Gen Z’s latest TikTok obsession is makeup “blindness,” where users post self-deprecating images of looks they once thought were perfect but now look insane, set to the song Crazy.
It started with a ‘blinding’ (136.2 million posts on TikTok) featuring huge, blocky, black caterpillars.
Now there is talk of ‘blush blindness’: photos of women with throbbing, neon-painted faces have been viewed 41.3 million times.
As we age, our faces sag, meaning the apples of our face sink lower. To create a youthful lift, apply the bulk of your blusher diagonally upwards along the cheekbone
Blush has been an afterthought for decades, relegated to contour and bronzer. But now it’s taking center stage. And at 53, I’m rushing to overblush with the best of them.
If there is one makeup trend I am fixated on, it is rosy cheeks. Before I discovered the magic, I was often asked if I had tuberculosis because I am so pale.
When I finally came under the influence of blusher in the mid-90s, I went all out. Friends, boyfriends, and even model Elle Macpherson told me I was overdoing it, but too much was never enough. As one friend put it, “Too much blush is your signature. You wouldn’t be yourself without it.”
As a result, I now find myself constantly getting high-fives from young women admiring my blossoming cheeks. “I thought you were a few years older than me,” a bewildered teenager recently exclaimed at a wedding.
Lo and behold: I finally discovered the secret to turning 21 again.
But I’m not going to say that blusher can’t be tricky.
First, where to put your color. If you’re using the “smile, then apply to the apples of the cheeks” method, it’s time to rethink. As we age, our faces sag, which means the apples sink lower.
To create a youthful lift, the majority of your blusher should be angled upward along your cheekbone. Don’t worry, this won’t look terribly ’80s — when done right, it’ll be a diffused look rather than a heavily pigmented line.
I recommend a powder blush as a base. Apply this with an angled sculpting brush such as the ELF Angled Blush Brush (£6, elfcosmetics.co.uk).
My all-time favorite cheek cosmetic is Kevyn Aucoin Neo Limelight Highlighter in Ibiza. This of course means it is no longer available. After buying up all the stock on Amazon, I switched to eBay.
I also have it recreated through Cosmetics à La Carte’s Bespoke Blusher service (£70, cosmeticsalacarte.com).
Kevyn Aucoin also offers The Neo-Blush (£34, spacenk.com) in two warm and two cool shades, following the same gradual colour scheme of satin, matte and pearl powders.
Clinique’s Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Iced Lotus (£30, boots.com) has a similar lavender quality for cooler, blue tones. If you have a warmer skin tone, you could also try the shade Innocent Peach (£30).
Blush has been an afterthought for decades, lagging behind contours and bronzers
Otherwise, there’s MAC’s new Glow Play Cushiony Blush in pastel pink Totally Synced (£28, maccosmetics.co.uk) or apricot Cheer Up (£28) — the former cool, the latter warm — which offer a soft wash of colour while blurring the appearance of pores and fine lines.
Once this powder layer is set, add a tiny bit of a bold shade of cream blush to the centre of your cheeks. The key is Bobbi Brown’s groundbreaking Jones Road Blush Brush (£34, jonesroad beauty.com ), which distributes and blends just the right amount of product.
I love Jones Road Lip and Cheek Stick in Royal Plum (£34), a gorgeous biting berry with strong pigment that stays put on the cheeks and lips. I also love No 1 De Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm (£40, chanel.com ), while Superdrug’s Studio London Flaunt Flawless Cream Blush (£6, super drug.com ) is a budget pick.
And as for the under-blush trend, where you paint most of your face fuchsia and then apply base over it? Leave that to the teenagers.
My icon of the week
Lupita Nyong’o, who appeared in A Quiet Place: Day One and Black Panther, typically wears only makeup to events
Lupita Nyong’o
The actress, 41, likes avocado oil to moisturise and cleanse, and applies garlic to blemishes. She avoids make-up except for events, opting for Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation (now £27.65), plus Hypnôse Custom-Wear Mascara (£28.56, sephora.co.uk). She swears by Vernon Francois Scalp Nourishment Braids and Locs Spray ($17.99, sallybeauty.com).
Cosmetic craving
I rarely recommend a whole range, as it’s often better to pick and mix. L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Glossing Routine for Dull Hair (£57.96, now £28.98, boots.com ) is the exception, though.
Flat but frizzy, dried out, messy and dull as dishwater, my hair was in a slump. One squirt of glycolic acid and it was revived; more and it’s now thriving. Glycolic acid is a skin exfoliating ingredient used for its small molecular size, which can penetrate the hair to smooth and add shine.
If I had to choose, I’d pick the Glycolic Gloss 5 Minute Lamination Rinse-off Treatment for Dull Hair (now £7.99, boots.com). But really, they’re all great.
Five body blitzs
Soap & Glory The Heel Deal Foot File (£10, boots.com)
An affordable favorite with three powerful exfoliating heads.
Hydréa London Bamboo Carbonised Exfoliating Shower Gloves (£6.49, sephora.co.uk)
Bamboo is antibacterial, so it is odor and mold resistant. And it is also environmentally friendly.
Monu Walnut & Shea Butter Body Polish (£35.95, monushop.co.uk)
Ground walnut shells have a powerful exfoliating effect, while papaya enzymes balance and brighten skin tone.
Dove Anti-stress Advanced Care Body Wash (£3, waitrose.com)
Cleanses and hydrates, with a soothing infusion of chamomile and oat milk.
Athletia Smooth Body Milk in Feeling at your leisure (£30, athletia-beauty.co.uk)
The soothing, spicy, woody aroma will leave you feeling hydrated.
