While powder blush is a staple in most makeup bags for its ability to instantly add color and life to one's face, it's cream blush that's far more dynamic for everyday. Cream (and liquid) blush delivers a beautiful, glowing flush that is universally flattering and works well with all skin types in all seasons. The key? Learning how to apply cream blush correctly for a smooth, long-lasting finish.
Understanding Cream Blush
Blush, or blusher, as a category, is makeup designed to mimic the way your skin naturally flushes. Blusher can take a number of different forms, with powder, cream, and liquid as the most popular textures. Cream blush, as you might have guessed by the name, has a soft, creamy consistency.
Ever looked in the mirror and felt your skin looked a bit, well, “meh”? It could be lacking in vibrancy, grey in tone, or just a little flat. One of the biggest perks of cream blusher is that, if applied well, it is almost barely-detectable as product. It leaves your skin looking fresh and healthy in a way that’s hard for anyone to put their finger on, inviting questioning along the lines of: “Have you been away? Done something to your hair? Taken up yoga?”
“Blusher is that pop of colour to the face, giving you that healthy flush,” says Katie Levy, Pro Makeup Artist at Trinny London. Blusher can come in a vast array of shades. The shade that suits you best will depend on your overall skin tone, as well as whether your skin has warm or cool undertones.
“Generally, you’ll find that blushers with a cool, more bluey undertone will work best on paler skin that’s quite pink,” explains Alex Phillips, Pro Makeup Artist at Trinny London. “Whereas more orange and terracotta colours will look gorgeous on warm, golden and olive skin tones. “Putting a cool, blue-toned pink onto a deeper skin tone will look too cold on the skin, it won’t look natural,” adds Katie Levy.
The purpose of cream blusher is to make your skin look healthy and full of life, so, the happier your skin actually is, the more convincing your blusher will be. Cream blush works on all kinds of skin types and across all age ranges-but it’s especially perfect for dry or more mature skin which always needs that extra bit of moisture.
Unlike lip or eye color, cheek color is meant to be as natural-looking as possible-you never really want to look like you’re wearing blush. You want that lovely bloom of color on your cheeks to appear from within. Powder blushes are wonderful, but much easier to overdo than cream formulas, which by nature are very sheer and lightweight.
Cream blush isn’t better than powder blush, it’s simply different! The main difference between cream and powder blushes is that cream blushes are moisture-rich and have more slip than powder blushes that are finely milled and set down. When applying makeup, we use powders to set our liquid and cream products into place, so naturally a powder will last longer than a cream.
Preparing Your Skin for Cream Blush
Before applying your liquid or cream blush, be sure to prep your skin first. "If that's foundation for you or if that's just spot concealing, whatever that is, get your foundation or get your skin where you want it to be first and then apply blush over it," Milan says.
The purpose of cream blusher is to make your skin look healthy and full of life, so, the happier your skin actually is, the more convincing your blusher will be. To keep your skin at its best, you’ll need to start with proper cleansing. A swipe of a makeup wipe won’t cut the mustard (or through daily grime), so instead, you need to be washing your face with water and an efficacious cleanser suited to your skin type. If you have been wearing makeup or SPF, there’s a strong case to be made for double cleansing.
Now you’ve mastered the basics, you can move on to your exfoliation and serum steps. The former will help to dissolve the gunk that holds dead skin cells to the surface, revealing the fresher, clearer, younger complexion beneath. The latter, your serum, is the part of your routine with the highest concentration of active ingredients, and is your opportunity to target any skin bugbears you might have. If you feel your skin needs it, bookend your skincare routine with a moisturiser. This will act as a barrier, helping to keep all the goodness in.
Next up, makeup. You can, if you like, move directly from skincare through to blush. Most of us, however, will want to apply some sort of base before proceeding to blush. This will make your skin tone appear more even and uniform, creating a clear canvas. If your face was a painting, applying a layer of base is the equivalent of starting with a fresh piece of paper.
Application Techniques for Cream Blush
For a super-natural application, Espinoza recommends using your fingers-your ring finger, in particular, since it has the lightest pressure-to apply liquid or cream blush. "The warmth of your fingers will [blend] the product and it'll go on a lot smoother," he says. "[Apply] one little dot on your cheek and then one above it, heading towards the high plane of your face. Then you're going to work the product into your skin by dabbing in little circles to diffuse the dots." The key here is to dab the blush, not rub it into the skin.
