makeup

BETTER BLUSH

TUTORIAL & PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

This little gem of advice for applying blush might seem trivial but I promise you it’s not! Accentuating our cheeks really brings the face to life and needs to mimic what happens when you either fall in love and are naturally blushing or the flush you get after a great workout. If you study it (like I have because I love nerding out), you’ll see it starts a good half-inch from each side of the nose. Never closer. It’s not flattering anyway if you bring it all the way in to your nose! So try this method until you know it by eyeing it. Here’s how:

TOOLS:

• Your Favorite Cream Blush — I used Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy. Or…
• Your Favorite Powder Blush — I’m obsessed with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion.
• Your Favorite Blush Brush — My clients and I have been dying over the new and revolutionary Artis line of 100% animal-free brushes like the cheek brush used in this tutorial and this one is especially great for cream blush. For powder blush I love MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Artisan Brush #156 because its wavy fibers work beautifully with powder formulas.

STEPS:

1. Swipe the blush brush along the cream blush or swirl it in the powder blush.
2. Place your index finger next to your nose. You can hold it vertically or do what I prefer and hold it slightly diagonally following the natural nasal-labial fold (as demonstrated by Carissa above).
3. Place the blush brush directly next to the nose.
4. Stipple (press multiple times) or swirl at the initial point on the the top half of apple of the cheek.
5. Continue stippling or swirling as you work your way along the cheekbone.