide face, you wouldn’t use a shimmery pink on the outer edges of the cheekbones.

To add contours, it is often necessary to use two different blush shades. Start with a neutral shade of blush in the hollows of your cheeks (or where hollows would be), along the jawline, and across the top of your forehead. For a dramatic evening look, you can use a little more than you normally would during the day, but the look should still be subtle. Blend away any edges or harsh lines thoroughly, then apply a lighter or shimmery color to the apples of the cheeks and anywhere else that you want to emphasize.

A light, shimmery blush just along the tops of cheekbones and directly under the eye area can add a nice highlight that emphasizes your eyes. To minimize the appearance of a wide face, that same light shimmer can be applied vertically on either side of your nose to draw attention away from the outer edges. To widen a thin face, do just the opposite, applying the lighter color on the outside edges of your cheeks near the ears.

To give your face a sunkissed glow, apply bronzer just on the outermost planes of the face, where the sun would hit first. This includes the top of the nose, the top of the cheekbones, your forehead and your chin. Again, the golden rule in learning how to put on blush is to not overdo it. You just want to give the appearance of a healthy glow—not a sunburn.