Cream blush formulas are more emollient than powder blush, so applying them with your fingers allows you to melt them into your skin for a seamless blend. Your fingers are nature’s tools, and the natural heat that they give off helps to warm up your cream formula. By heating up your cream blush with your finger, the formula gets more slippery which allows it to glide effortlessly onto the face. Applying cream blush with your fingers is also extremely fast - you might not even need a mirror!
If you're going for a stronger, opaque blush look, Espinoza suggests using a tool such as a sponge or a blush brush to pack more of a punch. That said, Milan notes that when applying liquid blush, specifically, it is still important to also warm up the product before applying it. To do this, place a bit of blush on a metal plate or on your hand first, and then work the product into the brush.
Using a makeup brush to apply your cream brush gives you a more precise application. Domed blush brushes are specifically designed to hug the apples of the cheeks and allow you to make easy, sweeping motions that are perfect for blending out your cream blush.
Fingers vs. Brushes: Which to Choose?
Not sure whether to apply cream blush with brushes or fingers? There are pros and cons to each.
- Fingers:
- Easier on the go: If you’re out and about, you don't necessarily want to be carrying a full makeup bag.
- A seamless finish: “When I want skin to look flawless, I barely even touch a brush,” says Alex.
- Sheer application: A brush will pick up more pigment than your fingers.
- Brushes:
- A lighter touch: “Unless you’re very experienced using your hands or fingers, it could be that you’re a little heavy handed and wipe your base off in the process of applying blush,” says Alex.
- More coverage: “You get more coverage with a brush, as it picks up more colour,” continues Alex.
- A polished finish: How precise and perfect you want your blush to look will depend on factors such as time of day and your preference.
- Better for oily skin: “If your complexion is really oily then you may find that applying with fingers may cause your base to slide off,” explains Alex.
“If you’ve always done your makeup with your fingers, and you feel like there is room for improvement, then try a brush, or vice versa,” adds Alex Phillips.
Strategic Placement
Not sure how to approach applying cream blush? First things first, suss out where to apply blush. As a rough guide, start your blush at the point where the bottom of your nose would be in line with your pupil. From here, dab cream blush onto your cheeks in three dots, working upwards at an angle. This positioning will lift your face, making your features look elevated.
If you’re using your fingers, use a different, clean finger to the one you used to stamp the colour on and buff and blend upwards.
Setting Your Cream Blush
To set your liquid or cream blush for a smooth, even, and long-lasting finish, there are a few different ways to go about it, depending on the look you want to achieve.
- Setting Spray: If you want to maintain the fresh, creamy texture, Milan recommends setting the blush with a spritz of your favorite makeup setting spray.
- Translucent Powder: Otherwise, she says, you can increase the blush’s longevity and lock it into place by dusting a light layer of translucent powder over it.
- Powder Blush Layer: One more option: If you also want it to be more pigmented, she recommends setting your cream or liquid blush with a light dusting of powder blush.
When layering different blushes, Espinoza also encourages having fun and creating your perfect blush shade and finish.
Setting spray is the key to long-lasting makeup magic on oily skin, so be sure to apply a generous amount once you’ve completed your cream blush makeup look. I created Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray to help makeup last for up to 16 hours while giving it the smoothing, blurring effect that my AIRbrush collection is famous for.
Cream Blush for All Skin Types
Every skin type can wear cream blush, darlings - even blush-loving beauties with oily skin! Reaching for a mattifying primer will help to smooth the appearance of pores and helps with oil control. Powder products are better suited to oily skin types because they have much less slip and set down on the face, however, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the dreamy, dewy-looking glow of a cream blush as well.
Cream blush works on all kinds of skin types and across all age ranges-but it’s especially perfect for dry or more mature skin which always needs that extra bit of moisture.
Cream Blush as a Multi-Use Product
Cream blush is a versatile makeup product that can double as a magical lip tint. The rosy cream blush shades that we use on our cheeks look equally flattering on the lips and the emollient formulas feel comfortable and hydrating to apply.