#blushapplication

The day is finally here - the last installment of my blush series. I know some of you are thanking your chosen deity that this is all over with and that you can now live your life in a peaceful and blush-less existence. And that is fine with me, you can just take my stares in stride next time I see your botched blush application. 

Today is a great day to learn about what to do when you eff-up. Not in real life, which is like all the time, just in blush (you're on your own for the real world eff-ups). Realistically, it is very easy to screw up blush. Just look at my eff-up via age 4. Are you sure you want to take blush advice from me?

"Whoops, that gel blush dries a lot quicker than I thought!" Or, "oh wow, I really didn't turn on my bathroom lights when I did my make-up this morning" are very easy mistakes to make! Do not fret...there are a number of ways to cure these wrongs that are easy and quick. 

The first thing to try is to take a tissue and try lightly rubbing it in circular motions onto your cheeks where you have messed up. You can also try blending a little more with a clean blush brush or beauty sponge. Hastily wiping away the blush like you remove your red lipstick after a night out is not the answer...it irritates your skin, which gives it more pigment and leaves you with a blush-less yet red face. You won't win! 

If that is clearly too amateur for this eff-up, add some of your foundation on top of your cheeks if you have over-applied or applied in the wrong places. Using a brush or a beauty blender to add a little bit of foundation to the places it is either too dark or should not be is going to be fine, since you already have some foundation on your face (I'm assuming). It will blend in with what you already got going on, while muting the shock of excessive pigment. 

If this is still not quite cutting it, add a little bit of translucent powder and some highlighter to your face. This can detract from the extra pigment, but I also feel it sometimes makes it look and feel a little cakey so I leave this as a last resort. If it is still effed-up, it's time to wash your face, girlfriend. I usually just take a make-up remover wipe and use it just on my cheeks, re-apply a little bit of foundation where I wiped off my make-up, and then get real focused for this next round of fake flushing. 

This time when you reapply, make sure you are in bright lighting, tap the excess off of your blush brush (or wipe off the excess from your fingers if it is a cream or gel blush), and blend it in so you see no distinguishable blush "lines" on your face. 

I hope you all learned at least one way to redeem yourself when you eff up. Who knew all it took was a tissue, foundation, powder, highlighter, or a second attempt at keeping your dignity? 

Love you, mean it. 

Mastering the application. For years and years I, and every other girl out there who had a subscription to Seventeen magazine, have been told “brush this on the apples of your cheeks”. This, for me, was almost as anatomically confusing for me as puberty. Where the hell are my apples, and why the hell do I have to get a period!?! Well, I still haven’t answered the latter question, but I have decided that those apples are not exactly where I wanted to put my blush anyways. To thin out your face, which is always my goal, you want to brush upwards and outwards. Start your application with a nice fish face (I know you know how to do this if you are female and have ever taken a selfie…here’s mine. I had a lot to choose from). 

Then using light, shorter strokes to apply the blush directly above the indented/concave part of your cheek, starting horizontally below where your pupil is and working your way up towards your hairline diagonally. This looks much more natural, to me, than having a patch of color rubbed into the middle of your cheek. Some of those luck betches who want to widen a thin face should indeed apply blush directly to the middle of their cheekbones. The key for both of these techniques is to blend blend blend! Visible lines or "patches" of blush make you look like you are wearing a lot of makeup. 

If you want to pair your blush application with some contouring or highlighting, please check out my other posts on those because they are like a peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich when combined. Keep your eyes peeled for my next batch of tips on how to correct a heavy-handed blush application!

Love you, mean it.

People get really wigged out about finding the "right color" of blush, which should not be a huge concern because people look good in all kinds of colors, and it is more about the other elements of blush (like formula and application, which you will learn about verrrrry soon!) If you want to be well rounded for in your blush selection, I think everybody needs at least a pink and a peach shade of blush in your arsenal to fit every look.

To find the "best" colors for you, we look at two things: your skin shade (lighter colored blushes for fair skin, deep tones for dark skin), which is the most important, and your undertones (warm or cool), which is not as crucial. There are many other things that go into the right blush color than your undertones, and by sticking to your cool or warm tone stigma, you are missing out on some wonderful blushes. If you are still set on figuring out your undertones, the best way/explanation I've encountered so far is from DailyMakeover.com: if your veins in your wrists look blue, you are cool toned, and if they look green, you are warm toned. Bam. 

Examples: Blushes 1,3, 9, and 10 are cool, Blushes 2, 4, 7, and 8 are warm. 5 is debatable. It's hard. Just have someone do it for you, or forget this whole warm cool BS and do what you want to like Miley!

No matter what skin tone you have, do not be intimidated by shades that seem too bright or possibly clownish. Test them out! I love the subtle pop of a hot pink blush on a fair face, or an apricot cheek on an olive skin tone, but they will never make you look like a goddess BAMF if you don’t try the product out! It is about formula, and how you put it on. 

I hear you ladies who are saying, but I have pink/reddish skin, why do I want to add more pink on top of it to bring it out? I understand your concerns, but by using a foundation to even skin tone and picking a cool-toned blush that is more of a tan/brown based color, you will come out looking flawlessly blushed. 

Get ready for tomorrow my beauty minions for some of the most important tips - applying the actual stuff! 

Love you, mean it.