Few makeup products can enliven the complexion quite like blush. But while shade and formulation certainly matter, blush placement can have just as much impact on the finished look.
It’s something the professionals know well – legendary makeup artist Patti Dubroff (whose client roster includes Priyanka Chopra, Margot Robbie and Kirsten Dunst) included. “Blush is one of my favourite ways to shape and sculpt the face, and it’s all about placement,” she explains.
Recently taking to Instagram, Dubroff demonstrated three different looks using the same cream blush, simply switching up where she applied it. If you typically apply your best blusher the same way every day, it could be time to reconsider.
Patti Dubroff's 'lifted' blush technique
Of the three techniques demonstrated, we were especially drawn to Dubroff’s ‘lifted’ blush trick. Rather than concentrating colour on the apples of the cheeks, she takes it higher and further out towards the temples. For a lifted look, Dubroff recommends taking your blush along the tops of the cheekbones.
Before going in, she takes “a little bit of the colour onto the brush” and blends it into the back of her hand first, allowing her to build the colour gradually. “The blush placement is going to stay high towards the temple to give the illusion of a lift,” she explains. It’s a simple but effective trick, and one worth trying if you’re guilty of some of the most common blusher mistakes, like taking your colour too low or too close to the nose.
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For an outdoorsy flush, Dubroff creates what she calls a “windswept look”, switching to a flatter brush and taking the blush straight across the cheeks. “This one is more of a straight-across placement to mimic, you know, a day in the sunshine, out on the moors, windswept,” she says.
Dubroff uses Chanel N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm in Vital Beige throughout, but any easy-to-blend formula will work. REFY Water Blush is another lightweight pick that delivers a sheer, healthy-looking flush.
Her final technique is all about recreating a sun-kissed glow. Using a stippling brush, Dubroff applies the blush “a little more generously wherever the sun naturally hits”, sweeping it over the cheeks and temples and across the bridge of the nose. It’s not dissimilar to the sunset blush technique, which uses warm, red-orange tones across the cheeks and nose to create a realistic sun flush.
Interestingly, Dubroff favours blush over bronzer for the effect: “I really like to use a blush instead of a bronzer because I feel like it’s more alive.” Shade choice is key here, too. Dubroff opts for Chanel’s Vital Beige, an earthy hue that could almost pass for bronzer, helping to create that softly bronzed flush.
More cream blushers we love
This creamy blush is one of this brand's hero products, and dries down to a soft powder finish that lasts beautifully.
With a handy applicator that gives plenty of control for placement, this budget-friendly blush is a great way to try DuBroff's techniques.
A luxury stick that's packed with skincare ingredients, this makeup artist-created blusher is beautifully blendable and a breeze to apply.
