Here's How To Pull Off This Winter's Bold Blush Trend

It's official: bold, blustery blush looks are in for winter 2022-2023. Just take a look at a typical makeup tutorial on any social media platform, and you're likely to see a more intense application of blush than you would have at this time last year. On TikTok, users like Aliciabreuer0 have racked up millions of views on videos demonstrating how to use bold blush to enhance or detract from specific facial features or to match a particular aesthetic.

What many Gen Zers aren't aware of is the fact that this isn't bold blush's first rodeo. Back in the 1980s, blush draping was all the rage. Even if the name doesn't sound familiar, you've probably seen or heard about the technique. It involves sweeping a heavy-handed application of blush across the cheekbone and then up around the temple in a 'C' shape. Now, blush draping and other bold blush looks are here to stay for 2023's winter season. Here are some tips for nailing this trend. 

Before you go heavy on your blush, it's important to make sure it's the right shade for your skin tone in order to prevent clashing that can leave you looking dull or even sickly. When you go bold, your blush becomes more noticeable than ever, and so will a color mismatch. The key is to determine whether your skin has cool, warm, or neutral undertones.

There are two simple tests for determining your skin's undertones, and both require bright natural light. The first method is to examine the appearance of the veins in your wrists. If these veins appear very blue or purple, your skin is cool-toned. If they look more green than blue, your skin is warm-toned. A mixture of blue and green suggests a neutral undertone.

The second method is to put on a bright white shirt or hold a white sheet of paper up to your face. If your skin looks gold or yellow next to bright white, it is warm-toned. If it looks pink or red, it's cool-toned. If it looks just as great and natural as ever, neutral undertones are likely (via Beautyblender). If you have cool undertones, your best bold blush shade will be pink or blue based, such as a mauve or a berry hue. Warm undertones should stick to orange or red-based blushes like peach or coral, according to L'Oréal Paris. If you're lucky enough to possess neutral undertones, rock any color you like. 

Bold blush is a powerful tool that can be used to change the appearance of the shape of your face, intentionally or unintentionally. By knowing and understanding the shape of your face, you can choose which types of shaping to embrace and which to avoid. There are five basic face shapes that cover nearly every human face: square, oval, round, heart, and oblong. If you aren't sure which shape your face is, there's an app for that. It's called Hiface, and it will use your phone's camera to detect your face and determine its shape for you.

Once you know your face shape, you can determine the best way and location to apply your bold blush. Heart-shaped faces are best suited for the C shape of classic blush draping while oblong faces benefit more from applying heavy blush to the cheekbones and then placing just a dab on the temples and forehead. Square and round faces can be accentuated by adding color to the apples of the cheeks and gently blending out a more diffused layer toward the temples. Oblong faces can be visually shortened by applying a bold swipe of blush along the entirety of the cheekbone and then adding a separate pop of color to the temples. 

Now, with these tips, you can blush drape and stay on trend all winter long.