Blush Draping Is The Ultimate Red Carpet Spring Makeup Trend

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Blush has been around for eons, but how we wear it and the techniques we use to apply it keeps evolving.

Recently, we've seen the sunburn blush trend, which leaves skin with a sun-kissed look, go viral on TikTok. Then, creators dropped tutorials on how to create the illusion of a face lift by simply adding blush to just the tops of your cheeks. Now, we're predicting a retro makeup trend from the '70s is about to come back in a major way: blush draping.

At the 2022 Met Gala, Tessa Thompson stepped out wearing a bold blush in a deep raspberry color from Armani Beauty, which makeup artist Maud Laceppe says gave her an "edgy touch." It's not the first time we've seen this trend at the Met Gala โ€” Rihanna wore it 2017 โ€” but with bold beauty trends like Y2K coming back in a major way, dramatic blush is sure to be everywhere this spring.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Blush draping is essentially contouring with blush versus bronzer. To achieve the look, you apply blush in a "C" shape, starting from the temple area and down toward the cheekbones, then up and slightly over the outer edges of your brows, as demonstrated in the TikTok video below.

Cher's makeup artist, Way Bandy, popularized blush draping in the '70s and concreted its place in cosmetic history. Coined by Bandy as "color glow," the technique gave people the illusion of higher and sharper cheekbones. And while it can absolutely give off a bold, in-your-face effect, it can also be be used in much subtler ways โ€” the key is in the amount of product and level of pigment used.

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For a true throwback look, use a highly-pigmented powder blush and pack it on with a brush. (We love Armani Beauty's Neo Nude Melting Color Balm and MAC's Powder Blush.) For a softer wash of color that reads flirty more than bold, use a buildable gel or cream formula that easily melts into the skin for a lit-from-within effect. (Picks such as Maybelline's Cheek Heat and Tower 28's BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm are perfect for this.)

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