Hi Amiga, I love, love, LOVE Blush and so should you!
Everyone, even men, can benefit from a Blush on the face!
In this post, I will tell you all about Blush, why you could use blush, where to apply Blush, and what blushes are out there.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
After you have read this post you know exactly what to do with Blush and why. Watch the video below of Alexandra Anele about the placement of Blush.
Jump ahead to:
Blush
I absolutely love Blush, I really think everyone benefits from a blush, I also use it on men. Why would you use blush and why can you benefit from it?
Let’s go back in time for a little bit, as you may know, The ancient Egyptians were one of the first to start using natural ingredients to create a sort of makeup.
Using Kohl on their eyes, and ground red ochre on their cheeks and lips.
This for several reasons, one being to appear more youthful, like young children running about on the playground with plum, red cheeks.
Another reason that could even be more popular is the fact that female facial skin is redder when the sex-hormone oestradiol is at its highest level in the body, which promotes fertility.
Also, red cheeks popped beautifully next to the black kohled eyes. Pretty good reasons if you ask me, looking young and sexy with a nice pop.
As we all know after that, makeup/ blush got industrialized and mass-produced like we know today.
Another reason why I use blush even on men is when we take away red and blue in the face with our foundation and concealers, not much color remains in the skin, to bring back some color I use blush.
I also use blush as a contour,
I favor it more than a contour product, because it looks more natural, with blushing being a natural process of the human skin, where contouring is not.
Contouring is actually nothing more than satisfying the Beauty standards of the mega-companies and the media.
Where to apply Blush
There are many theories about applying blush according to the shape of the face, although you can perfectly use these theories (there are no rules for makeup) As a professional Makeup Artist I totally ignore these theories.
I think every application could work well on anyone.
Also, it totally depends on what kind of look you are after and of course, it’s a matter of taste.
I am an artist who loves blush, I apply it at the beginning of the makeup, and at the end, I apply some more as a final touch to match the end result.
Spots on the face where you could apply blush:
- Obviously on the apples of the Cheeks,
- Stretching out from the apples all the way up to the ears,
- In the middle of the nose,
- Under the eyebrows,
- Temples
- On the chin.
1. Apples of the Cheeks
The number one place to put a flush of blush is the apples of the cheeks, on anyone, in any makeup, you could apply blush on the apples.
With a smile you can locate the apples easily, it’s next to the nose under the eyes. Everyone would benefit from this, for men this is the spot. It gives a youthful appearance.
2. Stretching out from the apples all the way up to the ears
This is the way to contour with blush, when you want to contour with your blush be sure to place the blush a little under the cheekbone as well as on the bone itself.
I normally don’t use this on men, it would look too feminine for my likings. I think this will give the fertile appearance the ancient Egyptians were looking for.
This is a very classic, often used spot for blush and looks well on lots of women and in a lot of makeup looks.
3. In the middle of the Nose
This will give a healthy youthful appearance like you just had a run in the park on a cold day.
Therefore works well on men too, for men and women apply just a flush, not too much, otherwise you can look clowney, be careful of that.
Did you apply a bit too much, just get your blot-powder brush to reduce it, or even a clean blush will take it off perfectly. Using a tissue will give away you are correcting your mistake to the model.
4. Under the Eyebrows
This is to bring back some color to the face, suitable for men, also for the healthy, youthful appearance.
However, make sure you only apply this on the end of the eyebrows, this is also a classic spot to highlight: on the end and under the eyebrows, apply this blush before your highlighter if you planning to highlight this spot.
5. Temples
This might be an uncommon spot to blush, I don’t use it often working for TV, but it is a beautiful spot to blush in photography, use in combination with blush to the ears and apples, not on its self.
It gives a real blush look, if you want to feature the blush in a look, go for this one.
6. On the Chin
Another possibility is just a flush of blush on the chin, this will give the run in the park appearance and could also work if you want to bring back some color in the skin, so it can also be used on men.
Blush Products
You could use any type of powder as your blush, yes even eyeshadow. Just remember you are trying to imitate a natural blushing skin, so stay in the red, pink, warm colors, of course, a blush pallet is most convenient.
A creme blush gives the best, most natural results, it just blends very well into the skin and the foundation, for photography I would always recommend a creme blush.
As I have told you TV makeup loves powder, so for TV, I use powder, also because it is just a little bit faster to brush on.
There are a lot of creme blush products on the market but you could also just use lipstick, it will work just as well.
Here is a video by Alexandra Anele, she is talking about two different placements, one is shaping/contouring with Blush, which I just talked about. These two placements can also be used together.
With this post you know everything there is to know about Blush, let me know in the comments how you have liked this post. Cheers Mamitas.
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