Blush and Highlighter for a Radiant Face

For a long time the make-up world recommended dark contour lines to “slim” the face. We prefer a different approach: not making the face smaller, but bringing it to life. Used well, blush and highlighter give the face a healthy glow, a rested look and natural vitality. Both take seconds to apply and lift almost any make-up look.

Blush: the colour of happiness

Blush brings back the natural flush that circulation gives the face. To find your shade, look at your cheeks’ natural colour; the flush that appears after exercise or in cold weather is the blush shade that will suit you best.

• Fair skin: Powder pink, light peach and soft rose.
• Medium skin: Coral, apricot and warm rose.
• Deep skin: Plum, warm red, honey and rich coral.

Where does blush go?

There is no single right way; where you place blush changes the expression of the face.

• On the apples: Smile and apply to the fullest part of the cheeks for a youthful, joyful look.
• Swept to the temples: Blush blended up from the cheekbones towards the temples gives a lifted, rested feel.
• Across the nose: Blush that drifts lightly from the cheeks over the bridge of the nose looks fresh, as if you’ve just come back from the sun.

Cream or powder?

Cream blushes melt into the skin and look natural, especially on dry and normal skin. Pressing them in with your fingertips is the easiest method. Powder blushes last longer on oily skin and make colour easy to control. For the longest wear, layer a powder blush over a cream one in the same shade.

Highlighter: a touch of light

Highlighter emphasises the points where light naturally hits the face. Used sparingly, it gives the skin a healthy sheen.

• The top of the cheekbones
• A fine line down the bridge of the nose
• Just under the brow bone
• The cupid’s bow above the lip
• The inner corner of the eye

Champagne and pearl shades look most natural on fair skin, gold on medium skin, and bronze and copper on deep skin. Finely milled, satin-finish highlighters look more refined in daylight than chunky glitter.

Balancing the glow

Highlighting a few points looks more elegant than making the whole face shine. On days you wear highlighter, keeping areas such as the forehead and chin matte makes the light gather in the right places.

A quick routine

Add two minutes to your everyday make-up: blend cream blush on the apples and up towards the temples, then tap a little highlighter on top of the cheekbones with the same finger. When you look in the mirror you’ll see a rested, happy, glowing face. That is what make-up is for.