Liquid blush is one of the most exciting innovations in makeup in the last few years. Where cream and powder blushes can tend to pick up the foundation or cling and easily get overwhelming, liquid blush has a thin, buildable formula that looks natural on the cheeks.
For beginners, liquid blush can be a brilliant way to get a seamless application that looks natural and not too harsh. They often start out reasonably sheer, meaning you’re not going to whack on a bunch of colour and then regret all your life decisions.
Easy to travel and work with, the liquid blush has become the king of modern blushes for a reason. Here are the best ones and all our beauty editor’s favourite tips to apply them easily.
How To Apply Liquid Blush As A Beginner
The best way to apply liquid blushes is not the way you see influencers doing it online i.e. dabbing it on their face first and then blending it out.
While you can do this once you know what you’re doing, it’s very easy to end up with too much product on the cheek and look over-blushed.
The best method to apply liquid blush is to be very intentional in the way you do so, making sure you get the right amount and that it’s even on both sides. You should:
- Test it if it’s new: Place a dab or drop of the blush on the back of your hand and get a feel for the way it blends out and the amount of pigment it offers.
- Measure it: Once you know how the blush works, you’ll have more of an idea of how much to use. Start with a smaller amount than you’ll think you need, applied to the back of your hand
- Grab a brush: Choose an angled brush that is made for liquid products. Ensure it’s not to big, allowing for precise application.
- Apply: Take a little of the blush on the tops of your angled brush and apply it to the tops of the cheekbones. For a classic application, draw an imaginary line downwards from your eye’s pupil and ensure the blush doesn’t go past it (as this can make it looks a little too rosy). We’ll expand on more avant-garde blush applications in a moment.
- Observe and adjust: Have a look at your blush and decide if you have enough pigment, you can always go back into the product on your hand and add more, but it’s harder to take away. If it’s going a bit haywire, you can always use your foundation brush softly around the edges to soften any lines.
The Ultimate Blush Brush
Applying liquid blush is all about finding the right blush brush, and we have the perfect one, but feel free to ask an expert at your local store that might have something similar.
Duo Fibre Multi-Shading Brush #108, $67, Il Makiage
This brush features a mix of short and long synthetic strands that mimic natural hairs, offering a seamless product pick up and blend. Designed to sculpt and shape with liquid products, it has a round, angled flat head style that offers precise application.
Different Methods To Apply Blush:
- Cheekbones: Applying to the cheekbones gives a lifted and sculpted look to the face. You can also drag the colour up around the temples for added glow and seamlessness.
- Apples: Applying to the apples of the cheeks makes them look plump and youthfully round and is a very ‘cute’ manner of applying it.
- Sunburn: Blush can be applied lightly in a W pattern, down the cheekbone, up to the bridge of the nose and then back down and up the other cheekbone. This will place the blush where the sun would naturally hit, giving a sunkissed glow.
The Best Liquid Blushes For Beginners
Our definitive list of tried-and-tested liquid blushes, from a beauty editor:
Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Cheek & Lip Tint, $55, Sephora
Benetint was first designed back in the 1970s, when an exotic dancer asked Benefit’s founders to make a tint that could enhance the colour of her nipples. They boiled rose petals and carmine to make the stain and it has been loved since then to give a natural flush (although the lips and cheeks are the most common places to use it now).
It’s a thin, watery formula that looks weightless on the skin and gives a beautiful light finish that can be built up as you get more confident. Some people love it so much, that it now comes in a 10mL size for the fans.
Mod-Con Liquid Gel Blush, $22.80, KVD Beauty
This is a light-weight gel-texture blush that adds a beautiful sheen to the cheeks and makes the skin look wonderfully radiant. It lasts all night and is easy to blend out.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, $41, Sephora
The Rare Beauty blushes are a brilliant formula, and they are beginner friendly if you know how to use them. Use the hand and brush technique, and start with just one dot split between each cheek to start off with. They’re pigmented, but also easy to blend out. We love the shade ‘Encourage’ for a pinky-purple hue.
Beauty Light Wand In Pinkgasm, $42, Charlotte Tilbury
There’s a reason these blushes are so viral. They’re incredibly easy to blend, have a slight shimmery sheen that make the cheek look alive, and are easy to apply. We’d still recommend not going straight from the sponge applicator, and popping it on your hand first before picking up the product with a brush.
Cloud Paint, $42, Glossier
This gel-formula is easy to apply and will wear well throughout the day. While it is dewy, it will set down a little on the skin so can also be a good option for people who find their blush slipping around during the day. Plus, they have a great array of colours.
NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush, $48, MECCA
These blushes have a very thin, somewhat watery texture that is light on pigment. They’re great for beginners who want to start off very sheer but still glowy and rosy.
