Different Types of Blush and How To Apply It
Most of us start wearing blush in our teens, but learning how to wear blush properly can still be a mystery well into adulthood, leaving us looking a little clown-like. If you’re feeling more like a children’s birthday party entertainer than a freshly flushed beauty, we can help.
We’ll cover the different blushes available, who should use them, and how to apply them to get a flawless finish every time.
What Is the Purpose of Blush?
First things first, let’s talk about what this product does. Blush isn’t a bronzer or a highlighter. It’s a product specifically designed to replicate the look of your skin when you naturally flush. Think of how your skin looks immediately after a good workout. That flushed, fresh color is the inspiration behind blush.
Is Blush the Same as Bronzer?
No. Bronzer is a completely different product with pigments that are generally more metallic and don’t have red or pink undertones. Bronzer is used to give your skin a sunkissed look. It’s applied to your skin in the same places where the sun would hit; cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and the middle of your eyelids are just a few spots where you might use bronzer.
Is Blush the Same as Highlighter?
Again, no. Highlighters, illuminators, and luminizers help draw attention to the skin and add a sheer, dewy finish that keeps the skin looking alive and radiant. These products don’t add rosy color; they add more of a three-dimensional finish that helps keep your skin looking healthy and hydrated.
What Different Types of Blush Are There?
There are a few blush formulas available, all of which will give you a different look. You can use them individually or blend two different kinds if you’re really skilled.
Cream Based Blush
All skin types love cream-based blush. Although you might think it’s best for dry skin, it’s not. Dry skin is an issue that makeup can’t completely correct.
Using proper, hydrating skincare before you apply color cosmetics is key. Otherwise, your cream blush could just be absorbed into your dry skin. Creams are easy to apply and usually leave a dewy finish. They’re super blendable and buildable, and most users find them hard to get wrong.
Pressed Blush or Powdered Blush
Perfect for dry to normal skin, pressed blush covers fine lines and wrinkles and smooths over pores, creating an airbrushed effect on the skin's surface. These are also easy to use if you have the right brush.
Stain Blush
Stains work well for oily skin because they have long-lasting pigments that even the oiliest skin can’t slide off. Stains can be tricky to apply. They are workable for any skin type, but oily skin will find real lasting power with a stain.
What Blush Brushes Should I Use?
Before you get started, you need the right tools. If you’re a fan of fingertips, you’ll be able to apply cream blush and stains easily. For powdered blush, you’ll need a good brush.
Pro tip: it’s rarely the brush that comes with it.
For Powder and Cream Blushes
You need a brush that won’t pick up the foundation or other products already applied to your skin. One to try? RMS Beauty’s Skin2Skin Powder Blush Brush. This brush has wide, featherlight bristles that help make blending a breeze. The dome shape mimics skin-to-skin application.
For Stains and Powders
When working with darker and more richly pigmented colors, you need a brush that is powerful enough to help you blend them properly. Our Skin2Skin Blush Brush works well for powdered formulas and stains and can even do double duty for bronzing powder as long as it is cleansed between products.
Blush Application Basics
It’s easy to get a professional and natural-looking application every time if you follow a few helpful hints.
Where It Goes
No matter what blush you use, you’ll apply it in the same places on your cheeks. You can focus on two different application areas depending on your face shape and your goals.
- Apples of your cheeks. Applying blush to the apples of your cheeks is where most people start when using blush. The apples, after all, are where you flush when we are warm. Applying blush on the apples of your cheeks gives a youthful appearance.
- Cheekbones. The cheekbones are higher up than the apples of your cheeks. Applying blush to your cheekbones helps create a lifted look. This is a great option if you want to create lift as it naturally draws light and attention upward.
Most of the time, you’ll probably end up applying your blush in a combination of these two places. If you start on the apples of your cheeks, you’ll naturally blend upward and outward toward your cheekbones.
Where Blush Doesn’t Go
Don’t be tempted to douse blush all over your face — your forehead, chin, nose, and lower cheeks aren’t the places to create a rosy glow; you’ll only end up looking sunburned or clownlike. This is a dated trend that passed decades ago. The availability of more realistic products like bronzers and luminizers makes it unnecessary to cover your face with blush.
How Should I Apply Different Blush Types?
Whether you’re using a cream, powder, or stain, we’ve got the application tips you need to wear your blush perfectly.
Cream Blush.
You can use either your fingertips, a makeup sponge, or a blush brush for application. To apply, lift a small amount of product with your tool and apply to the apples of your cheeks in a sweeping, upward motion.
A cream-based blush is often highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Remember, you can always add more, but removing makeup you’ve overdone can be hard.
- Product to try: ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush. Not necessarily a cream, but oh so much more than a powder. Our ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush is like a blush and a creamy luminizer in one. Formulated with ultra-hydrating wildcrafted buriti oil and organic jojoba oil (closest to your skin’s natural oil), our blush goes on effortlessly and literally melts into the skin.
Sugar-derived wet-powder technology gives you the look of a cream-based blush with the ease of a powder. Gel to powder technology creates a bouncy texture that is easy to blend for a finish that looks multidimensional.
Pressed Blush or Powdered Blush
Applying pressed or powdered blush is best done with a brush. Either of the brushes referenced above will work.
Using your brush, pick up a small amount of powder from your pressed blush. Next, tap off the excess from your brush and then gently apply to your cheeks, starting on the apples and working upward and outward.
If you have accidentally applied a little too much in one area, use a fan brush to spread it out.
- Product to try: RMS Beauty Pressed Blush. Our pressed blush isn’t like others you’ve tried. Formulated with hydrating ingredients, it nourishes skin while giving you a boost of realistic color. Wildcrafted buriti oil keeps skin smooth and quenched, while vegetable squalane helps support skin elasticity.
Stain Blush
Applying a stain can be tricky, but the key is to remember that they are usually buildable. That means start with just a little. Using your fingertips or a sponge for a solid stain (like ours), gently dab the color onto the apples of your cheeks, working the color upward and outward.
- Product to try: RMS Beauty’s Lip2Cheek. This hybrid lip and cheek product works like a hydrating cream blush and stain all in one. Formulated with incredibly nourishing ingredients like wild-crafted buriti oil, organic cocoa seed butter, and organic shea butter, this product does double duty, adding a beautiful, dewy pigment to your lips and cheeks while simultaneously providing ultimate hydration.
Helpful Blush Hints
Don’t give up if you don’t get it right the first time. There’s a hack for practically every cosmetic mistake you can make.
Oops! I Put on Too Much
That’s okay. Before you reach for a makeup remover wipe, try using a setting powder or loose translucent powder to gently blend any obvious lines, tone down a color that is a little too pigmented, and create a more natural look.
It’s in the Wrong Spot
If you’ve put blush in a place you didn’t mean to, it is fixable, but the less makeup you have on your face, the easier it will be to correct it.
Using a clean brush, gently remove as much of the product as possible without scrubbing (which will remove the underlying makeup). Next, apply a small dab of foundation to the area and press it into your skin with your fingers or sponge. If you can still see the pigment, finish with setting powder.
Blush the Right Way Every Day
Blush is an important product in anyone’s beauty arsenal and helps you look naturally youthful and alive. Getting it right can be tricky, but you can do it with a little practice and a high-quality formula.
RMS Beauty is your go-to for the trendiest cheek colors in the cleanest formulas available.
Sources:
Jojoba Oil: An Updated Comprehensive Review on Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Uses, and Toxicity | PMC
Squalane, Vegetable by Worlée Chemie GmbH - Personal Care & Cosmetics | Prospector.com
