The Secret to Blush That Won’t Budge (Tested and Demoed)
Color that stays put.
I’m proud to admit that I love over-blushing. Less blush is no blush! And I know I’m not alone in this because people are calling themselves out for being blush blind, which is being aware of the fact that you’re wearing a little too much blush, but you’re not apologetic about it.
So color me pink and let me be! Unfortunately, there’s a common problem with wearing blush. It disappears, fades quickly, transfers, and moves! But we want it to stay longer on the skin.
While using a long-lasting blush formula and prepping the skin with a primer are among the first things that come to mind to ensure rosy cheeks all day, I’ve seen that they only help a little.
So if you’re looking for ways to better accommodate your love for blush, here are the best ways to make your blush stay and last all day!
4 Ways to Make Your Blush Last Longer
1. Choose the Right Type of Blush
First off, there are different types of blush, such as cream, powder, gel, and liquid. Cream blush can mix in with the oils on your face and move around a bit. While there are ways to keep it in place, it’s inherently more prone to fading. And it’s not always easy to reapply it later in the day.
Powder blush can also fade away, but it’s much easier to top it off without looking patchy and heavy. Cheek stains, on the other hand, are like liquid blush and last the longest! These are stains, and they are meant to resist everything all day.
So if you really want a blush formula that will need absolutely nothing else, your best bet is a cheek stain. Most cheek stains are sweat-proof, weather-proof, and waterproof.
A foolproof formula you can rely on 24/7 is Benefit Benetint. This is me wearing a few dots of Benetint in the shade Rose on my cheeks. I usually don’t need to do anything else because the liquid formula is pretty smudge-proof.
2. Layer Different Blush Formulas
Layering blushes in different forms is a method you can try. This technique is also called blush setting. It’s when you use both a powder and a cream blush to really set the pigments in place to achieve a long-lasting look. Here’s how to do it.
After applying foundation, or concealer if you’re going for a foundation-free look, you apply cream blush on the apples of your cheeks. Then you apply powder blush on top, just a small amount. You need to, of course, make sure that both colors complement each other. That’s it!
It’s like setting cream blush with powder blush. This way, you have more colors on your face with different formulas, and no matter the weather outside, the pigments are very likely to stay in place at the end of the day.
This is among my favorite ways to ensure that I have rosy cheeks all day. If you accidentally over-blush when layering, no worries. Use a dry makeup sponge and dab it on those areas to pick up excess pigment and make your blush look seamless.
To demo this step, here’s me layering a powder formula, the Benefit Powder Blush in the shade Moone, on my cheek stain. I used a fluffy brush to apply the powder, which is really pigmented. These two colors go really well with each other! Layering works because liquid blush adheres to the skin, while powder blush locks in pigment. Together, they create a budge-proof combo that resists sweat and fading.
3. Set with Powder
Whatever type of blush you’re wearing, you can lock it in by using a translucent setting powder. After you apply your blush, get a small amount of translucent powder on your brush and dust it over the cheeks. You’ll see that the colors disappear a little.
It’s because the powder masks the real color of the blush with its mattifying and blurring effect. However, you can sandwich it by applying another light layer of powder blush on top. Even if the wind sweeps this layer away, you still have that first layer locked in there, peeking through.
After applying cheek stain and powder blush, I set everything with setting powder. Here’s a quick hack: I used the same fluffy brush that I used for powder blush to apply the setting powder. The residual powder pigments mix with the setting powder, so I don’t lose the richness of the color. And thanks to setting powder, I have a soft-focus, blurred-out effect on my cheeks. Compared to my first selfie, the end result is more elevated and looks more sophisticated.
4. Use Setting Spray
If there’s no way to try anything with your blush, you can always rely on a setting spray to make your blush last longer. Setting spray helps keep makeup in place. It will minimize the likelihood of your blush transferring and fading, too.
While the pigments may not look as lively and fresh, you will still have that flushed look. Setting spray is especially helpful if you’re using a cream blush and want to keep that dewy, radiant finish. It’s also a great option if your skin doesn’t play well with powder formulas.
The Final Look
This is me several hours later, and after I WASHED my face with water (heat, be damned). I didn’t rub my face a lot, but I did splash it with water multiple times and pat it dry. Considering what the blush went through, my cheeks visibly kept their flush. I didn’t do anything else other than what I demoed above.
So these have been my go-to ways to keep my cheeks looking rosy. I like going into the bathroom in the evening to remove my makeup and seeing in the mirror that I still have flushed cheeks. As you can see, blush doesn’t have to disappear before lunch. With the right techniques and products, you can enjoy a fresh flush that lasts all day.
Read Next: How to Apply Blush with a Beautyblender
