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For a long time, especially in the ’80s, it was all about blush on the apples of your cheeks. Smile!, we were told in the ’90s while applying just a small amount of product right on the cheeks. Then, in recent years, it was all about the lift, with tons of blush higher up on the face — literally up to the forehead — to give the illusion of a facelift. This was seriously dramatic. Now, the blush trend is changing again — just ask TikTokers.
This time around, blush is meant to look more natural. It’s not as subtle as ’90s blush — and the placement is different — but it’s not as dramatic as the lifted blush we tried last year. Now, it’s all about looking like you got a sunburn. Of course, we never get sunburns because we wear sunscreen every day, right? Just like we fake tan these days, we can fake the look of a bit too much sun on the face.
Los Angeles-based makeup artist Courtney Hart took to TikTok to show us how to do this “It girl” blush trend. Of course, Hailey Bieber nails this look.
“This blush trend is everywhere right now,” she says in her video. “The sort-of flushed, faux-sunburn look. I’m going to show you exactly how to get it using my favorite blush of the moment.” She’s loving M.A.C.’s Glow Play Blush in Blush Please ($31 at Ulta), which is currently sold out but there are so many other pretty shade options to choose from.
“This look sits really high up on the cheekbone,” she says using an It Cosmetics brush. “Honest, I think the reason it’s so popular and looks so cute is because this is where we naturally flush when we go for a jog or something. It’s mimicing the natural sunlight.” She also applies the color across the bridge of the nose. Don’t forget to “blend it out so there’s no hard edges,” she adds.
Other TikTokers, like @thegingermakeupartist gave the new blush trend a try to really pretty results. She used cream blush instead: Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip & Cheek Glow in Colour of Passion ($40 at Charlotte Tilbury). We’ve also seen Freck Beauty Cheekslime Blush + Lip Tint with Plant Collagen ($22 at Sephora) work really well with this trend. Howevery you do it, it’s all about getting that natural-looking “W” shape across your cheeks and nose where the sun would usually hit you.
We love this direction towards natural-looking skin — with glitter eye makeup, of course.
