It can be one of the last bits of make-up you put on your face before leaving the house, and so naturally it’s usually the last thing you think about. But is your blusher really right for you? With so many beautiful colours to choose from, it can be easy to go for the biggest and the brightest, rather than a shade that will truly give your complexion a seemingly effortless and undeniably enviable glow.

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Here’s a guide to help you find your perfect match & how to apply blush.

Dark Skin

A common complaint that darker-skinned women often experience is finding make-up that does their complexion justice, rather than overly-light, powdery colours that end up making you look washed-up. The best solution to this is to invest in higher-end products that have stronger pigmentation. They cost more but you end up using much less due to the incredible pay-off. Look for deeper shades and darker hues, like roses and burnt oranges.

Medium Skin

If you’re tanned or mixed race, with a yellowy undertone to your skin, you fall into the medium category. Luckily for you the amount of colour your skin possesses naturally helps you pull off a lot of different shades, but a warm, gold undertone to blushes will harmonize most with your complexion,  as cooler colours can make the skin appear ashy. Peaches and dusky pinks are the best for you.

Light Skin

Those with fair to porcelain skin need to tread carefully when picking (and applying) blusher, as anything too overbearing will just sit unnaturally on top of your face, rather than enhancing the features you have. Look for lighter, gentler coral tones and girly-sweet sugar pinks. They may look deceiving in the packaging, but upon application you’ll notice the subtle results.

Things to Remember

The key to great blusher application for everyday looks is that it becomes unnoticeable. It’s also important to note that like the makeup around your eye, a single product rarely works alone. To get the most out of your cheekbones, remember the power of three. Firstly: contour, blush and highlight. None of these things work without the other. Secondly, sweep your blusher on in a ‘3’ shape each side of the face, concentrating the colour primarily at the cheekbones in the middle then working the rest into the jawline and over the temple. Spreading the colour more evenly in this way will lift the rest of the face and enhance your bone structure.

There are also two common mistakes to look out for. As explained previously (though this can’t be emphasized enough), too much of any item of make-up will look tacky and cakey. Applying more colour to your face will not make you look more tanned, in fact it can be quite the opposite, as the more dramatic the application is, the more contrasting your skin tone will look, therefore you will appear to be paler and without that healthy glow. And finally, contrary to popular belief, colour should be applied more closely to the cheekbone and the hairline and then pulled down to the apples of your cheeks rather than vice versa. This classic error can make you look too old or too young, depending on your age.

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About the author: Phil Mowat is the co-founder of nationwide hair and makeup agency Beauty Call, which employs dozens of qualified professional makeup artists up and down the country. His background is in marketing and he thoroughly enjoys exploring new promotional avenues for his company.