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Blushing beauty! Finding the perfect shade for your skin tone

06 November 2019 | Helen Clemson

The shade of blush you choose can really affect your overall makeup look. Avoid clownish circles with our guide to finding and using the perfect blush for your skin tone.

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Choosing the right colour match for any makeup product is a challenge, particularly when you’re trying to counteract the effect of in-store lighting that’s anything but natural. Buying without trying is not recommended either. Makeup artist Ryan Mulder says blusher is probably the makeup product category he buys least, and he’s not alone. 

“If I own ten blushers, that’s a lot,” he says. “I’ve spoken to many other makeup artists about this and they seem to echo this sentiment.” But when you do need buy one, Ryan’s advice for choosing between peach, pink or plum is to pinch your cheeks to see what tone they turn. “Select a blush shade complementary to that colour family,” he says. “Blush should always give you a pretty brightness instead of making your skin look dull or flat. On mature skin, I like to use a two-tone technique where you apply a more neutral shade all over the cheek and just a dash of a brighter colour on top. You could also use a bronzer as your neutral with the smallest amount of vivid blush on top.”

Bland might be better

There are some basic rules of makeup application that you should learn for good result, but it’s best to spend some time experimenting to discover what works for you. Beautiful, bright blushers that look fantastic in the compact are usually way too bold to apply quickly and with ease. “You have to use the tiniest amount and blend like a master to make vibrant pinks, bright corals or deep berries look good. Bland is better when it comes to blush,” says Ryan. 

Should you wear a different shade in summer and winter, when your skin is likely to deepen in tone with sun exposure? “Paler blush for paler skin, richer blush for deeper skin tones,” says Ryan. “You can stay within the same colour family, but just go two shades deeper if your skin tone changes drastically.” 

Tried and tested 

If you’re testing a new product in-store, try to find a window with natural light and look at your reflection in a hand mirror while facing towards the window. “I don’t believe terrible store lighting will make a dreadful blush look better, but I do think that a beautiful subtle blush may not be apparent in glaring indoor lighting. And that is key,” says Ryan. “Beautiful blush is subtle. It’s not meant to appear in clown-like circles or stripes of colour on your face. If it looks like makeup, instead of looking like you have just run up the stairs quickly and have a pretty flush of colour to your complexion, it’s probably too much.” 

As for the perfect application, have a look at how your cheeks lift when you smile. Then relax your face and apply the blush just off-centre of the apples (the fullest part of the cheek when smiling) in the direction of the hairline. “Applying blush too close to the front of your face or close to the nose and mouth will make you look ruddy. Just below the cheekbone is a good placement,” says Ryan.

 

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