
Blushes are something that I keep on buying all the time (eyeshadows and glosses too). And we have so many sites telling us how to apply a blush but doesn’t it go wrong all the time. Somehow my mom is never satisfied with the blush. When I apply it she thinks I’m trying to save the product and apply less and when she applies she goes over board. I’ll tell you the reason in the due course though. So ultimately we should think of drawing lines.
The most natural way to apply blush is follow a map called FACE MAP. You don’t have to get embarrassed for assessing yourself though. The best way is to see yourself in different types of light before you judge the perfect blush that would suit you. Lets talk about the face map first. A blush is basically the area where we flush during occasions. A flush is a gush of blood that flows through dilated capillaries under the skin. Different people blush at different places at times. Like when I get angry my cheeks flush and so do my ears and so does my brow area….Funny but true. So basically one can see how they flush after doing some cardio exercise. Most of them or rather all of them flush at the apples of the cheeks so lets consider that as the principal area. Now how do you test the colors that suit you the best? Look at yourself in three types of lights as they are the three common areas where we go viz. day light, fluorescent light and incandescent light. Day light is what you see during the day. Fluorescent light is what we have in our homes and offices while incandescent lights are seen in restaurants etc. I consider day light as the most true light and you see what is the truth. Now forget the patchy and uneven skin and just look at the areas where we have blushes. If you’re warm toned you’ll see a peachy glow to a brick red color with a golden glisten. If you’re cool toned you’ll see a pinky mauve purplish shade with a silvery white glisten. These are the colors you should try sticking to but please don’t follow this dictum all the time. You can always try various colors but see to it that you don’t end up looking like a doll or a drag.
Well in incandescent lights the situation is a bit different. Cool colors end up looking muddy and look horrible but warm colors look very flattering and beautiful. So the best way is to choose a neutral shade or something with a golden undertone to warm up the romantic mood. But this romance would spell differently in fluorescent lights which are cool and harsh. Here warm colors look terrible and if you worn something too warm like orange you’ll end up looking sad and much in despair. In these lights pinks and mauves look very attractive and cool colors like plums top the list but again one can choose a neutral shade to combat the two different lights.
So when you analyze all this you end up getting an over all idea of how a blush should be. Next thing is to think of the different areas where you could use it. Since a blush can also be used to create depth and contours in the face as well as bring out the best features in your face, its one of the most multi faceted products in makeup.
I see some beautiful girls who have amazing cheek bones and yet they try contouring it too much and look harsh and very robot like. I also see some girls who are as chubby cheeked as any one can be and apply a pink dab of blush making them look like circus clown. It’d be rude enough on my part to tell them where they are going wrong but I think through this post they’ll surely get some hints and try changing them selves.
Every one here knows the application techniques and about the different formulations so I won’t be making an extra effort there. I’m going to talk about the nuances of blush application that might prove useful the next time you buy a blush. Still for those who want to know have a look at http://www.beautybuzz.com/contrib.asp?page=zar2
Firstly never buy a single color. Always buy palettes or dual colors or if you’re lucky and rich enough then assorted palettes of 6 blushes from MAC which are custom made for you and by you. The reason is because you can create a variety of effects using a lot of blushes together. A light pink blush might look very good on the heights of cheeks and that doesn’t mean you apply it everywhere. The key is to gradually add depth to the color when moving downwards to create an illusion of healthy cheeks and a brightened complexion. A dark color is always placed in the shadowed areas of the face and that’s how we can add dimensions to our alive canvas. And I think one should make that little effort as it changes oodles of what you’d look.
Secondly it’s always better to build up color than apply everything in a single stroke. It’s more flattering to apply blush in round strokes so that there are no streaks and snail trails that could be seen. It’s the harshest way of blush application. While applying blush on my models and friends I always dab a small amount on my blush brush and then tap of the excess on my palm. In this way you can control the amount of blush that you are discarding and there is less product wastage. I always prefer using a clean brush as the blush applied yesterday shouldn’t mix with the blush applied today and ruin the look.
After seeing the amount of blush, it’s the clash between two different formulations. If you top up a crème blush over a powdered one, it’d be impossible to blend until you’re really deciding to do that and flaunt it later on. Now if you top up a powder blush on a crème one it’ll stick as if its embracing its long lost brother. It just doesn’t budge. So its better to use translucent powder as a bridge between the two blushes. The powder also ensures that the blush stays longer than it would normally do. If you apply translucent powder over a powder or a crème blush or even a cheek stain, its gives a look of flush from within which is a very flatteringly sophisticated way to use a blush.
Has anybody used a brown shimmery blush? Then I’d advice them to go and see it. It’s not a bronzer by the way. It’s a frosted brown blush with neutral shimmers i.e. pearlised silver and gold frost into it. It looks very flattering if you want to have naturally water sprayed finish. It has been used many times on the ramps and us purely for highlighting and not contouring. I feel that if it is used correctly and just a wee bit, it can really perk up any complexion except ebony ones as they’ll look as if they are wearing a wrong colored powder. It just adds a little sophistication when you have a lot of smoky eye thing going on. It’s a darker version of a muted beige blush and rather a better version. Believe me, when I saw it for the first time I was dazed and confused about who buying it and now I’ve not one but three. And surely I’d list them, MAC Sweet as a Cocoa, Shiseido Accentuating Powder blush in Glistening Brown and Chanel’s Joues Contraste in Brume D’Or (a little red undertone) I’d also recommend MAC’s powder blush in Format as its somehow a sweet brown with a pinkish tone that makes it more toward the taupe side. And of course Shu Uemura makes them too. Please be sure to use a very little bit as it might look silly at times.
This is something that I found on a Korean Site.She has used a shimmery brown blush. I wonder whether its a trend in the Oriental East. But it balances her pink mouth and lilac eyes really well.
As I said before I’d always love blush palettes. Some brands that have them in India are Christian Dior, Givenchy, Clarins and YSL and since they are all French one can understand the elegance and the French style. No wonder the best makeup came from France.
For a defined look always use an angled brush or a dome shaped brush as these brushes are literally trained by their makers to reach the area that they are meant to. I really imbibed this trick of Elke von Freudenberg of measuring the right size of a blush brush with the reference to the apples of your cheeks. And please throw the brushes that come with the blush compact. They are as useless as old tooth brushes and some are hard to cause scratches where you won’t be blushed but attacked.
I prefer powder blushes over crème ones and gel ones because there is a lot of scope in controlling the application and if you end up looking like a clown then there are quick ways and easy ways of getting rid of excess. For a natural finish it’d be advisable to use a fan brush and have p lesser product and a refined way of dusting the blush on. They are softly and a little tickly too.
On this note I think I’ve talked a lot about blushes. Please feel free to ask any questions.
Soon shall have some product reviews and looks for the season and of course some recent inspirations from my favorite makeup artist..
Till then CIAO