Quick Tip: Why Your Blush Is Fading Too Quickly

Last week, I popped into the NARS Boutique inside of The Forum Shops on the Strip for a fun little VIP event. We got to take a closer look at the brand’s recent releases, and got a product demo from NARS Senior Artist, Julia Sohn. As we watched her apply the latest and greatest makeup must-haves, she mentioned a blush tip in passing that blew my MIND. I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised to learn something from someone who was literally trained by Francois Nars himself.

As Julia was applying the iconic Orgasm blush to her model of the night (Christie of ICanStyleU) she mentioned how important it is to let your blush “settle.” I was like… what the heck does that mean? But it’s really quite simple really.

“The blood vessels that are right under the surface of the skin cause natural color to appear with stimulation whether you’re using your hands or a brush to apply color,” Julia explained. “Right after applying blush, you’re seeing a mixture of the blush shade and your natural flush.”

So in short, you have to wait a few minutes for your natural flush to dissipate to really see your application accurately. If you don’t give it a few minutes to settle, you might be surprised that you didn’t apply as much color as you thought you did. Hence, you think your blush is fading quickly, when in reality your natural color was giving it a boost that has since disappeared.

Above you can see that I have more warmth on the face in the “before” picture— which was shot just after application— than in the “after” picture which was after about 15 minutes. Knowing what a difference there is, I think I’ll start working in my blush/face makeup earlier into my routine to give it time to settle, then come back to it at the end for touching up.

While I was at the NARS Boutique, I also came across some great gift ideas… particularly the limited edition NARS x Man Ray Love Triangle Blush/Lipstick sets. You get a mini blush compact and complimenting lipstick shade in a cute stocking-ready package.

I also caught a glimpse of some of the limited edition Velvet Lip Glide shades. I took home Bait, which is a petal pink that’s going to look awesome going into springtime. They feel like lipglosses but have a good amount of pigmentation and don’t feel sticky. Perfect timing, because my lips needed a break from matte for a little bit in this dry weather.

Next time you do your blush, give yourself a little while to see how it settles on your skin before heading out. You might be surprised with how it changes!

Have you ever let your blush settle before finishing your routine?