Blush Blindness Is Over! Long Live the Anti-Blush…

The anti-blush movement has taken social media by storm—here’s why and how you can hop on the trend.

Every few years, the beauty girls of the internet will undergo a collective psychosis. In the ‘90s, someone convinced women en masse that pencil-thin brows were the in thing—no matter what your face shape was. The ‘00s saw concealer lips and fake tan go hand in hand. The 2010s had everyone’s brows on fleek and lips pillowed up and, most recently, heavy, layered blush has become the latest fixation of our cultural zeitgeist. 

All beauty trends cycle back around every few decades—at least, after they come to a head. The question now is: have we officially reached peak blush? The jury is still out on that one, but one thing is for sure: when one trend rises, its antithesis is never too far behind.

Blush blindness has inspired the triumphant return of low-contrast makeup, and the latest movement uses low-saturation, skin-adjacent shades for cheekbones that look naturally sculpted as opposed to heavily flushed. 

The best part of this budding trend is that the anti-blush works on every complexion: pale skin pairs beautifully with cool, dusty pinks and light beiges; tan skin with warm mauves and peachy bronzers; and deep skin with rich plums and chocolates.

You could shop for an entirely new set of blushers, but our advice is to use what you already have. To create the perfect anti-blush shade for your complexion, simply mix a drop of your liquid blush (or a smidge of your cream blusher) with a drop of your liquid foundation. And if you need a little depth and coolness in the colour, adding a touch of your usual contour (not bronzer!) will get you the perfect custom shade.

Once you have it, apply it to your cheeks as usual, and voila—you’re all set! The anti-blush is best paired with minimal makeup to really hone in on the effortless, no-makeup makeup look. Alternatively, lean into the low-contrast vibe fully and go for a nude lip and cool smoky eye to rock the edgier, cool girl aesthetic. The world is your oyster!

And this should go without saying, but by no means does this mean you can’t wear your blush how you like it. Should you prefer a vibrant streak of pink adorning your cheek, by all means! Ultimately, makeup is just a tool for expression, and trying new things is always encouraged, but not necessary. Happy experimenting!

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