Do You Know Where To Put Your Blush This Season?

How to apply signature blush looks that sculpt your features, transform your face shape, and achieve a natural glow

In 2025, blush evolved from a subtle flush of colour into the undeniable ‘main character’ of makeup. Techniques such as the ‘faux facelift’, ‘sunburnt’, ‘sunset’, and ‘under-eye brightening flush’ dominated beauty feeds, with both colour choice and placement redefining how facial structure was enhanced throughout the year.

Moving away from the traditional “apple of the cheeks” application – which concentrated pigment at the centre of the face and could weigh features down – the ‘faux facelift’ technique became especially popular. This approach focused on applying liquid or cream blush to the highest points of the cheekbones and blending upward toward the temples, creating a lifted, sculpted effect that mimicked the look of a subtle brow lift.

Can’t tell your sunburnt from your sunset? Let us decode each look.

The ‘sunburnt’ aesthetic was a defining blush look of 2025, created by sweeping a continuous wash of pigment from one cheek, across the bridge of the nose, to the other. Softly blending the edges ensured the colour appeared to radiate from within the skin rather than sit on top, drawing attention to the centre of the face and pairing seamlessly with minimalist makeup looks. The placement mimicked the way sunlight naturally hits the complexion, delivering a healthy, outdoorsy glow – even in the depths of winter.

Layering ombré tones – such as bright orange fading into a soft pink gradient – was a more dramatic way to enhance natural facial features using the ‘sunset’ placement. Acting as a colourful alternative to traditional contouring, this technique reshaped facial dimensions by concentrating deeper, more saturated orange or terracotta hues along the edges of the cheekbones and temples. As the colour transitioned into a bright, airy pink toward the centre of the face, the result was a luminous, three-dimensional plump that a single shade alone could not achieve.

With the rise of Korean beauty trends, the ‘under-eye brightening flush’ gained popularity as a way to achieve a youthful, innocent aesthetic by shifting blush closer to the centre of the face. This K-beauty–inspired approach began with layering a muted base shade across the mid-face, extending from the nose to the lower lash line, prioritising softness over structural definition. A more vibrant hue was then concentrated directly beneath the eyes and blended gently outward, blurring the line between concealer and blush. The look was finished with a subtle touch of colour on the tip of the nose and chin, creating a naturally radiant, fresh-faced complexion.

Lead Image Courtesy of Instagram /@haileybieber