Struggle With Blush Blindness? Here’s How to Fix It (or Make It Work)

Making Sense of the Blush Blindness Trend

Blush blindness is a term that has been floating on TikTok for a little while now, but what exactly does it mean? Professional makeup artist Leti Meyers describes it as “when you keep adding more blush to your makeup look because you don’t feel like you have enough on.” Of course, blush blindness will look different on various skin tones. “On fair to light skin, blush blindness can make the cheeks look overly flushed, unnatural, or even like a light sunburn,” says Meyers. “On deeper skin tones, it might not be as noticeable, but too much layering can make the blush look heavy or overly opaque instead of blended and seamless.” This is when it pays to know how to properly layer your blush for your skin tone.

Beauty influencer and makeup artist Jaclyn Forbes echoes what Meyers says, noting that blush blindness is when you go “all in, applying your blush with a heavy hand and zero regrets.” She even notes that she’s a fan of the beauty trend. “Honestly, it’s the best way to do [your blush] (in my humble opinion),” Forbes tells IPSY. “The whole blush blindness trend is about throwing caution (and social norms) to the wind and embracing your heart’s desire for color.”

While it can be easy to give in to the need to dull your flush, you don’t always need to. You can use more or less of the beauty product, so long as you’re happy with the final look.

Ways to Avoid Blush Blindness, According to the Pros

For those of you who feel like you could use a little help reigning in your blush use, the experts have some stellar makeup tips and tricks to use.

Let the Blush Settle

Before you take off your entire face to start over, let your blush settle into your skin a bit. “Sometimes, just giving it a few minutes to sink into the skin naturally makes a difference before deciding to add or remove the product,” says Meyers.

Don’t Apply the Blush Directly to Your Face

It’s easy to swipe a blush stick across your cheeks or apply powder blush to a brush and add that to your complexion, but doing so means that most of the pigment is being applied to your face. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you want to avoid blush blindness, you might benefit from applying blush to the back of your hand first before adding it to your makeup look. “This helps you control the pigment and build it up gradually,” Forbes shares.

Use Fewer Products

Forbes shares that blush blindness often happens when you layer “liquid blush, powder blush, and then a blush topper.” So if you want to avoid being blush blind, you should use fewer products. A dab of cream blush on your temples or apples of your cheeks can help you achieve a more natural flush. Or go for a little bit of powder for subtle rosy cheeks.

Apply a Translucent Powder

Loose or translucent powder applied over intense blush can help minimize the impact, Meyers tells us. Take a powder like the RACHEL COUTURE Translucent Powder and “lightly dust it over the top of your blush” to dull some of the pigment. Meyers is also a fan of the HUDA BEAUTY Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder but does encourage you to get the right shade for your skin tone so you can better blend it into your makeup.

Buff It Out

Grab a clean fluffy blush and buff it out. “In gentle circular motions, buff out the edges to diffuse the pigment,” says Meyers. She shares that the IT COSMETICS Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush #6 “is amazing for blending out edges seamlessly. It’s one of my professional and personal faves.”

Apply Foundation or Concealer

Blend out and diffuse excess color by taking a damp beauty sponge with some foundation or concealer on it and dabbing it over areas where there is too much blush. You can even use a damp beauty sponge on its own to “press and diffuse excess color,” says Meyers.

Try Sheer Blush Formulas

Sheer blush will give your complexion some color without it feeling like too much. “Less pigment means more control, and that can help you achieve a natural blush look,” notes Forbes. Meyers is also a fan of sheer blushes for this reason and more. “The RARE BEAUTY Soft Pinch Liquid Blush or the HUDA BEAUTY Blush Filter are great for a buildable, natural effect,” she says. “I like to mix from light to dark shades to find a perfect blend.”

Go Monochrome

Rather than take away what you’ve done with your blush, this hack by Forbes calls for you to add. She says that you can make your blush blindness appear more intentional by “blending your blush onto the bridge of your nose, temples, or even into your eyeshadow. This creates a seamless, subtle monochrome effect that ties everything together. It’ll make the intense cheek blush application seem like it’s meant to be there.” We are definitely going to try this the next time we feel like we were heavy-handed when applying our blush.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Too Much Blush

You can choose to keep it subtle or go with something that pops, either way, there’s no such thing as wearing blush the wrong way. “Blush blindness is only a problem if you think it is,” says Forbes, who also notes that the trend “adds a youthful appearance and can actually make someone look healthily flushed.”

A heavy flush isn’t for everyone, but that shouldn’t stop you from sporting the makeup look if it’s what your heart desires. Meyers says she loves to see people embracing the look, especially because “blush-heavy looks are a trend” now more than ever. Still, she reminds us “the key is using the right products together, blending well, and layering in light layers. A bold blush can look beautiful when done right.”

So embrace a little extra flush and try blush blindness on for size. You never know, it may end up being your new go-to look.