Making The Case For Blush Contouring, Aka Perfectly Rosy Sculpting

You may rely on blush to add a touch of rosiness to your complexion, however, it turns out that you can also use it for face contouring. A technique that's been around since the '70s, it's recently seen a modern resurgence. To nail the look, you simply need to begin by adding a little color to your cheeks as you normally would. From there, makeup artist and StyleSeat pro Manuel Espinoza told Coveteur, "Work the product upward toward the ear, following the natural contour of your cheeks."

By doing this, you'll give your cheekbones a visual boost. You can take the effect even further by ensuring that you apply the product properly. Espinoza points out that means starting off with a small amount of product before adding more as needed. On top of that, it's important to choose the right shade of blush. If your skin is on the pale side, then you can opt for a peachy color or something that's a shade of pink. Those with darker skin can grab a blush that is radiantly red while anyone with a skin tone that's in between should stick with something nice and rosy. Finally, when it comes to the formula, Espinoza said, "I love to use powder blush on oiler skin types and cream blush on skin types that are drier."

Now that you know how to give this look a try, you'll surely also want to check out some blush contouring inspiration.

Whether you're a contouring pro or are new to using cosmetics to sculpt your face, there's an easy way to dip your toe into this technique. Start off with a subtle shade of blush and stick with an application that's just as light. Although the result will be a lot softer than it might be if you opted for something darker and sharper, this can give you the opportunity to perfect the placement before you start to play around with more eye-catching versions that rely on colors and applications that are much more intense.

You can give your face an additional lift by being selective with where you place the blush as you contour. In order to create the illusion that your cheeks are higher than they actually are, all you need to do is place your blush on the upper part of your cheekbones while leaving the lower section relatively bare. While you can still use a touch of color on your entire face thanks to your concealer, foundation, and bronzer, by keeping the blush contour nice and high, you draw the eye up to the rosy area.

Although this technique focuses on your cheeks, you can enhance the contour by applying the same kind of shade to other areas of your face. For instance, you can use lipstick and eyeshadow that are both close to the color that's on your cheeks. To ensure that you don't go too overboard with the tone, you can add an ashy eyeliner along with brows that are also on the darker side. If you still feel like it might be too much, then try the contour with either the lipstick or eyeshadow instead of both.

Take your blush contour to the next level by adding an extra glow with the help of highlighter. While the blush creates depth and shadows, the highlighter will do the opposite and make certain areas pop. To capture the look that you're going for, first apply the blush to sculpt the area that reaches from the bottom of your cheek and continue upward. Next, tap or sweep on a touch of highlighter in just the areas that are already more prominent or in the places that you want to appear that way.

Having buccal fat removed may be trendy, however, you don't have to endure surgery to end up with sharper cheekbones. Fortunately, blush contour can do the same. Simply use a darker shade of blush on the lower line of your cheeks to make it look like there's a slight shadow. Above that, you can apply a lighter shade of blush to add the appearance of a flattering curve. The shades that you use to nail this effect will depend on your skin tone so have some fun playing around to find the perfect combination.

If you're unaware, the apples of your cheeks are the round spots that pop out on either side near the front of your face. Where exactly they are depends on your bone structure. As for blush, it's the perfect way to give these spots a beautiful visual boost. Instead of simply dabbing color on the center of the apple, use a rosy shade on the peak with a darker color contouring just beneath in the same way you would to create a sharp cheekbone effect, keeping the focus on the apple.

Take your blush contour to the extreme by allowing the color to reach all the way back to your temples. By doing so, you extend the line of your cheekbones and make them look lengthy, defined, and dynamic. While it might seem like a little too much at first, you can make sure to blend the makeup in a way that makes the blush look more natural. On top of that, you can brush a little blush onto your jawline and chin to keep the look cohesive in a truly complimentary way.