The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty Blog: How to pick and choose your blush How to pick and choose your blush Posted by Dain, Wednesday, October 19, 2005 9:56 AM (Eastern) Someone has asked me, "How do you choose the right blush?" This is a delicate question. For one thing, if you don't choose the perfect blush for yourself, most modern blushers are designed to be sheer, blendable, to (varying degrees) melt into your skin tone. But on the other hand, choosing the right shade of blush requires a deeper understanding of color theory than, say, choosing the right shade of eyeliner or foundation might. It is, in short, harder to find the right blush, but you won't be penalized very much for it. There are two factors: skin, and contrast. The first is obvious. The darker the skin, the stronger the color—otherwise it wouldn't show up (or, conversely, it would be too strong). So a woman with ivory-pale skin ought to look into MAC Angel (a pale pink, touched with a little beige), while someone with dark skin might NARS Sin much more to her liking (a mauvey plum pink with shimmer). So much for the INTENSITY of the blush. What about TONE/COLOR (why choose peach over plum, or mauve over pink, etc.)? It is generally a matter of contrast. Yellowish skin tones adapt better to cool colors, like pink or plum. If you have olive skin, a lovely apricot may sing your praises, but if you're darker, then a sheer orange may be gorgeous. Those with a balance of warm and cool in their skin, better termed as "neutral", can wear virtually any color, but of course complex, neutral colors like rose or mauve are good options. Those who are already quite pink, or cool undertoned, may not need to wear a blush at all. And finally, the question of PURITY of color: because there are pinks and there are pinks—there are pure colors like NARS Desire, and there are mostly-neutral-with-many-other-colors-but-pink-is-a-factor like Stila Fade. Let's say, you've decided, OK, I have light, yellow-undertoned skin, so I'm looking for a nice pink blush. Does one go for the pure pink, or the neutralized, adulterated pink? It all depends on your skin, again. If you've got very neutral skin, without very much color—a clear brown tone, ivory without any delicate blooming pink—you need more blush, more of a purer color. But if you're a ready blusher, and have plenty of pink in your skin already (which is to say, you're more closer to neutral), choose the neutralized one. So, to recap: DEPTH of skin determines INTENSITY of blush The darker the skin, the darker the blush. The lighter the skin, the lighter the blush. But you can play with this by applying a blush sheer or with more intensity. underTONE of skin determines TONE/COLOR of blush yellow: pink, plum (of a pinkish variety), rose, mauve olive: peach, orange, apricot, terracotta, plum pink: possibly no blush at all! balanced/neutral: pretty much anything blue (usually only in very dark skin): red, berry NEUTRALITY of skin determines PURITY of color The closer you are to a balanced skin tone, the less of a certain color (i.e. pink, or peach) you need. Choose one that is couched in a neutral base so that you don't overwhlem your features. I, however, have very little pink in my face, and therefore cling to the purer colors. The whole purpose behind this stratification is that blush should mimic a natural rush of blood to the skin. Blood is red, of course, and skin is all shades of tan and brown, and the resulting combination is the one you want to emulate. In which case, a red-rose-petal tint like Benetint is probably the most universal blush of all, but it is not very practical. The second factor is contrast. This is a simple enough matter—we take into consideration the "context", the contrast between your skin and your other features, particularly your hair. The darker your hair, and the lighter the skin, the more vivid the blush. This makes sense, because dark hair will "bleach" the skin color somewhat, so that you need to add balance by using a stronger blush. The closer that your skin and your hair are in color—for example, a tanned skin and light brown-blonde hair—the more neutral the color should be, like an earthy rose or even a bronzer. A ivory-complected, raven-haired "Snow White" complexion, might like, however, a plummy blush, instead. What to do if you're a redhead? Few people are natural redheads, but red hair tends to compete, because it draws the eye to it. Use the most innocuous blush you can find that still gives your skin live and vigor. Peach is best, and if not, mauve or rose. Good luck! 3 Comment(s)    Email this post Rants, raves, and musings on all things cosmetic. Profile | Current Blog Site Feed (Atom) Previous Articles ·· Serge Lutens: Iris Silver Mist ·· Yar! Wishlist! (10.14.05) ·· A moment of silence... ·· What order... ·· What order do you put on makeup? ·· Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental ·· My Holy Grails volume 2: Eyeshadow ·· Where to begin? ·· Odd notes ·· Notes... Archives TheBroadroom.Net's Beauty Blog (archive) April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 Links Colleen's Adult Acne Blog Fashiontribes Daily