The Best Way to Apply Blush According to Your Face Shape

The Best Way to Apply Blush According to Your Face Shape

It’s way more than just a swipe and a swirl.

Blush seems fairly straightforward: You swirl your brush into your rouge then dust it on your face, right? This may be the most basic of applications, but in reality, blush can be incredibly flattering to your bone structure if you use it more strategically.

We asked Laramie, makeup artist and founder of Book Your Look, to tell us exactly how each face shape should apply and blend blush. Once you know your perfect blush color and technique combo, you’ll never go back to that typical round pop of rouge again.

Heart

If your face is long with prominent cheekbones and a narrow chin, you likely have a heart-shaped face. Saturate your blush brush with product, knock off the excess, then apply it in an almost “C” shape from the top of the temple down to the cheekbone. Use more product along the cheekbone, then diffuse it up towards the temple, pushing it in and upwards.

Note: Don’t go overboard with your application. “You want a blended look since it’s on more than just the cheeks,” Laramie warns.

Heart

The result: a warm, beautiful glow that shows off your high cheekbones and brings out your eyes.

Oblong

Check out your forehead, cheeks, and jawline — are they all about the same width? You have an oblong face shape, which is like a soft rectangle. Hit the apple of the cheek starting at its most prominent part, blending towards the nose, then bringing it out towards the temple.

“You want to make sure you bring the blush down, too, because you don’t want to highlight the cheekbone area — the face naturally highlights it,” recommends Laramie. Add a touch of blush on the forehead and the sides of the brows to bring the look together.

Oblong

The result: a naturally ethereal look that flatters the whole face.

Square

Square faces tend to have straight sides and a fairly flat jawline (think Olivia Wilde or Angelina Jolie), so this technique softens the face’s angles with blush. “With a square face, you want to hit all of the cheekbone from the corner of the brow to the hairline,” notes Laramie.

Load up a loose synthetic brush with cream blush, diffusing color into the brush. With long, very light motions, sweep the blush across the cheekbone onto the higher side, starting low and moving upwards. Pull blush from the eyebrow down to the nose, but very softly and blended. Feeling adventurous? You can even apply a touch of blush to your lips and eyelids.

Square

The result: a pretty shape that gives your strong face shape a softened look.

Round

The cheeks are the fullest part of a round face shape, and you usually have a curved jawline. Here’s Laramie’s foolproof way to apply blush on a round face: look in the mirror, smile, then swipe a sheer cream stick blush in two short swipes to the apples of your cheeks. Using a foundation brush and medium-size strokes, brushing up towards the temple and down towards the earlobe.

“You just don’t want to blend towards the nose — that makes the face look rounder,” says Laramie. And if you want to learn how to contour a round face using blush, bronzer, and highlighter, check out our easy three-step tutorial.

Round

The result: a perfectly flattering look that emphasizes your bone structure.

Oval

Oval faces are long with somewhat prominent cheeks, a narrower chin, and a narrow forehead. Laramie recommends thoroughly saturating a synthetic brush with color, tapping off the excess, then starting at the most prominent part of the cheekbone. Using soft strokes, bring it down towards the earlobe and blend up towards the temple. Add the slightest bit just above the temple, too.

Oval

The result: a radiant glow that brings out your cheekbones and frames your pretty eyes.

Pin this handy graphic!

Never forget the best technique for your shape by adding this super simple guide to your makeup board on Pinterest.

Sam’s enthusiasm for makeup is only rivaled by their love of all things relating to cats. In their spare time, they enjoy watching scary movies, putting avocado on everything, and seeing how many shades of the rainbow they can dye their hair before 30.

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