Here’s the thing. When it comes to makeup must-haves, a multi-purpose blusher is your best friend – especially in this digitally-obsessed day and age, where Kylie and her Klan can be spotted smirking and simpering on social media with their scarily sculpted, mask-like miens.
Happily, the current crop of face enhancers are fabulous for “zhng-ing up” just about any part of your mien with a coquettish hint of a tint – from your cheekbones and chin to your peepers and puckers. Click through for a fantastic fivesome of the best on the beauty market, and have fun shopping up a storm!
OMG, this Ettusais elixir is exquisite in the extreme! I mean, just look at the gorgeous gradation of face-friendly shades stamped with a motif of blooming sakura blossoms: So kawaii!
Aesthetics aside, the bouquet of complementary colours is also breathtakingly blendable and beyond beautiful, although the glittery grains may seem garish, especially if your complexion is on the greasy side. Happily, I’ve discovered to my delight that the superbly soothing pigments – courtesy of encapsulated emollients and a jolt of jojoba oil in the formula – actually yield a sun-kissed, semi-matte smoulder that’s very fetching, very flirty and very natural. Hurrah!
You can use the shades separately, of course, but a great trick I deploy whenever I’m in need of an emergency pick-me-up is to swirl my index finger into the petite pot, then sweep the resultant sugary-hued highlighter along the highest plane of my cheekbones for a post-gym glimmer. Keep the hue high up on the face and voila! You’ve just been transformed into a dewy-faced damsel with cutie-pie cheeks. Or consider using it “wet” and layering it on with a damp brush as a sparkly veneer over your lippie.
Bottomline: Make room in your minaudiere for this makeup must-have – and grab it soon because this sensational showpiece is (alas!) strictly limited-edition only.
This lovely Laneige offering is great if you’re gunning for a nude and nubile K-Beauty-inspired look. Take your cue from “laser beaming”, the favoured face-painting fad in Korea which involves just the subtlest of shading on the cheekbones. The goal? Gorgeous glistening skin that’s taut and “three-dimensional” – ultra-soft, ultra-feminine and ultra “Ulzzang” in the best way possible.
But why laser beaming? Think of the technique as a startlingly memorable metaphor for what happens when you smile and the apples of your cheeks surge up and “shoot” beams of light directly into the gaze of your admirer.
To manufacture your own weapons of mass flirtation, use tapping motions to apply this tint starting from the bony protrusion of your cheeks and blending up into your temples. This triangular wedge of colour will lend your cheeks a superbly slenderising silhouette.
Oh, and feel free to finish by dotting this on your cupid’s bow for poutier puckers; the juicy jolt of raspberry will suffuse your smackers with a girly glimmer that’s so very “yeppeun”!
Ah, beautiful Burberry. This pot of portable perfection boasts a cushiony creaminess that’s so very pampering for parched skin. Best of all, you need only the smallest smidgen to make your skin look as if it’s lit from within.
Now for a nifty little insider secret. I’ve found that the best way to apply this particular blusher is to swirl a bit onto a brush – make it a natural bristled one in this instance, because you don’t want to pick up too much product – then start from the middle of the cheekbones, somewhere below the pupils of your eyes. Sweep the colour out and upwards towards your temples, then blend at the edges for a soft halo effect. Tadah, a flirty feminine flush in a single stroke.
Or try stippling it on with your bare fingers and patting it into your lids and lips for the sheerest of tints – very romantic and regal indeed. The overall effect? You’ll look like a ruddy-cheeked English lass caught in a gentle garden drizzle – fresh, dewy and undone. Talk about being a beautiful Burberry babe!
This cute chubby stick is a true triple threat: It boasts the pigmented power of a traditional lippie; antioxidant actives thanks to moisture magnets like shea butter and vitamin E; plus the comfort of a cheek cream.
Fantastically forgiving when used straight from the bullet and even more so when picked up with a brush, try misting the bristles before application for maximum “mul-gwang” mileage. (The wetter, the better in this age of K-Beauty dewiness, as a wry makeup sage once quipped.) Swirl up and outwards into your temples for a subtly lifting effect, then finish with a final blast of a hydrating facial mist.
Moving to the mouth, all you need to do is trace the contours with this creamy nude pencil, starting from the middle of your cupid’s bow and following the curve down to corners. Best bit? This willowy wonder wand is slim enough to chuck into your clutch for discreet tune-ups at your next swanky soiree.
Any beauty buff worth her bath salts will perk up at the mere mention of this creamy concoction in one of Nars’ most coveted colours – and for good reason, too.
Perfect for bronzing up and beguiling your beau with, this pampering perfector delivers the perfect payoff and is just about the only thing capable of breathing life and light into my skin – better at fending off pallor and pastiness than snatching forty winks, in my opinion. I experience no creasing, crinkling or pooling into pores with this product, either, so hurrah for that. Slap this onto your lids, lips, cheeks and collar-bone if you’re one for picture-perfect selfies at four in the morning!
The only drawback? Creams can cause patchiness and pilling when piled over powder products. To circumvent this problem and make your blush well nigh undetectable, dab it on under your go-to dewy-finish foundie; the rosiness will peek through your skin like a bona fide flush. Makes sense, yes?
Finally, a quick note on availability: These beauty baubles ought to be rolling out any time soon, so swing by the nearest cabin of each respective brand for a quick consult. Good luck getting your blush face on!