How To Apply Blush

Many women avoid blush (about 47% of American women today wear blush compared to 1948, when 66% wore it) but it can be your beauty secret weapon. Nothing brings a dull, drowsy face to life faster than a quick sweep of blush. "You put blush on, and you look instantly prettier, fresher & less tired," says makeup guru Bobbi Brown. But the fact is blush is also the most commonly misused cosmetic. "Women tend to put too much on," says celeb makeup artist Jeni Lee in 'InStyle' magazine.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1 minute

Here's How:

1. First choose the color using nature as your guide. What do your cheeks look like after you've been out in the cold or exercising at the gym? For a quick test, pinch your cheeks & wait a second. Another trick is to try to match your lip color. Those are the tones to replicate. For day, choose a lighter color than you would at night, and in winter go for pink shades while in summer opt for peachy, warm hues.

2. Now that you have the color, choose the right formula for your skin type. Powder is best for oily & combo skin. Cream is great for dry skin. Liquid and gel are great for oily skin. If you like stains -- which are great for well-moisturized skin, not dry skin --be sure & blend them into the skin quickly, they tend to dry very fast.

3. Apply foundation, eye color & lipstick. Blush should be your last makeup step.

4. Determine your face shape: are you oval, heart, round, long or square? Knowing this helps you determine where it's best to apply the blush.

5. Throw out the freebie 'Barbie-size' blush brush that comes with the blush. Use a professional full brush instead (I like MAC's blush brush No. 116), but don't use the same brush you use for your powder.

6. Put the blush on your brush, tapping off any excess or put a dab of gel on your fingers.

7. Look into the mirror and smile. This helps you figure out where the 'apple' of your cheek is.

8. Sweep color in an arc following the line of your cheekbone up from the apple of your cheek to your hairline. Keep color light & blended. You want a wash of color, rather than an obvious line. If you're using gel, rub in a small circle on the apple of your cheeks, blending well up into your hairline.

9. For a sun-kissed sheen: dab a small bit of bronzer powder on your forehead, chin & nose. Make sure it doesn't look like a stripe.

10. If you've gone a bit too heavy on the powder blush, apply a bit of translucent powder over it. For cream blush, blot the color off iwth a tissue. Since gel & liquid blush 'stain' the cheeks, the only way to lighten them is it wash your face, moisturize and reapply your makeup, this time more sparingly.

Tips:

Clean your brushes with baby wipes. If you don't keep your brushes clean, they'll gather bacteria and transfer it to your skin.
For a sexy look, dab a little shimmery blush on the highest point of your cheekbone nearest your eye.
Using powder blush? Always sweep it in one direction. Going over & over or around and around causes streaks & can hurt your brush.
For gel blush, dab a dot on the apple of the cheek and two smaller dots graduating up the cheekbone. Blend the dots together up to the hairline.
Dusky pink blush will warm up any tired-looking skin.

What You Need:

blush
professional blush brush
mirror
translucent powder
bronzer blusher