The Blush Hack That Brings Kate Middleton's Looks Together

Kate Middleton has undergone a stunning style transformation during her years in the royal family. Along with her signature bouncy blowout, her regal soft-glam makeup looks have set a new standard around the globe, and one of her go-to makeup hacks reportedly has to do with her blush game. "Kate Middleton has been in the beauty news with talk of her preferring to match her blush to her wardrobe, rather than skin tone," celebrity makeup artist Caroline Hernandez explains in an exclusive interview with Glam. "This, of course, isn't to be taken literally and matching a blue jacket with a blue blush, but more that for instance a blue jacket would have a cool undertone therefore a cooler undertone to the blush is used, and so on."

Hernandez, whose makeup looks you can find on Instagram, explains that one of the best ways to adopt this hack for yourself is with the sunset blush trend, which involves blending together two blush colors: one that suits your outfit, and one that suits you. But to do that, you'll have to get to know your skin. "Choosing which blush suits you can often be a confusing choice for people, especially when there are so many trends that keep changing," Hernandez shares, adding that you can find the right shade "by learning what undertones your skin has." The makeup artist suggests finding your undertones by studying "the wrist and inner arm" and looking for pink, red, neutral, or yellow-golden tones. Once you've established your undertone colors, you can pair them with the most complementary blush shades as part of the sunset blush blending technique, then match them with a second shade that aligns with your outfit undertones, like the Princess of Wales. 

In our exclusive chat, Caroline Hernandez reveals that deep skin colors can have "red, or golden, or even blue" undertones. "I feel like the deepest skins with a more red undertone can really suit the richest colours of blush, deep berries, rich reds, and burnt terracottas," she says. "I love NARS Exhibit A applied to the apples of the cheeks and blended out and upwards for a warm reddened flush on skin tones with a red undertone." For golden undertones on deep skin, Hernandez recommends NARS Obsession, while "the deepest blue intoned skin" is a great match for Patrick Ta's She's Wanted Powder Major Headlines Blush Duo or LYS Higher Standard Satin Matte Cream Blush in Empower. However, MAC Cosmetics Powder Blush in Raizin is ideal for those with this profile (or those wearing an outfit with this profile!) who prefer neutral blush. 

Meanwhile, Hernandez explains that fair skin tones generally have pink undertones, but they can also have "a more yellow base to them." For this, she suggests a light-pink blush, recommending Ilia Multi Stick in Tenderly. "However fair skins can also look great with a slightly stronger pop of color and Iconic London Cheek and Lip Palette is a fun option as it contains three very wearable shades to choose from," she shares. "These three colors have good pigment, so apply a little bit and tap to blend out." This palette also works for those with yellow-toned fair skin, who may also prefer "a pale peach blush such as MAC Cosmetics Glow Play Cushiony Blush in Cheer Up."

The good news about medium and neutral skin tones is that they tend to be versatile when it comes to blush matching. "[Medium] skin coloring can often pull off the most amount of variations of blush that suit wonderfully," Caroline Hernandez tells us exclusively. "Peachy shades for golden undertones are always going to suit, and depending on taste or depth of skin, adding a little orange pop onto the skin can work really well too." To this end, she suggests Nudestix Stax All Over Color Blush Balm in Picante Nude or the brighter Melon Sugar. For those with a cooler tone, Hernandez is a fan of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure or NARS Dolce Vita Powder Blush.

"Neutral toned skin can lean towards any of the blush shades, but if you prefer to keep the blush neutral too, Bobbi Brown Blush Matte in Slopes is beautiful," she says. "One of my favourite things to use with blusher in this shade range is to add Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light over the top of the blush if I want to add a little bronzer, whilst also adding some luminosity to a more matte blush that has been laid down first."

If you want to follow in Kate Middleton's shoes without the sunset blush technique, you can simply match your blush to your outfit undertones, using these product recommendations as a guide. For example, opt for Ilia Multi Stick in Tenderly if your ensemble has pink undertones, or LYS Higher Standard Satin Matte Cream Blush in Empower if you're wearing deeper blue undertones.