Breaking Down Beauty: Finding the Apples of Your Cheeks!

By Sheila

There is one thing that every makeup artist I talk to agrees upon in terms of blush placement: it goes on the “apples” of the cheeks!!!

Apples? What apples? Are we humans now edible?!

Truth be told, when I first started wearing makeup it took me a while to figure out exactly where to place blush. I’ve since picked up a clever trick that will help you avoid looking like Joan Collins in the Dynasty days.

Courtesy of WikiMedia

In the above picture, the blush is placed where we’d place the contour color these days. In modern makeup application techniques, blush is placed right below the eye. It’s easier if I show you, so here we go!

Step 1: In this example, I am using my holy grail of all cream blush products, Stila’s Rose Cream Color Base. I’m applying it rather heavily to show you how to place the blush, but I wouldn’t necessarily go so bright in my everyday life.

Oh, who am I kidding … I so WOULD! I love bright, well-blended blush!  That’s my personal preference, but just remember, this technique applies to ALL forms of blush: gel, powder, or cream.

Step 2: SMILE! Not only does smiling improve your mood (true), you’ll need to smile to figure out exactly where to place your blush.

You see the protruding area right below your eye and right on top of your cheek bones? Go ahead … smile and feel! I’ll wait for you! That’s where the apples of the cheeks are located. They kinda look like apples, right?

Disclaimer – this is technically an after photo … I didn’t get a good before shot!

Step 3: Keep that smile on, and apply your blush. Since I’m using my cream blush, I’m going to use my fingers to sparingly dot on the blush and blend, blend, blend away. You can also use a brush, like the MAC #187, or a sponge like the Beauty Blender.

As I’m blending I try not to extend too far back and to keep the blush in the “apple” area.

And there you have it! Blush on, ladies!

If you have any requests for a future Breaking Down Beauty, just let me know!