Blush is a makeup bag essential for instantly adding life and vibrancy to your complexion. Knowing Where To Put Your Blush, however, is key to achieving a natural, flattering flush that enhances your features rather than looking artificial. This guide will walk you through how to apply blush perfectly for your unique face shape, ensuring you always put your best face forward.
1. Identifying Your Face Shape: The Foundation of Blush Application
Before you reach for your blush brush, understanding your face shape is the first crucial step. Different face shapes benefit from blush applied in slightly different areas to enhance their natural contours and create balance. Use this guide to determine yours:
Understanding different face shapes including oval, heart, square, round, oblong, and triangular to guide blush placement.
- Oval Faces: Often considered the most balanced shape, oval faces feature prominent cheekbones and a forehead slightly wider than the chin.
- Heart Shaped Faces: Characterized by a wide forehead and high cheekbones, heart-shaped faces gracefully taper to a narrower, sometimes pointed chin.
- Square Faces: Defined by a forehead, cheekbones, and chin that are roughly the same width, creating strong angles.
- Round Faces: Equal in width and length, round faces have softer angles and a fuller cheek area.
- Oblong/Long Faces: Similar to oval or square shapes but elongated, oblong faces have a forehead, cheeks, and jawline of roughly the same width, but with greater length.
- Triangular Faces: Also known as pear-shaped, triangular faces have a narrower forehead and a wider jawline, with the chin sometimes being pointed. High cheekbones are often a prominent feature.
2. Choosing the Right Blush Formula: Liquid, Cream, or Powder?
Close-up of Daniel Sandler Watercolour Liquid Blush bottle in Spicey shade, highlighting its liquid formula for natural blush application.
While powder blushes have been a makeup staple for years, liquid, cream, and gel formulas are increasingly favored by makeup artists and enthusiasts alike. These modern blush textures offer a more natural, skin-like finish and are particularly beneficial for mature or dry skin.
Powder blushes can sometimes settle into pores, fine lines, and dry patches, accentuating texture and creating a visible makeup look. Liquid and cream blushes, on the other hand, blend seamlessly into the skin, providing a “second skin” effect. They deliver a beautiful flush of color that looks incredibly natural and radiant, making them ideal for achieving a youthful and healthy glow, especially on drier or more mature complexions.
The blendability of liquid and cream blushes is another significant advantage. They melt into the skin effortlessly, allowing for a smooth, diffused application without harsh lines. This ease of blending is crucial for achieving a natural-looking cheek color that enhances your complexion without appearing overly “made-up.”
If you’re new to liquid blush, exploring application techniques can be helpful. Makeup Artist Daniel Sandler, creator of the award-winning Watercolour Liquid Cheek Colour, demonstrates how to apply this versatile product for a flawless finish.
Watercolour Liquid Cheek Colour
Watercolour Liquid Cheek Colour Bottle
Need help selecting the perfect blush shade for your skin tone? Click here to find your ideal blush shade.
3. Expert Blush Placement Based on Your Face Shape
Makeup artist Daniel Sandler illustrating blush placement on diverse face shapes to guide viewers on optimal application techniques.
The secret to truly flattering blush lies in tailoring its placement to your unique face shape. Here’s a breakdown of where to put your blush to enhance your best features:
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Oval Faces: For oval faces, the classic placement is directly on the apples of your cheeks and swept along your cheekbones. To locate your cheekbones, smile and feel for the prominent bones under your eyes. Apply blush just above the cheekbone, avoiding the hollows underneath, to lift and define your cheekbones beautifully.
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Heart Shaped Faces: The goal for heart-shaped faces is to soften the slightly pointed chin and create a more oval appearance. Apply blush to the outer corners of your cheekbones, starting near your ears and blending inwards towards a point below the outer corner of your eyes. To further balance the wider forehead, lightly dust blush at your temples, blending towards the center of your forehead.
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Square Faces: To soften the angles of a square face, apply blush slightly below the cheekbones to define them without adding width. Blending blush softly into the hairline along the forehead can also help to soften the strong lines of the face.
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Round Faces: For round faces, matte blush formulas are generally more flattering as they absorb light rather than reflect it, which can emphasize roundness. Avoid pearlized or highly reflective blushers. To add definition and length, sweep blush from your ears down along your cheekbones towards the corners of your mouth. A subtle touch of matte blush on the chin, blended well, can also help to elongate the face.
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Oblong/Long Faces: The aim for oblong faces is to visually shorten the face. Apply blush directly onto the apples of your cheeks and blend outwards towards your temples, ensuring the blush stays high on the cheekbones and does not extend lower than the tip of your nose. Horizontal blush placement helps to create the illusion of width and shorten the face.
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Triangular Faces: To balance a triangular face, apply blush in a sideways “V” shape on your cheekbones. Start by blending upwards from the apples of your cheeks towards your temples, and then extend the blush slightly over your brow bone towards the center of your forehead. This technique helps to visually widen the forehead and create a more harmonious balance with the wider jawline.
Mastering blush application is a transformative step in your makeup routine. By understanding your face shape and applying blush strategically, you can unlock a radiant, healthy-looking complexion every time. Why not explore contouring techniques to further enhance your facial features? Discover our expert contouring tips here.
