MAKEUP RULES: You're making me blush!

March 16. 2013 5:33PM
by Bobby Walsh, Special to the Weekender 

Blushing is a sign of attraction in men and women; itâ??s also involuntary and uncontrollable. What if I told you I can make you blushto maintain that attraction all day? Follow these simple tips and tricks to get the perfect flush good enough to make him blush!


When starting your blush routine, you need to decide whether or not your skin is cool or warm. To do so, take a swatch of gold eyeshadow and silver eyeshadow and place them on your skin. Next, look to see which of the shadows blend into your skin easier â?? that will determine whether you are cool or warm.


If your skin matches better with the silver shadow, you are cool, and when it matches with the gold, you are warm. Cool colored blushes have more of a blue undertone: for example, a pink, rose, and mauve. Warm colored blushes have a yellow undertone: for example, coral, peach, and bronze. It starts to get a little tricky â?? pink can have a blue or yellow undertone as well as any of the aforementioned cheek colors.


Now itâ??s time for application. Begin applying your blush in an upward and outward motion towards the top of your ear from a finger space outside the apple of your cheek. You can also make little â??Xâ? motions with your brush, allowing the color to hit both top and bottom of your cheekbone to maximize color coverage and to help blend out the blush, so there are no harsh lines.


Highlighting your cheeks will give you the appearance of having higher, more prominent cheekbones. To highlight, take any lighter shimmery, semi-translucent powder or eyeshadow, and in the same motion as before, sweep along the top of your cheekbone. To locate the area for highlighting, take your pointer finger and touch the apple of your cheek and rotate your hand so that the bottom on your finger is towards your ear; that is your cheekbone, and your highlight should go one finger space above that.


Contouring your cheeks will add more definition to the structure of your cheekbones, giving you a slimmer, more constructed appearance: think Victoria Beckham. The use of a darker foundation powder or bronzer will be perfect for any contour.


To find your cheek contour, locate the area known as your â??hollow.â? Your hollow will be located one finger space below your cheekbone. Then, in an upward and outward motion like the highlight and blush, apply the contour color. Once finished, I like to take a clean, fluffy powder brush and lightly dust over the entire application to subtly blend everything together for a very natural, healthy glow!


A simple trick to find a good blush is to keep it similar to your lip color, creating a very monochromatic overall look (unless you are wearing a trend/high fashion color, then stick with a neutral blush).