On TikTok, thousands of women fear a new type of illness. “I’m afraid to ask the internet this, but I need to know,” said content creator @niessaxoxo_ tick tock Earlier this month. “Do I have blush blindness?”
To understand “blush blindness” is to understand “Eyebrow blindness, a term coined on TikTok to describe the 2010 phenomenon of thick, overdrawn eyebrows. In the past month, users have started reminiscing about this era of makeup with shame and regret. Now many online makeup lovers are starting to worry about other cosmetic trends that they may be overdoing, especially the current level of pigment on their cheeks, as blush has emerged as the latest makeup craze. Now, women are debating whether they look good with bursts of red and pink across their cheeks and all the way to their temples or if they’re just sheep following another viral trend.
You can argue both. Since its inception “Strawberry Girl” And “cool girl” In the last three years, makeup, blush has become a beauty product. According to Circana, sales of blushes have reached $462 million US prestige makeup market in the last 12 months, a 36 percent increase compared to the previous year. On Amazon, blush racks in $59 million. Numerous blush trends have emerged this year “Boyfriend Blush,” “Sunset Blush,” And “Glossy blush.” Some consumers hope to achieve a more natural, sun-kissed flush, while others apparently took inspiration from singer Sabrina Carpenter’s heavy, doll-like application — blush blindness be damned!
Far from it The previous decade of beauty, while there was no emphasis on creating a warm, rosy outlook. Over the past decade, blush was a product associated with mature women. But that perception is beginning to change. “Growing up, as millennials, we were afraid of looking like our mothers who came out of the ’80s and ’90s when blush was a really big thing,” says Stephanie Peng, author of the Beauty Unhyped newsletter.
Today, Gen Z is equal Chances are high More than previously reluctant millennials to purchase blush. Why? For one thing, blush has become an early marker along with ribbons and ballet flats Popular girlcore aesthetic. Blush provides a healthy, dewy, youthful glow. However, beauty forecasters have linked the current blush boom to something a little more rebellious and experimental than simply a youthful pursuit. It may be that blush has become the ultimate form of feminine self-expression.
Blush is the new highlighter
In the 2010s, it seemed that blush was mostly an afterthought. Contouring and highlighting has finally gone mainstream after being practiced by drag queens for years. The goal was to make the face look as angular and “stripped” as possible with little or no emphasis on vivid color. Instead, consumers preferred a shimmery, metallic finish with bronzers and translucent highlighters.
“My makeup was definitely very bronzer-focused in my early 20s,” says Peng. “And if I did wear blush, it was barely there, very minimal and kind of bright but not obvious color.”
Going into the 2020s it looked like this neutral, brassy look was here to stay, with highlighters becoming even more popular. In February 2020, engagement trackers cherry picked Report That highlighter was the product most consumers were interested in. In addition, the highlight and bright product was “Edge[ing] Total blush and bronzer out in the cheek department.” However, the pandemic proved to be a huge disruptor in the makeup world along with everything else. Quarantine, in particular, kept this heavy, Kardashian-esque glam on hold as everyone seemed to prioritize their natural skin health and appearance. .
In the early 2010s “no makeup” makeup already existed as a slightly less hectic trend thanks to Glossier, a brand that specializes in makeup-skin-care hybrids. K-beauty has become popular in the Western world for its skincare-first approach. But the desire for “clean beauty” seemingly reached new heights in the post-pandemic years, as Hailey Bieber pioneered a set of natural-looking, dewy trends (like “glazed donut skin,” “latte makeup”). Her own popular skin-care line, Rhode.
One of these trends was “strawberry girl” makeup, where blush is applied to multiple points on the face, including the cheeks, nose, browbones, and in some tutorials, the forehead. “Tomato Girl” Makeup There was another iteration of this blush-heavy look, specifically designed to resemble the flush you might get on vacation. Gradually, though, this natural look became bolder.
As Mackenzie Nelson, art director at digital marketing agency Helen + Gertrude, says, they’ve “inspired more blush creativity towards 2024.”
Much like the “lipstick effect” of 2020, blush has emerged as a relatively affordable and collectible makeup option. The current blush craze was largely fueled by Selena Gomez’s makeup line, Rare Beauty, which included Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in its initial 2020 rollout. the product It quickly became a viral hit For its light, creamy texture and strong pigment. Since then, other makeup companies have created new blushes, emphasizing versatility and a skin-like finish, including Sai, Milk Makeup, Elf Beauty, and Huda Beauty. Surprisingly, Rhode unveiled her own line of pocket blushes this past June.
