Before we begin - there is no real order to blush, highlight and bronzer if you are using all three. Generally, creams are under powders as the powders can help to set the creams.

A few tips that might help you:

Cream highlighters can help blend out harsh lines on blush and/or tone it down
If you want a stronger looking blush, add it last
If you want to have a hint of blush glow through a bronzer, blush under your bronzer

Your Blush Basics

I get asked all the time about the rule of blush. The first rule of Blush Club is that there are no rules. It’s preference plus what suits certain face shapes. Some people prefer rosy, doll-like cheeks, or some prefer a hybrid highlighting blush by placing it high on the cheekbones under the eye, or some like the 80s C swoop to temple.

makeup for Revlon campaign Andrea Claire (moi)

My blush placement preference is two finger-widths away from the side of the nose so it's just past the apple of the cheek which usually lines up with the outer edge of your pupil.

hair and makeup from my editorial portfolio

If you have a lotta cheek, the whole rosy apples look just looks garish and overwhelming in my opinion. Unless you are in the editorial pages of a magazine, this isn’t a runway to street look.
The hybrid blush applying like a highlighter under the eye that some recommend for over 45… I’m 50 and a pro who says: No. I find that it closes the eye area and/or makes the eyes look swollen and heavy. As we age, we tend to lose elasticity around our eyes and they naturally become heavy. This method just accentuates it. Or makes you look like a rabid rabbit. No one wants to look wascally.

The 80s swoop, well, I do love the 80s. The kids these days are calling it ‘draping’ - I love when people reinvent the wheel. *eye roll

The C blush curves from cheek to temple.

This blush is a C shape. As long as it’s not a Cyndi Lauper fuchsia, but a hint of colour, its another option. It does, however, widen the face a little by drawing attention to that area. Some face shapes can benefit from this, others look too round. As we age, our skin starts to hollow and sag. This trick helps with a subtle lifting effect for some.

hair and makeup by me for Vanessa Axente for Glajz

Back to my perfect blush which is lining up under the outer edge of the pupil and two finger-widths from the nose. Think of it finding a spot on a map or sinking someone’s battleship: P/8.

Some of my blush faves include:

MAC Cosmetics Extra Dimension Hushed Tone or Sweets For My Sweet

Cheek to Chic in Ecstasy

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Pillow Talk, First Love, The Climax, there are multiple actually that I love.

Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion Grapefruit (great for darker complexions), Chai, Ginger, Peach, Fresco (pictured). There are more colours available. These are just some of my faves.

NARS Orgasm in the powder, liquid and The Multiple - I have yet to see a skin tone that this doesn't look great on.

FACEatelier Ultra Blush in Peach Glaze (gives Orgasm some stiff competition) or Tea are my favourite FA colours

Highlight Rules To Break 

Looking for that lit from within? Dewy, glowy, healthy skin is a fave of mine. I can’t stop. I won’t stop.

Highlighter has a basic 5 point highlight theory.

Ultimately it is used on the high points of your bone structure that the sun would kiss first to bring forward aka highlight an area.

If you have naturally chiseled cheekbones then you don’t need to highlight them but maybe you just want to. If your nose is already sharp, then skip the highlight on the bridge.

As a professional hair and makeup artist for the past 30 years, I find far too often influencers make tips seem all too ‘one size fits all’ - and frankly they are not.

Influencers are paid to encourage you to spend money and overuse products vs a professional who has the in-depth training, experience for all face shapes, ages, skin tones, and just know the facts, tips, tricks, and great products.

I find this is what irks me about a lot of brands. They push and share influencer crap because they are pouring so much shit on their faces selling you a bill of overly-glazed goods vs sharing pro-tips, where the truth lies in plain sight vs behind a ring-lit ball of FaceTuned beauty propaganda.

*end scene*

On with the show!

The highlight points:

Top of cheekbones.
Brow bones/arch
Bridge of nose NOT (I repeat NOT!!!) the tip of your nose. No one wants to accentuate their nose tip unless you are guiding a sleigh through the fog for some fat guy.
Chin to give an illusion of sharpening the chin
(sometimes) The middle of the forehead. This one I say proceed with caution as it can look sweaty. I will usually do this highlight under foundation. In fact, if you prefer a more subtle highlight, use a lighter shade of your foundation or apply your highlighter under your foundation.

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer (shop-able image above) is my ultimate fave and so far. I find that it does suit all skin tones. It adds a glow that is neither frosty nor glittery. This can be applied under or over makeup without issue.

Danessa Myricks Beauty Dew Wet Balm - I have Clear and Morning Dew. I love the multidimensional glow. She says you can apply under or over makeup; yes… however, I do find that it is a bit petroleum jelly-like and that it seems to travel the makeup. So it’s gorgeous, high-maintenance but can cause a disturbance in your beloved foundation just like your husband’s mistress.

“She was a showgirl” — *“She was a showgirl*”

NARS Copacabana gives you that highlight of Barry Manilow at the Copa.

Lifehack: tap this under your eyes when you need a quick wake-up fix.

Le Grande Finale

If this happens to you, get a blending foundation brush to buff and blend. She looks like a creamsicle, orange on the outside and white in the middle.

Bronzer is not contour. (say that out loud)

Ok but now I’ll toss a wrench at that:

When we tan, we accentuate the highs and lows of our bone structure, and darker shading gives a flattering illusion of depth or slimming, which is why we get obsessed with looking tanned or bronzed. This is also why we naturally reach for it as a contour. The biggest issue with using bronzers solely as a contour is that it can look odd, often looking orange. Whereas, contour is more often the shades we see when our skin hollows or folds with natural shadows, usually 1-3 shades darker than our foundations.

Ask yourself: are you looking for a bronzed skin or a contour?

It’s not to say we can’t use bronzer as a contour but choose shades that don’t make you look like you smeared a bag of Cheetos on your face.

Milk Makeup in Baked (a matte cream stick that looks natural)

*yes, that photo is ridiculous. It’s what links to Amazon.

NARS Laguna comes in various textures, powder (shop-able image), liquid or a Multiple Stick. I do love them all.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Bronze is what I used for the bronzed and gold effect in this image. The dramatic lighting, pose and intence amount that I used is for editorial purposes. This idea can be dialled back to be wearable in the real world. If you are attending an event with lots of flash, be aware that the flashback from this product can be quite a lot.

I love Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Bricks as they are a multitasking product that can also be used as eyeshadows. The palettes are divided into strips of the colour palette, so you can sweep them all together or use individually.

Benefit Hoola (matte powder)

I used Hoola here for supermodel Romee Strijd for a Mido watch event. It was such a joy to work with Romee and her lovely team.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Cheeky Bronze a soft coral with a golden shimmery glow or Gold Deposit, both will give you a blush / bronzer all in one.

Do you have a fave that I didn’t mention? Sharing is caring. Leave your recommendations in the comments

If you have any questions also drop them down below.

** Many links here are part of an affiliate program. They are truly recommendations that I love and use either professionally or personally - often both! **

Professional Hairstylist & Makeup Artists

Blush, Highlight, and Bronze your way to success