Let’s talk blush. That sweet little pop of color that’s supposed to make you look alive, dewy, and like you just got back from a brisk walk with your French lover in the Alps. Instead, it’s making half of us look like we’ve time-traveled back to a school photo day in 1992 where we let our mom do our makeup and now we have regrets. And evidence.
You’ve heard it. You’ve probably done it. “Smile and apply blush to the apples of your cheeks!” Sweetie, no. Put the brush down and walk away from the mirror. I’m here to lovingly tell you that this advice, much like low-rise jeans and the notion that toner should burn, is outdated and no longer serving you.
The Problem With the “Apples of the Cheeks” Lie
Smiling and applying blush to the apples of your cheeks seems like a good idea. Until you stop smiling. That’s when those “apples” drop faster than your standards during cuffing season. What you thought would make you look fresh and cute now reads as “I’m emotionally and gravitationally burdened.”
Blush placed too low can drag your whole face down—like the makeup equivalent of reading your middle school poetry. It adds color, sure, but also heaviness, and not the good Lana Del Rey kind.
The Lift-and-Sweep Fix
Here’s the real tea: place your blush higher up on your cheekbones, and sweep it back and slightly up toward your temples. Think “blush as cheekbone highlighter,” not “blush as clown contour.” You’re aiming for a natural flush where your face would actually lift if you just got a facelift—but for free.
This technique:
- Visually lifts the face (yes, even after a bad night’s sleep and one too many margaritas).
- Elongates the cheekbones.
- Avoids that overly round, overly young, and weirdly aging effect that “apple of the cheek” placement can give.
Bonus round: if you drag a little blush over the bridge of your nose, you get that “I just spent the day frolicking on a yacht in Capri” vibe, rather than “I’ve been hiding under fluorescent lighting since 2010.”
How to Do It (Without Panic)
- Choose your weapon: Creams give a dewy finish, powders are buildable and easier to control. Just promise me you’ll avoid glitter. This isn’t Coachella 2014.
- Pick the right shade: Rosy, peachy, berry, terra cotta—pick what flatters your undertone, not what your favorite influencer is shilling this week.
- Apply high and back: Use a light hand to sweep the blush from the upper cheekbone out toward your hairline, keeping everything lifted.
- Blend, blend, blend: Harsh lines are for corporate policy manuals, not your face.
TL;DR
Blush on the apples of your cheeks? Aging.
Blush high and back? Lifting, modern, sexy, maybe a little French.
And isn’t that the goal?
You’re not old. You’re just using old blush placement. Now go forth and lift thy face to the heavens—one sweep at a time.
💄 Have you been victimized by “apple of the cheek” blush application? Tried the high-and-back technique and feel like a new person? Tell me everything in the comments—or slide into my DMs. I’m always here for beauty breakthroughs and mild oversharing.
