Blush Is The Makeup Trend Of The Moment
January 1 | 4 minute read
Words by Gen Phelan
Originally published on | June 6
So why are we reclaiming what was once considered antiquated ‘rouge’? Well, it’s likely down to a longing for naturally healthy and good-looking skin, sans major input or irreversible damage.
We’re no longer seeing excess bronzer (giving an illusion of sun exposure or appearing overly fake) as a badge of honour, but instead yearning for a little something-something to give us life. A touch of colour to the cheeks (that mimics your natural flush from a brisk walk, or a pilates class), is the ultimate shortcut to a ‘real’-looking visage with very minimal effort required.
And while some enduring classics (NARS Orgasm, we’re looking at you) stand the test of time and internet trial, fresh perspectives on blush placement and tonal play are very in vogue. Even NARS has reformulated its legacy line to boast 16-hour wear and some riotous new shades.
Now we’re in pursuit of a scarlet smile, let’s get to work — these are the cheek-tickling trends on MECCA’s radar right now, and how to recreate them.
Sunset blush
Quite literally, this crimson blush trend borrows from the natural palette of a sunset, mirroring a sunset with a gradient of cheek colours — think burnt orange and reddish tones that you can find in Polite Society’s Go Flush Yourself! Blush & Highlight Face Palette. Just consult TikTok, and you’ll note the hashtag #SunsetBlush is already gaining traction (with millions of posts). With SPF under every layer of blush we apply, it’s fun to borrow heat from these copper-coded looks.
Alissa Holmes with her viral ‘sunset blush’. Image credit: @alissajanay on Instagram.
Doll skin
‘Coquette core’ and the era of the ‘girl’ have been infiltrating the blush bonanza, with rosy-pink and babydoll shades colouring our world in a romantic, just-flushed hue. The regression to ‘girlhood’ has us reliving playtime (of the makeup kind) with products that give a just-been-skipping warmth (à la Gigi Hadid at the Met Gala). Reach for Too Faced Cloud Crush Blurring Blush in Candy Clouds to emulate this doll-like skin, and concentrate it on the very juicy part of your cheek (the apple, if you will) to give an almost Renaissance-painting-esque flush.
Gigi Hadid at the 2024 Met Gala. Image credit: @gigihadid on Instagram.
Stick-form colour
It’s no denying stick beauty is on the rise in every base format (from foundation to bronzer and contour), but a new frontier of blush in a portable bullet is making back-of-car applications possible on the go. From Westman Atelier to Polite Society and MECCA MAX, there’s a whole suite of high-low blush sticks to include everyone in these swatch-and-smile sticks. Just deploy, pat, and pretend you’ve been holidaying in Sicily for several days.
Glazed cheeks
Australian Fashion Week taught us a glossy base was the way to give the illusion of skin aglow. Glamour reported ‘glazed blush’ to be a burgeoning theme in beauty looks of the zeitgeist, thanks to queen of the blushed-glow Sabrina Carpenter and the lip oil craze we’ve all been lapping up. This sheer ‘stain’ of colour combines dewy tactility with a natural tickled-pink pigment and can be applied with fingers in a slap-dash fashion. Our picks of blush in gleaning liquid form are Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Light Wand in Peachgasm and NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush in Dolce Vita.
Sabrina Carpenter with her viral glowy cheeks. Image credit: @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram.
