Why ‘blush blindness’ is the ultimate anti-ageing makeup trick for midlife skin

LEAVE A COMMENT I like my blush big and bold; an overture of colour announcing my arrival before I do. It’s been a lifelong love affair (I remember my mum absently blending down my cheeks before I walked out of the house, presumably in an attempt to dampen the sensory assault). But now I’m in midlife, I feel even more conviction in my blush blindness because I think it’s actually working for me more than ever. I am, unashamedly, in my Aunt Sally era.

Having traipsed the backstage trail for almost two decades, I’ve seen every trick in the makeup book when it comes to making models look alive after 32 shows over four weeks on roughly the same amount of sleep. I remember makeup legend Tom Pecheux applying pink blush just under the outer corner of models’ eyes to detract from the blue tones of fashion week fatigue, long before it became a colour-correcting social media trend.

It turns out blush is doing rather more than simply making your cheeks pink. “I think that a blush can make you look much more awake regardless of your age, but it does really help to lift more mature skin,” says makeup artist Jesse Walker. “But also I think one thing that people miss out on with blush is that blush can actually enhance the rest of your features, too – not just your skin and your cheeks. When you choose a good blush shade, it can make your eye colour pop, it can bring out the tone in your lip…” In other words, blush isn't merely the finishing touch. Choose the right shade and it can make your whole face look more alive.

At this stage in my life, blush’s primary duty is as a skin enlivener. I was recently surprised to discover that I actually really enjoyed the look of a cool-toned blush when Charlotte Tilbury did my makeup for a launch. It sculpted my cheeks and made me look more polished and sophisticated. But for day to day, I like a bright pink or pinky coral for instant chutzpah. I think of it as the midlife skin lift hiding in your makeup bag.

As we age, our skin naturally becomes drier and can appear more sallow. Hormonal changes can contribute to a decrease in collagen and elastin, meaning there’s less of that lovely bounce to reflect light. Ageing can also mean reduced microcirculation, which contributes to the loss of those naturally rosy tones. This is where a bright pink – particularly one with slightly blue undertones – can be your friend. It helps counteract yellow or dull tones and puts some of that fresh, rosy colour back into the face. And if you’re after a more bona fide “Have you been away?” luminescence, blush can do that too. “If you've got lighter skin like I have, blush can help you look like you've been on holiday,” confirms Jesse. “I personally tend to use it more as like a ‘blonzer’, as they call it now but it can deliver different effects depending on the shade. For example, if you choose those more ruddy tones it can make you look like you've just been in the sun or that natural flush you get when you've been exercising, which is amazing. Playing around with shades should be fun.”

And that’s perhaps the most important bit. Jesse urges us to experiment, particularly because blushes often look considerably more intense in the pan than they do once they’re actually on your face. Which, as someone who has never met a pink blush I thought was too pink, is music to my ears.

So, you’re down with blush being your skin’s cheerleader. But how do you pump up the power pigment? “It’s a cliché, but true, that skin gets drier as you age, so cream formulas tend to be better at adding that radiance back in,” says Jesse. “Creamy formulas are great for giving a more dewy, youthful, fresh glow in a way that matte powders don't.”

That said, Jesse is also an advocate for playing around with different formulas and finding the texture that works for you. While I’ve been firmly wedded to creamier textures for a while now, I was pleasantly surprised by the Kosas powder blush below. Its marbled hues give a more three-dimensional glow that almost manages to do the job of blush and highlighter in one. “If you like the really glowy look, go for something more balmy in texture,” says Jesse. “But if you’ve always worn a powder and a balm feels too far outside your comfort zone, opt for a more velvet, cloud-like mousse texture.”

Jesse, it seems, is on my page. “I think missing out on blush is definitely a shame, because it does so much for your face… probably more than people think!” And I couldn't agree more.

This cool baby pink is my blush ride-or-die – which I didn’t expect from a powder blush. I’m not a highlighter gal (one makeup step too far for me), but the dimensional colour almost gives the effect of a blush/highlighter hybrid. It’s also the blush that gets me the most compliments on my skin when I wear it.

Pros: One stop to glow town. The formula is infused with squalene and hyaluronic acid, making it particularly appealing for drier, midlife skin, and I find it doesn’t settle into fine lines.

Cons: I personally love the subtle pearl finish, but if you prefer a completely matte look, this probably isn’t the one for you.

I fell in love with this instantly when we were invited to the launch. The domed head makes application almost foolproof, while the cream-to-powder formula and blurring texture are particularly flattering. It sat beautifully on my perimenopausal skin.

Pros: Easy to apply, with beautiful, buildable colour.

Cons: I do wonder about hygiene when applying products directly from the pan, particularly since I’ve been experiencing more perimenopausal breakouts on my cheeks. But you can, of course, use a sponge or brush to apply if that’s an issue for you.

If you like to be super-strategic with your blush, this is the wand for you. I love the fact that it can simply be scribbled on and patted in, with the teeny tip allowing you to concentrate the colour exactly where you want it concentrating it in the centre of the cheek for a truly believable flush.

Pros: I'm all for the fact that it takes up so little space (it’s all about makeup bag real estate these days)

Cons: If you’re looking for the sort of dramatic colour pay-off worthy of the truly blush-blind, it takes a little more work to build.

A small feat of makeup engineering, this cream-to-powder formula, infused with raspberry extract, melts in like a near-wet balm before setting to a softly blurred matte. I also fell hard for the packaging, which is chef’s kiss from the moment you see it.

Pros: It stays put once applied. I didn’t test the full 12-hour wear promise, but it easily lasted a full working day. I also like the fact that there are eight shades that can be applied to eyes and lips, too.

Cons: If blush blindness isn’t your thing, go easy – a little goes a long way.

I’m probably the wrong person to ask. For years, we’ve been told that good makeup should be invisible: a little flush, a little sculpting, a little glow, all carefully blended until nobody can quite work out what you’ve done.

But maybe midlife is the point at which we stop trying to make our makeup invisible. Maybe a little too much blush is exactly enough. Because if a hit of unapologetic pink can make your skin look fresher, your eyes brighter and your whole face more alive, I see no reason to turn the volume down.

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