How to Do a Bold, Bright Blush Makeup Look

Summer calls for brighter, bolder colors and opting for a vibrant blush is the perfect way to get in on this mood-boosting trend. In addition to choosing a more vivid shade, the way that you apply your blush can help to refresh your look. Read on for Maybelline New York’s top blush tips and tricks.

  1. Cheek Heat Gel-Cream Blush

    This Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning, gel cream blush melts seamlessly into skin for a natural-looking flush. In six wearable shades, the dewy pigment is buildable, allowing you to layer for a bolder look or just dab on a few dots for a healthy, everyday glow.
    Cheek Heat®
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  2. Fit Me! Blush

    Available in ten versatile shades for every skin tone, this powder blush offers a radiant finish that feels weightless on the skin. The formula is dermatologist tested and promises to impart a flattering flush.
    Fit Me® Blush
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  3. Facestudio Master Blush Color & Highlight Kit

    This convenient palette has everything you need to create a show stopping blush and highlighter look. With three powder blush shades to choose from and a universal highlighter, you’re able to customize your own color.
    Facestudio® Master Blush
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The most common place for blush is on the apples, which is the most fleshy part of your cheeks and is the area that’s prone to flushing naturally. But, the fun thing about makeup is that you don’t really have to follow any rules. Of course, there are ways to accentuate certain features– placing blush high up on your cheekbones will help lift the entire face– but if there’s a certain placement that you prefer for your blush, then we say go for it. Recently, the trend of underpainting, or applying blush, bronzer, concealer, etc, before foundation has been having a moment. Some makeup artists use this technique in order to create a more subtle lit-from-within glow. But, if you want your bold blush to really pop, it’s smart to put it on over your foundation. Why choose? Blush and bronzer are a perfect pair, each benefiting the face in a different way. Dusting bronzer on the forehead, under the cheekbones, along the jawline and on the nose gives a chiseled, sunkissed effect, but adding some blush on the cheeks will help to brighten the entire face. Luckily, choosing a blush shade is much easier than shade matching for foundation, but the same basic principles will apply. If you’re fair, you’ll go for more of a peach or pink pastel hue depending on your undertone. If you’re fair with cool undertones, then a nice bubblegum pink is for you, but warmer or neutral tones will look best with something that has a little more heat to it like a punchy coral. The deeper your skin tone, the more intense you can get with your blush color. Olive and medium toned skin can handle an even warmer coral or poppier pink while darker skin will benefit from more pigmented shades such as a rich berry or brick red. But, if there’s a blush shade you really like, there’s no reason not to wear it regardless of your skin tone. As the name implies, this trend is all about using blush to give the appearance of a day spent in the sun. Think back to beach trips where you forgot to reapply SPF– where did you burn most? Typically, the sun will hit the high points of your face like your cheekbones and your nose, so the easiest way to mimic that look is by creating the letter “W,” with your blush. Start at the top of one cheek bone, brush down to the apple and then up and across the bridge of your nose. Finish the “W” on the other side by going up from the apple to the hairline. This area is a good spot to draw on some faux freckles, too. If you’re going to rock a burn, this is the way to do it– sun damage not included.