Bare Escentuals | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Today as part of our back to basics series, we have a guest writer covering how to apply blush. If you enjoy this, you might also like our previous makeup tip posts on How to Apply Eye Shadow and How to Apply Foundation.

The technique for properly applying blush, fully highlighting or creating the illusion of high cheek bones without drawing too much attention to the color itself, has become one of the most coveted pieces of beauty advice in recent years. The trend has moved away from the one-size-fits-all method of applying a quick flush of posy pink, while contouring has taken center stage. Learning how to apply blush, however, doesn’t have to be intimidating. Just a bit of planning and finesse, along with a little practice, will bring your technique up to par in no time.

Step 1: Prepare the Surface. After cleansing with a product designed for your skin type, dry thoroughly by gently patting the skin with a clean cloth instead of wiping it in order to retain natural moisture. Next apply a toner and moisturizer to smooth the skin and shrink pores to ensure that blush applies evenly. If you’re short on time you might consider using a 3-in-1 product for this step, like Arcona’s Cranberry Toner.

Step 2: Select Between Powder or Cream. Dry skin usually does best with cream, while other skin types can generally handle powder quite well. However, there are powders available now that are non-irritating for those with acne or dry skin problems. For a powder that is all-natural but also has a creamy texture, try Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals blush.

Bare Escentuals Blush

Step 3: Choose Your Color. Blush colors can be categorized by their appropriateness for skin tone, making the selection process much simpler. In general, fair skin tones look best with shades of pink, medium tones with peach or brown, and dark tones with reds and berries. However, that still leaves quite a range of options for each category, so be willing to experiment until you find a few that work best for you. Also, remember that your best colors will likely change with the seasons, so update your shade as your complexion warms with the weather.

Step 4: Select the Proper Tools. If you have chosen a cream blush, try never to apply with the fingertips if possible. Rubbing cream in with the fingers can lead to blemishes and can be rough on delicate facial skin, so use a disposable sponge applicator instead. For powders, use a contoured brush designed specifically for blush rather than a powder brush to get a more natural angled effect. You might try Urban Decay’s Good Kharma Blush Brush. Or, see our previous article on the Best Makeup Brushes.

Urban Decay Good Karma Brush

Step 5: Apply Blush. In Step 4 we discussed getting an angled effect from your blush, which simply means that the face appears slimmer, younger, and more defined due to the visual effect of highlighting the upper cheekbones instead of the fuller section near the nose. Fortunately, a contoured brush does much of this work for you. For creams, an angled sponge does the same. However, in either case the application is important as well. Color should be stronger near the cheekbones, a bit less pronounced beneath, and should continue toward the hairline without reaching it, stopping just outside the eyes. Apply a single layer of blush at a time, adding and blending slowly until the desired color intensity is reached.

While more advanced techniques for applying blush are available, these steps outline the basic foundation to creating a modern look.

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About the Author: Carleen Pruess Coulter

Bare Minerals Starter Kit I really like mineral foundation/makeup, but for whatever reason, it had been years since I used bareMinerals foundation from Bare Escentuals. I use their eye shimmers pretty often and just love those, but I had been experimenting with other brands when it came to foundation. I recently decided to give them a new try and purchased the Starter Collection at Ulta(pictured). The Ulta collection is one of many starter kits that are out there, and they all are slightly different regarding the items in them. It turns out that the starter kit at Amazon.comis a bit cheaper, as are some from Sephora and QVC (see the shopping link at the end of this post). So it does pay to comparison shop a bit. If you have an Ulta or Sephora Store near you, they both carry the line in the store. I have also seen Bare Escentuals stores in some malls.

My kit came with 3 brushes (kabuki, concealer, and powder brushes), two foundation shades, Mineral Veil powder (an illuminating light powder), a blush (Glee), and a bronzer (Warmth). It also included a booklet and DVD on how to use the line. Glee is a mineral blush that I like quite a bit. It is heavily pigmented, so a tiny bit goes a long way on pale skin such as mine. The amount of pigment makes it quite versatile and I imagine that it would work well on just about all levels of skin tones and shades. It also is generally a universally flattering shade. Warmth is a bronzer that also worked OK for me. It too is quite pigmented, and I found that I had to be very careful using it on my pale skin. I think those with medium skin tones would like it better.

The brushes were quite useful and nice. I find a stiffer kabuki brush to be ideal for applying mineral makeup and the Bare Escentuals brush was just right for me. There was also a nice concealer brush and a soft powder brush. The brushes initially shed a few hairs, which is common with new brushes, especially cheaper ones. But after the initial shedding, the brushes were great. They are a bit smaller in size, but I like that both for storage and portability. Plus I already own a few large kabuki and powder brushes. Having some smaller ones is nice.

Unfortunately, my re-try of the Bare Minerals foundation and Mineral Veil powder produced mixed results. On the good side, the minerals go on smoothly and with great coverage, even over melasma and hyperpigmented areas. That was just as nice as I remembered. The makeup also lasts well and has a built in SPF factor that physically blocks rays. That is my preference in sunscreen for the face. The kit I bought came with two different foundation shades, and I got the best results by mixing them because the darker one was about the right level for me, but a bit too yellow. The mix fixed that.

Now for the bad side. I really don’t remember Bare Minerals being so shiny before. The Mineral Veil powder is a lovely light shade that seems like it would be a great illuminating powder, but on me it was too illuminating. It was so shiny that I just looked like I had really oily skin. Yuck! Thinking that perhaps I had put too much on, I tried using just a tiny bit the next time. That went a bit better, but it was still too shiny. So the Mineral Veil powder just won’t work for me. When I tried the foundation alone, I found that it too was a bit shiny. It was not nearly as bad as when I used the Mineral Veil, but nevertheless, there was still a slight shine to it that I can live with yet would prefer that it not be there. When I reviewed Jane Be Pure Mineral Makeupone reader mentioned the shine in bareMinerals and a couple of readers suggested trying Everyday Minerals. So I might try Everyday Minerals next.

Overall, I really love some of the Bare Escentuals products. The blush is nice, as are the eye shimmers. With the foundation, if you want a lot of illumination from your mineral makeup, give bareMinerals a try, but if shine concerns you, then I suggest avoiding the Mineral Veil and/or trying in the store first before shelling out a lot of money.

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