Nine times out of 10, cream blush will leave you with a fresh, hydrated and lit-from-within flush. However, get the placement wrong or pick up a shade that’s not suitable for your skin tone and your attempt at a rosy, sun-kissed look might end up looking like stage makeup.
After all, before cream blush experienced its resurgence (thank you TikTok), it did momentarily fall off the ‘trendy’ bandwagon since it was primarily associated with overly pigmented, a little too heavy-handed, grandmother-esque makeup. But a few clever placement tips and application tweaks later, using a cream blush can inject a pop of youth and warmth into any look. The secret? You just need to know what you’re doing; which is where we come in.
Keep reading as we reveal five clever and simple hacks for mastering your blush application…
1. Don’t discount your lips and lids
Do not overlook the opportunity to swipe the excess cream blush on your fingers across your lips and your lids, regardless of whether your cream blush claims to be a multitasker. The result? One of the simplest methods to create a uniform blend of soft pinks and peachy nudes across your entire look.
We love Clinique’s Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm ($47, Clinique)
2. Start slow and build
It’s easy to get trigger happy with that cream stick, however, before you go colouring in your cheeks, we recommend exercising a little restraint. When it comes to applying your cream blush, your fingers are your best friend. To guarantee a natural, flushed look, utilise the warm pad of your fingertips to tap in the product, building where required.
3. Consider undertones
Shade swatch a blush as you would a concealer or eyeshadow. Pale skin will do well with soft pinks or peachy-hues like the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in the shade ‘Fresh Melon’ ($55, The Iconic), whereas darker skin tones will benefit from brighter shades due to the higher pigment content. If this sounds more like you, we love Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in the shade ‘Lucky’ ($34, Sephora). If your skin has cool undertones, we recommend a blue-toned blush, while warmer undertones are best suited to anything with an orange or red base.
4. Don’t skip your bronzer
Though we love to find out whether someone is blush or a bronzer girl, the truth is, you can easily do both. In fact, we encourage it. With the right application techniques, layering a cream bronzer and blush will leave your skin looking luminous. The key? Keep your blush to the centre of your cheekbones (never below your nostrils) and lightly apply your bronzer to the outer perimeters of your face.
5. Play with mixing shades
Mixing different blush shades will allow you to mimic a glow that only comes from spending a summer on the Amalfi Coast. Start with a natural, peach-hued shade then add a deeper pink along the upper apples of your cheeks (just underneath your eyes), finishing with a light swipe across your nose. Belissimo!
6. Work it in
When applying your blush, make sure to give it a little TLC. Cream products function best when they’ve been properly worked into the skin. If your skin is prone to getting oily, this will help to prevent the product from slipping and sliding.
Main image credit: Getty
Have you tried any of these cream blush hacks? Do you have any of your own?
Great tips, very helpful!
Yes I always mix shades best tip!
I never use bronzer but thinking about it now.
Good tips though I have pale skin and it’s the application where I struggle (unbalanced cheeks)
I have a very light skin and feel like I must wear blush to put a bit of colour into my face. I like cream blush
Never used blush. Then got this pot of goodness that can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks in my all time fave face colour: cool purple . Ere Perez pot, have used it as a monochromatic look. Love!
It’s tricky to get it just right. I tend to avoid blush for that reason.
I am skipping the blush usually.
I definitely agree that blending cream blush with fingertips is best and I’ve recently learnt less is more (you can always build up but it’s harder to remove what you’ve already applied).
I must get braver and try . I worry I put on the wrong spot too
Great tips. Dakotas makeup looks amazing in those pics.
She is stunning
I like cream blusher, the one I’m currently using is a powder but I found out it is also available in a cream formula, so I’ll get that one next time.
I love cream blush. Don’t have any hacks though.
All very good tips! I love using both blush and bronzer
Thanks so much for your Article on Tips using Blush I do use both Blush and Bronzer also a Highlighter it certainly gives your face a glow 🌟
Obsessed with Dakota’s long brown hair from the image above.
Some great tips here – I go pink easily so am a bit wary about adding pink however the ladies shown here look lovely
Thanks for sharing these great tips
Helpful tips. I like a cream blush and always apply and blend with my fingers.
Great tips! And gorgeous glowy pics in the article – I’m inspired!
I’ll be remembering these tips!
Blush has become a staple for me in recent years!
Love cream blush! I find it easier to build up & also to apply, just by using my fingers. I’ve been using a couple of samples for ages & I mix them both together to get a decent shade (one’s too nude for me, the other too bright pink). I am on the hunt for more shades though so I don’t have to keep mixing.
NARS make the best cream blush in my opinion. I liked the bronzer trick too… I was always taught it was one or the other.
I haven’t used cream blush for many years. I’m much happier with powder which I find so much easier to control.
I love the chubby sticks!
Blush is the one cosmetic I use sparingly or even skip altogether. My face is very long & narrow, so just a smidgin too much blush looks awful.
Starting slow and building is a great idea, as is mixing with other shades. I’ve found using your finger tips is best too.
I’ve also recently used my cream blush sparingly, as it’s highly pigmented, on my lips, which gives them a soft natural shade of pink and as mine is more a matt blush, thought I’d mix it with a luminiser primer to make my cheeks look dewy and radiant.
Lovely, I must try one
I had a cream blush from Clinique many years ago and I loved it so much, it was a beautiful coralish shade.
I don’t own cream blush.But I use lipstick as a blush with my fingers.
Some handy tips – thank you.
Great ideas!
find less is more when applied to my pale skin.
I like NARS multiples cream colour sticks to use as blush, eyeshadow or lipstick.
Have only used powder blushes, never cream ones. They always look too hard to apply.
I love blush!
Thanks for your info
Some great tips here
I love natural looks; I cannot stand all that videos where they put layer and layer of pink like a clown then looking flawless with all the filters
Absolutely agree Yamilefr1. Natural is much better.
I have naturally flushed cheeks and like to wear a concealer rather than a blush
I do own one cream blush from YSL, and I really like mine
I love the Clinique chubby stick blushers and I have a couple of them.