Apply Blush According to Your Face Shape

The Savvy Girl's Guide
How to Apply Blush For Your Face Shape

It was not so long ago that I used to dip a powder brush into my blush and swirled the cerise shaded hue across my cheeks like I was casually dusting the mantlepiece...pretty much all over the place. I'd like to say my blush sweeping skills have evolved since then, as I have learnt how to apply the right coloured rouge to suit my square face shape. These are some simple tips on how to apply blush in a way that will perfectly compliment your face shape.

Image via Listotic.com

How To Apply Blush If You Have:

A Long Face - Allude to a wider face shape by dusting blush onto the apples of your cheek, then blend sidewards in (almost) a straight line towards the ears.

A Heart Shaped Face - Balance out a narrower chin by blending blush just below the apples of your cheek. Sweep in an upwards direction towards the hairline.

A Square Face - Soften sharp angles by circulating your blush onto the apples of your cheeks.

A Round Face - Create the illusion of a slimmer face by contouring a darker hued blush applied at a 45 degree angle in a V shape.

An Oval Face - Start at the apples of your cheeks and sweep blush upwards towards your temples. In the beauty world, an Oval shaped face is regarded as most perfect and versatile.

Take this quiz to find out what's your face shape. 

Blushing Celebrities

Top: Olivia Wilde highlights her exquisite cheekbones and square frame beautifully. Sarah Jessica Parker displays how to achieve width on a longer face shape. Mila Kunis uses artful contouring to give a more angular appearance to her round face.
Bottom: Reese Witherspoon's heart shaped face is given a defining rosy tint. Alexa Chung uses a coral colour to shade in her symmetrical oval shaped face. Scarlett Johansson sculpts her diamond/triangular shaped face with a peachy bronze hue.


Blush Up With These Great Compacts

Top Row: IMAN Luxury Blushing Duo in Posh $10. Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush $30. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar $42.
Middle Row: Urban Decay Naked Flushed Bronzer, Highlighter & Blush Trio $30. Benefit Posie Tint Cheek Stain $30. Clinique Cheek Pop in Plum Pop $21.
Bottom Row: Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Pinched $13. L'Oreal Soufflé Cream Blush in Plume (Mauve) $13. Elf HD Cream Blush in Superstar $3. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral $7. Tarte Cheek Stain in Fearless $30.

 First & last image found via Jill Stuart.

What face shape are you and have you tried these blush tricks?

A Romantic Makeup Collection by Chanel

Les Aquarelles de Chanel
Makeup Collection

Chanel's new makeup collection is an ode to vintage romanticism; doe-eyed beauties fluttering their delicate lashes, with flushed cheeks and rose-tinted lips. During Paris Couture Fashion Week, Chanel awed audiences, not only with their delightful dresses, but also by the ballerina-inspired makeup worn by the models. 

Inspired by a 1920's watercolour painting of Coco Chanel, Les Aquarelles de Chanel reveals a softer, feminine side to makeup. Created by Chanel's makeup genius, Peter Phillips, this beautiful collection features 6 limited edition pieces. 

The Look
Eyelids shimmer with an iridescent tinge of ivory, gold and grey. Cheeks are abloom with misty pink blush, blended to create a natural rosy flush. Lips are tinted in pastel pink. I love the addition and precision of the black winged eyeliner, which perfectly balances out the soft opalescent shades. The final look is dreamy and striking at the same time. If I were to have a signature makeup look, this would be it.

Top Row

Le Vernis. A sugary pink nail varnish that duly corresponds with this feminine look. The formula is strengthening and nourishing, giving you colour that is resistant to chipping.

Ombrés Tissées. The star of the collection is this scintillating eye shadow palette in a woven tweed design. With luminous shades of pink and beige that beautifully reflect off the light, it bestows a youthful glow upon eyes and cheeks.

Stylo Yeux Waterproof. Add drama to eyes with a soft-textured, silicone-enhanced and smudgeproof pencil that is easy to manoeuvre, creating smooth lines. It comes with a built-in sharpener.

Bottom Row

Jouse Contraste. A silky powered blush for natural looking cheeks, providing seamless colour that can built up to achieve the rosy hue thats right for you. There are two shades available, Rose Pétale and Pink Cloud.

Rouge Coco Shine. The Hydrating Sheer Lipshine glides on easily, and has a lightweight, moisturizing formula. Royallieu is a cherub pink lip-tint with a hint of shimmer.

Ombrés Essentielle Gris Exquis. A dove grey eye shadow that defines eyes and adds an air of mystery to your romantic look.

If I had these few products in my makeup box, I wouldn't really need much else. You can create a versatile day-to-night look that is timeless, understated and enhances your natural beauty. The products range from about R203 to R503 ($28.50 to $75), and can be purchased from the Chanel website.

Flushed Pink

Pretty Pink Blushes

One of my makeup must-haves is a rosy pink blush. Even if you don't put anything else on, a sweet pink blush will give you a healthy, peaches-and-cream glow. These are my picks of the best pink blushes that are currently in stores.

Top Row

Rimmel London blush in Spring Fever. A trio of berry pinks that can be used alone or combined to create a multi-tonal look. A great budget buy.

Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour in Rose Wood. Two complementary shades in an elegant gold compact. There's a matte shade for sculpting and an shimmering powder that highlights.

Bobby Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose. Five iridescent rows of colour from frosty pink to deep sandalwood. It's better suited for a night out, due to the glimmering effect it creates. It can also be used as eye-shadow.

Middle Row

L'oréal Paris True Match Blush in Rosewood. This warm tinged, jigsaw-print blush is designed to naturally blend into your skin tone. It makes a good handbag companion, as it comes with it's own brush and mirror.

Clinique Fresh Bloom Allover in Plum Poppy. The beautiful floral design is not the only alluring factor about this blush. It is a long-wearing powder that's subtle and multi-tonal. It can be applied all over the face to create a radiant glow or just on your cheeks for a rosy hue.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Blush in Rose. Pack away your make-up brush, this innovative little pink pot comes with it's own built-in sponge applicator. Lightly dab on for naturally flushed cheeks.

Bottom Row

Dior Shimmer Star Pressed Powder in Rose Diamond. Several stars of gleaming colour make up this stylish compact. It is enriched with Jeweled Microdust that give cheeks the ultimate sweep of luminosity.

Givenchy Le Prisme Blush in Blooming Fuchsia. Swirl your brush around four blocks of colour to get a sheer, multi-dimensional look. The blush is made using Givenchy's cutting edge particle atomization technique.

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Rose Écrin. This spiced pink blush is from Chanel's Fall 2011 Collection. It has a shimmery, rather than frosty finish and the colour can be built up towards an intensity that you prefer.

Get tickled pink with one of these pretty pink blushes, available at selected Edgars and Red Square stores.