Where should I apply blusher? According to your face shape!

Blusher provides a beautiful flush of colour to the cheeks, instantly giving the skin a youthful glow. Depending on your face shape, blusher is best used in specific areas to help enhance your face and compliment any makeup look! 

Here are our top tips to get the most out of your blusher!

First things first, let’s identify your face shape – Look in the mirror and check out your face:

Forehead: If your forehead is the widest part of your face, in comparison to a narrower jaw, you probably have a triangle or heart-shaped face.

Cheekbones: If your cheekbones are the widest part of your face, you probably have an oval, round, or diamond face shape.

Jaw: If your jaw is the widest part of your face, with a narrower forehead, you probably have a pear-shaped face.

If they are all equal: If your forehead, cheekbones, and jaw are similar in width, then you probably have a long or square face.

Once you have determined your face shape, (keeping in mind it might not fit perfectly into one of these categories ) let's see how to apply your blush. It’s important to note that you might find a way to apply the blusher that looks fab for you that breaks all the “rules” so feel free to experiment – after all, it can be reapplied if it doesn’t go to plan. Always apply your blusher with your face relaxed – some people tend to smile when applying blusher, which lifts the cheeks but once you relax your face the blusher will be lower down the face which might not be so flattering.  This technique is often used to age characters within film and theatre.  Not a look we want to go for! It is an easy mistake to make if you are not sure where to apply blusher.

Triangle / Heart-shaped face:

If you have this face shape you might find it flattering to apply your blusher in a C shape from the tops of your cheeks up to the brow.  This helps to soften the chin area, whilst drawing attention to your cheeks.

Oval / Round-shaped face:

With a round face, it can be nice to apply the blusher on the apples of the cheeks then blended back towards the tops of the ears, this helps define the face more and goes hand in hand with contouring under the cheeks to make them appear lifted.

Diamond-shaped face:

By applying your blusher to the centre of your cheeks then blending out the edges you help draw the focus to the centre of the face, balancing out the narrower chin and forehead.

Pear-shaped face:

Make sure to keep the blusher higher up and drape it up onto the temples with very minimal product.  This will draw the focus to the higher points of your face and balance out your jaw.

 Long / square-shaped face:

For a squarer face, keep the product close the centre of the face to not make the face appear too wide. For a longer face shape, you have more room to go bold with your blusher, applying it in triangle shapes with the product tapering towards the ears will help to enhance your cheekbones and lift the face.

 Blusher comes in many different formulas and finishes and important to find out which works best for you. When applying powder blush, it can be helpful to apply a thin layer of setting powder to the area to give the blusher something to blend into.  This way it will not stick the products underneath but will glide smoothly over the skin.  A matte product will look bold and modern, that helps to disguise texture, whilst a shimmery blusher will add a glow from within look.  And you can always mix it up!

 For example, my lower cheeks have texture from acne scarring, but higher up, closer to my eyes and temples, the skin is smoother, therefore I apply a matte blush all over and then a shimmer product higher up to add a subtle glowly finish that doesn’t emphasise my texture.

 Picking the right blusher shade

When it comes to picking the right shade for you, the rule of thumb is to pick a shade that closely matches the tone of your natural blushed cheeks. When you’ve sprinted up the stairs do you cheeks turn more red or pink? Does the flush go onto your chest or just your face? Picking a shade that matches your tones well, will be the most flattering on your skin.

Why not check out our shades of blusher in our Second Skin Blusher Collection? Each one has been formulated to easily give a tint of buildable colour whilst smoothing the skin.