Blush vs Bronzer

 

If you love makeup, then you love the effect of a blush or bronzer on your skin.  As a makeup artist, I get asked all the time, "Should you use blush or bronzer? Or can you use both? While these are very valid questions, another thing you can ask yourself is, am I using them correctly?  Let's start off with the difference between the two.

 

 BLUSH

What I love about blush is that it is an instant brightener.  There is nothing like a cheek flushed with soft color to automatically wake up the skin and make you look fresh and full of life. 

There are many shades and finishes when it comes to blush.  For added oomph, use a blush that has a satin or shimmer finish for a nice glow that is going to highlight and lift your cheek bones.

 

BRONZER

Instantly warm up the complexion, get a gorgeous glow and add dimension, with the help of a bronzer.  Whether you use a matte or shimmer/satin finish, or you use a bronzer with a reddish or golden/brown undertone, you can always expect to get the perfect kissed by the sun, tanned look.

A lot of women are afraid of bronzer for the fear of it making them look muddy or dirty or to orange or to red.  To avoid this from happening, it is all about finding the perfect bronzer for your skin tone and application.

 

HOW TO APPLY BRONZER

When applying bronzer, you want to use a technique called the "3 formation"

Start by placing your brush slightly above your temple, and begin to form a "3". Bring your brush across and slightly under your cheek bone and then down and across your jaw line. This technique will add dimension and warmth to the skin, giving you a natural sun kissed glow.

 

HOW TO APPLY BLUSH

While there are different techniques you can use to apply blush for different face shapes.  The universal technique is to apply your blush to the apples of your cheek.  This is always flattering no matter what shape your face may be. Slightly smile and place your brush on the apples of your cheek, sweeping color upwards towards your temple, making sure to concentrate most of the color on your cheek bones and blend down and outwards.

Quick tip:

Don't apply your blush to close to the nose, as this will only give the appearance of a sagging face rather than youthful and lifted.

 

 

CAN YOU USE BOTH BLUSH AND BRONZER?

Now that you know the purpose of both bronzer and blush, you can definitely use the two together. However when using both bronzer and blush, you want to avoid using shimmer on shimmer, as this can be overwhelming and not flattering.  If you are going to use a Bronzer that contains shimmer, then you want to stick to a matte finish blush.  If you are going to use a matte bronzer, then you can definitely use a blush with shimmer in it. Using both a matte blush and a matte bronzer is very flattering and can give you the same effect without the added sheen of a shimmer.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT BRONZER OR BLUSH?

First you need to determine your skins undertone.  To do this, look on the inside of your wrist, if your veins have a bluish tint, then you have a cool undertone. If you have more of a greenish vain, then you have a warm undertone.  If you are not sure of the color of your vain, then more than likely you have a neutral undertone. Another way to find out your skins undertone is by the jewelry you wear.  If Gold jewelry is more flattering on you, then you have a warmer undertone.  If silver jewellery is more flattering on you, then you have a cool undertone, and if you can pull off both gold and silver, then you are neutral.

When choosing a blush or bronzer, like your skins undertone, you want to choose a product that has complimentary undertones.  For example a rosy, pink blush will look great on cooler undertones and a peachy, orange blush would look great on warmer undertones, while purple, mauve blushes will look great on neutral undertones.  The same applies to bronzers.  If you have a cool to neutral undertone, you want to stick to bronzers that are slightly more of a grayish brown and if you have a warm undertone then you can choose a bronzer that is more of a golden to reddish brown.

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