Tips for Wearing Bright Blush Without Looking Like a Clown

So... it's that moment when you fell for that practically neon orange blush and you just brought it home and have no idea how to wear it. We've all been there: one swipe on the cheek and you look like you just time-traveled from the 80's or are getting ready to runaway with the circus. Frustrated, you either have to start your makeup all over again or apply another layer of foundation to cover the offending blush.

 

I absolutely love bright and high-impact blushes, but there definitely was a learning curve to avoiding the above scenario (though sometimes I still end up being a little too heavy handed). Once I figured out how to apply them though, it was just head-over-heels love from there! Today when I was looking through my blush stash though I realized.... I need MORE bright blushes!! Feel free to give me any recs you have!

Tips for Applying Bright Blush: 

• The most important tip  to applying these beauties is to use a stippling brush. Stippling brushes are usually identified by their "skunk"-iness -- they have both white and black bristles. The black bristles are shorter and more dense, with the longer white bristles spread throughout. This means that you are able to pick up less product than a traditional brush but because the white bristles are still spread out, you're able to apply the blush over a larger area. Stippling brushes make it WAY easier to apply blush more subtly.

Sonia Kashuk "Highlighting" Brush (stippling/skunk)

See how the white bristles are spread out less densely?

• Even though I use a stippling brush, I still need to be extra careful and gentle when picking up product from the pan. I VERY lightly dab the brush into the product.
• To be safe, I also gently tap the brush onto a tissue or the back of my hand to remove any excess blush.
  
• Then I finally apply the blush onto my cheeks. I like to "stipple" the blush on (meaning lightly tapping the stippling brush) and then blend with short strokes.
• If after applying it's not pigmented enough, just repeat the steps again. It's always better to be safe than sorry when using bright blushes! 

And voila! The end result should be a subtle and beautiful flush of color! 

Thank you all so much for reading!! If you're enjoying my posts please subscribe to this blog using blogger/Google friend connect or Bloglovin!

How do you apply bright blushes? What are your favorite shades?