The 4 rules of blush.

by ZOE FOSTER

l will assume you own a Blush of Some Description.

Whether it’s a breathtaking new compact NARS Orgasm, or an adorable little pot of Bourjois, or that grubby old mess of Helena Rubenstein you’ve had since high school, it matters not. Because no matter the texture or price or prod, there are few things a lot of us (“me”) (“often”) get disgracefully wrong when it comes to blush.

So let’s not anymore! Let’s remember these few simple rules instead.

1. Do not allow your blush to sit lower than the bottom of your nose.

The reason is simple – it drags your face down and makes your look saggier and sadder and older than you are. Keep it higher for an instant facelift instead. A good rule of thumb (or finger, more accurately) is to line up two fingers next to the side of your nose and start your blush at that spot, and make sure you are definitely not lower than the bottom of the nose. Then take it up a little, blending as you go, roughly staying in line with the corner of the outer corner of the eye and the top of your ear. (But not going up that far, obviously.) If that’s all too hard, just smile and apply your blush on the fleshiest part of the cheek, then carefully remove any that sits lower than the base of the schnoz.

2. Do not apply blush to a bare face.

Very rarely will it look as it was intended to, or flatter you. In fact, what it can do is accentuate the redness and capillaries in your skin, and place unwanted focus on any scars, blemishes and under eye circles. I KNOW! What a gremlin. Instead, apply some kind, any kind of coverage first. Whether that is a slick of tinted moisturiser or all over foundation, it’s so important to even out your skin tone before applying something with pink/rose/coral/peach tones to the face. The exception is those few women/15-yo girls who have perfect, magazine-advertisement skin and need NO makeup at all. We are happy for these flawless skinned beasts, obviously, and do not experience envy of any kind, because we can probably dance the tango way better than them anyway. See? It all evens out.

3. Do use a powder blush brush to buff on crème blush.

You get a terrifically natural glow if you spend a bit of time buffing it in with a blush. Yes, fingers are fine, and good for on the go, but try the brush and watch friends and strangers alike gasp with surprise and fascination ay the result.

4. Do not forget to blend out your blush once done applying.

Keep a “product-free” blush brush for this purpose, which is to blend out the edges of your blush so that there are no obvious lines, and the finished look is one of a natural, healthy flush, not one of This Woman Has Applied Blush.

My blush of choice currently is one I picked up in Greece from (splendid Greek brand) Korres, called Cheek Butter in Philia Rose. It is brand new so might not be in Oz just yet, but is so delicious creamy and fresh. I will decline to go into detail about how fantastic its little sister Lip Butter is, because this is not a lip post. Although I will say I bought the (coral-melon) Mango and (nude-pink) Jasmine shades and have removed all other lip products from my life accordingly.

Zoe is an author, columnist and porridge fan. Her books include the beauty bible Amazing Face, dating and relationship guide Textbook Romance, and three novels, Air Kisses, Playing The Field and The Younger Man. Find more info on her here, or supervise on her daily procrastination here and here.

Please understand that Zoë cannot respond to ALL your questions – but never fear, there are readers that are bound to know the answers, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Do you have any blush tips?