Style How to Apply Blush for a Natural, Face-Lifting Flush

As warm spring days arrive, and TikTok highlights the face-transforming powers of a hint of rouge, there's a lot of renewed intrigue around how to apply blush. When it comes to making it look like it’s your own natural, rosy glow, it must appear as if you “just left SoulCycle,” insists makeup artist Sir John, the man behind Beyoncé's equal parts luminous and bulletproof makeup. From creating a supercharged canvas to choosing an easy, melts-right-in formula, here, Sir John and other in-demand pros share their secrets for how to apply blush and achieve a flush-from-within finish.

Create a Dewy Canvas

When it comes to getting HD camera-ready, all experts agree that smooth, hydrated skin is essential. Massaging in a moisturizer, or a hydrating primer if mattifying is a priority, is a non-negotiable first step. For “maximum hydration,” makeup artist Naoko Scintu recommends beginning with a sheet mask, such as the Dr. Jart+ Dermask Water Jet Vital Hydra Solution, as another option. But Sir John likes to take things a step further by pressing another layer of moisturizer onto the face after foundation, so the blush really vanishes into the skin. “The best time to apply blush is when the skin is still wet,” he explains. “The extra layer of hydration makes it softer.”

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Dr. Jart+ Dermask Water Jet Vital Hydra Solution

$6.00, DR. JART+

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Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

$69.00, TATCHA

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Tula Blurring and Moisturizing Primer

$36.00, TULA

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La Mer The Hydrating Illuminator

$80.00, LA MER

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Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Glow Serum Primer

$34.00, DANESSA MYRICKS

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Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops

$34.00, GLOW RECIPE

Choose a Smooth, Shade-Matched Formula

“Use blush shades that are no more than two to three shades darker than your natural [flushed] tone, otherwise, you will find it difficult to blend,” says Scintu. For more dimension, he likes to use a darker hue on the inner cheeks, then graduate outward with a lighter complementary option. In terms of color, fair and cool complexions should look to more muted shades, like baby pink or peachy pink, while deeper, warmer complexions can go brighter. So long as the skin was prepped to be smooth and supple, when it comes to texture, a cream, like Glossier's Cloud Paint or Rare Beauty's Melting Cream, or liquid stain blush, such as Benefit’s Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain, tend to be best for a second-skin look. “They give the most natural, non-cosmetic effect, adding an awoken quality to the skin,” says makeup artist Romy Soleimani, who counts Tracee Ellis Ross and Cara Delevingne as clients. However, for Beyoncé’s “Teflon face,” Sir John always adds a veil of powder for additional color payoff and staying power.

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Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush

$21.00, RARE BEAUTY

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Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Rose Lip & Cheek Tint

$30.00, BENEFIT

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Kjaer Weis Cream Blush

$56.00, KJAER WEIS

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Shiseido Minimalist Whipped Powder Blush

$29.00, SHISEIDO

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Glossier Cloud Paint

$18.00, GLOSSIER

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Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush

$22.00, FENTY BEAUTY

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Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick

$48.00, WESTMAN ATELIER

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DIBS Desert Island Duo

$32.00, DIBS

Blend, and Blend Some More

“I like to start in with cream blush on my fingers so you can really feel your cheeks, with an added bonus of creating a natural flush through circulation,” explains Soleimani, adding that she’ll use a small fluffy brush, like Westman Atelier’s Baby Blender brush, to blend the edges in a circular motion. After application, she suggests concealing the area around the sides of the nose to further diffuse discoloration. “It will help make you look like you’re naturally blushing, as opposed to blush sitting on top of your skin,” she says. In the interest of capitalizing on a glassy complexion, Sir John uses a plush sponge blender, like L’Oréal’s Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender, before administering whisper-light strokes that “kiss” the skin with a brush for the powder, working it from the apples of the cheeks outward, then toward the temples and down to the center of the chest for all-over warmth.

Scared of Blush Because You Have Rosacea? We've Got You

The other day, I was describing my everyday makeup routine to a skin-care professional. "Tinted SPF 50, concealer, bronzer, cream blush, and mascara," I listed. She replied, "Blush? You still wear it even when you have rosacea?" As someone who has always loved cream blush, forgoing it because I have rosacea is something that had never really occurred to me. But it makes total sense.

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Westman Atelier Baby Blender Brush

$64.00, WESTMAN ATELIER

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Charlotte Tilbury Bronzer and Blusher Brush

$42.00, CHARLOTTE TILBURY

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Dior Backstage Blender

$20.00, DIOR

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Fenty Beauty Sponge100

$16.00, FENTY BEAUTY

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L'Oréal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender

$8.00, L'ORÉAL

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Merit Brush No. 1 Tapered Blending Brush

$30.00, MERIT

Finish With Luster

Because cream highlighter takes blush to the next level, when Soleimani uses RMS Beauty Living Luminizer on the high planes of the face, she also infuses it with a skin-care emollient, like Weleda Skin Food, for extra glow. Scintu blends a dewy elixir, like Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow Dew Drops on the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose for a light-catching strobe. For a fresh, final layer that sets everything into place, Sir John mists on Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir, a cocktail of toning rose extract, rejuvenating rosemary oil, and hydrating orange flower water. “You want the skin to be as supple as possible,” he says. “It adds more luster.”

The $27 Curling Iron Responsible For Sydney Sweeney's Soft Waves on Euphoria

Image Source: HBO Sydney Sweeney continues to bless us with gorgeous beauty moments during this season of Euphoria, and we are going to hang on to every last one of them like a lifeline. Sweeney, who plays Cassie Howard on the HBO drama, has perfected the innocent girl-next-door look, which is in stark contrast to her best friend Maddy's vibe. From playful crystal eye-makeup to delicate diamond-embellished nails, Sweeney's beauty moments on the show continue to play up her softer side. The latest episode of the show saw her hair in loose waves, and it turns out that the secret behind the look was a $27 curling iron.

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Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream

$19.00, WELEDA

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Dr. Barbara Sturm Glow Drops

$145.00, DR. BARBARA STURM

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RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

$38.00, RMS BEAUTY

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Caudalie Beauty Elixir

$49.00, CAUDALIE

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Ami Colé Skin Melt Loose Powder

$22.00, AMI COLÉ

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By Terry Hyaluronic Tinted Hydra-Powder

$60.00, BY TERRY

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