Beauty: Basic Blush

Sorry I've been neglecting the beauty blog posts!  I've been giving style and jewelry a little bit too much attention, but now I'm back on track.

On a side note, I want to take a minute to thank those of you who have been leaving comments.  It definitely motivates me to keep moving forward with Style By Cat when I know that someone is actually reading it!  So, thanks again. :)  I really appreciate the feedback.

Ok, so, on to blush!  I actually never understood the importance of blush until several years into practicing makeup.  Until then, I always thought it was optional and sort of pointless.  Here's the skinny on blush.  First of all, it gives you a healthy glow, making you look more alive.  I tend to look sallow and tired without it.  Also, it highlights and contours your cheekbones, enhancing your facial bone structure.  I consider it one of my top 3 essentials.  If had to leave the house in a hurry and could only apply one product, blush would be right up there.

So here, we have foundation, eyes, and hair:

Pardon the fuzzy penguin robe.  Our heater stopped working 3 days ago and it's been freezing in the apartment since.

To apply the blush, I'm going to use the ELF Studio Complexion brush.  It's made to be a powder brush, actually, but I really like using large brushes to apply my blush, it gives a more diffuse, and well-blended appearance.  This brush is super-soft, doesn't shed, and you can get it for $3 here.  For the record, ELF Studio brushes are wonderful quality for the price.  I'm contemplating replacing ALL of my brushes with a set of these.

The blush I'm using is Rimmel London's Lasting Finish Powder Blush in Autumn Catwalk.  This is one of my favorite blushes, I'm on my second compact already.  It's inexpensive, at about $4.99 apiece and I really love the trio of shades.  Perfect for contouring and highlighting!  I got mine at CVS, but you can pretty much find it anywhere.  They probably sell it for even less at Target or Walmart.

Next, you'll want to pick up some of the darkest pink on the end (which is surprisingly very pigmented, so you don't need a whole lot) and apply it high on your cheeks and far back, towards your ears.  Apply in a small, circular motion.

You should have small, bright pink spots high and far back on your cheeks like this:

This may appear a little odd, but, not to worry, we're going to diffuse this clown-like appearance with the highlight shade:

Take your complexion/blush brush and swirl the light and medium shades together to form your highlight shade.  You'll then want to apply it around the perimeter of the bright pink spots you created earlier with the darkest shade, blending contour and highlight colors as you do so.

You'll also want to apply your blush so that theres the widest coverage towards high and towards the back, tapering as you come towards the center of your face.  Think in terms of a triangular shape.

The end result should look like a radiant flush:

Yay!  I look lively, not like a zombie.

So that's blush!  Basic lips coming up. :)

Hugs,

Cat