Blush-highlighter hybrids, like Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wands and its Hollywood Blush and Glow palette, have become online favorites. Almost a decade later, Charlotte Tilbury, founded by the celebrity makeup artist of the same name, was able to capture the zeitgeist during the pandemic in part because of her viral tutorials. By 2023, Cosmetify ranked it Second-hottest makeup brand behind Rare Beauty in terms of Google searches and social-media engagement.
Its success appears to be partly linked to a “Trend War” It has evolved since the rise of Glossier and is present in different uses of blush: natural versus glam aesthetics. Tilbury’s sparkling blush offers a happy medium between old Hollywood glamor and natural, skin-enhancing makeup. Overall, the brand represents an evolution Glam by Gen Z Prioritize that dewiness and a light, sparkly finish. (Think minimal but eye-popping makeup Excitement.) Still, beauty forecasters predict that younger consumers will want bolder and brighter makeup this year, with statement blush as a primary tool.
Blush is a “natural” beauty staple, but it can be punk again
Social media has shown that blush consumers have more than just one purpose when using these products. One of them, of course, is simulating healthy, hydrated skin, like skin with a cream blush, providing a less obvious texture.
“I think consumers are looking for makeup to enhance,” says beauty influencer Danny Nichols. “Natural-looking blushes are used in ‘clean beauty’ and ‘no-makeup makeup’ routines to give that fresh-faced illusion, like you just woke up but look put together and healthy.”
Glowing, glowing skin is a prime sign of youth, a preoccupation that has inspired Z Z and even Gen Alpha. Recent obsession with skin care products. Peng says youthfulness and vitality have been blush’s main selling points throughout history. It’s a product she finds herself using to deal with “the common angst of getting older.” “I tend to go, ‘OK, if I add a little pink blush, it’ll make me look a little more vibrant and a little more youthful,'” she says.
While our culture’s obsession with youth has become more pronounced recently, the motivations behind blush use aren’t so bleak. For example, on TikTok, not everyone is considering blush as a gateway to youth or a long-lost girl; They are going for something bolder and more artistic. Take C-shaped blush or “blush draping,” where users frame their upper faces with blush, creating the dramatic, colorful look associated in the ’80s with Debbie Harry, Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston and Grace Jones. Layering different blush colors has also become a popular technique.
Likewise, you’ll find many TikTokers rejecting “blush blindness,” or the idea that blush should be applied in a subtle, natural-looking manner. “It reflects the cultural shift of women to shed ‘subtle’ expectations and embrace a bold self-expression for any occasion,” says Nelson from Helen + Gertrude.
Beauty is predictable Prophecy That makeup will head in a more maximalist direction throughout the year. Some have linked it to the slow rise of the “weird girl” aesthetic that emerged in response to the “clean girl” and ultra-pink, Barbie-core aesthetic. In contrast, the queer girl look includes bright colors, clashing patterns and bold pops of makeup, bright lipstick and heavy blush.
A piece for shocked, journalist Ellen Atlanta sees parallels between this current evolution of beauty and the New Romantic movement in 1980s England. Just as these young people embraced punk and goth aesthetics as a reaction to Thatcherism, Atlanta saw young consumers pushing back against a political and cultural environment that promoted Traditional gender roles And took away women’s rights. “The New Romantics 2.0 took the ribbons and exaggerated blushes of hyper-femininity as an aesthetic subculture and added to it an engagement with politics and gender that was missing from our girlcore,” she writes.
Whether or not consumers are applying blush in a socially conscious way, it seems that young people are ready to experiment again and deviate from the dirty trend. “I think people are having fun now,” Peng said. “Blush is a little less useful than it used to be. Blush can truly be a statement product in the 2010s, just like eyeshadow is a statement and experimental makeup product.”
While some more natural-looking blush trends like “sunset” and “sunburn” blushes are tied to the summer aesthetic, Nelson sees consumers exploring the possibilities of blush for longer. It’s one thing when a certain makeup routine feels dutiful, but it’s another thing when women are genuinely having fun.
“I think bold blush is here to stay,” says Nelson. “The pendulum swing will eventually swing back to a neutral look, but with a maximum feel and focus on skin health, I think we’ll see consumers experimenting with vibrant cheeks for a little while longer.”
