Whatever shade you choose, "glazed blush" creates a fresh, radiant glow. Photo: AFP
Long neglected, blush made a comeback in 2022, establishing itself as a staple of beauty routines. And that's not about to change, as evidenced by the up-and-coming trend for "glazed blush".
This is characterised by a healthy glow that's fresh, natural and radiant. It's a trend that's reminiscent of the craze for makeup looks that seek to enhance the skin's natural radiance rather than camouflaging flaws and imperfections.
In today's cosmetics sector, there are natural ingredients, skincare, a touch of makeup and... Hailey Bieber.
The American model-turned-businesswoman is something of a trendsetter, so much so that each of her beauty inspirations becomes an instant trend, if not a full-blown craze.
We saw it with "butterfly liner", "strawberry makeup", and more recently with the "sugar plum fairy" look – and still, there's more.
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The young woman is also directly associated with all the so-called "glazed", glossy or icy inspirations, such "glazed donut nails", "glazed skin", "glazed eyes"' and now "glazed blush".
The latest in a long line of trends inspired by the glazing technique in baking, "glazed blush" is characterised by subtly coloured cheeks, enhanced with an illuminated, radiant touch for a look that's as fresh as it is glowy – one of the key trends of recent years.
As you'll have gathered, the idea is to do as little as possible with the skin, focusing on emphasising perfectly cared-for and therefore healthy-looking skin.
The idea is rather to boost it with an (almost) natural healthy-glow effect, as if you were soaking up vitamin D in the sun all year round.
It may be an illusion, but it's one that has the merit of limiting the number of layers of concealer, foundation and powder, thus leaving the skin to breathe.
If the trend is associated with Bieber, who in just a few years has become a veritable beauty icon, it's undoubtedly because the American supermodel never ceases to show off skin that's been pampered with skincare, and just lightly worked with powder and blush for a more natural look.
And her followers are as keen as ever, prizing an authentic beauty routine based on skincare rather than makeup. As a result, minimalist beauty routines are all the rage today – as with the latest craze for "soap nails".
The same is now true of "glazed blush", which requires very few products, and even less technique or expertise.
For a successful "glazed blush" effect, all you need is powder and cream blush, in any desired shade, and a touch of highlighter.
Simply apply powder blush to the cheekbones (pink, raspberry, peach, coral), then add a touch of liquid or cream blush in the same colour in the same place.
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The final step is to apply a small touch of highlighter, gold if possible, to add luminosity and radiance.
It's also possible, for a more discreet result, to opt for a sheer or transparent cream blush, which simply "glazes" the powder blush without adding more colour.
Some users skip powder blush altogether to focus solely on cream blush.
This trend, which is likely to take hold for most of the year, can also make use of two-in-one cosmetics, whether eyeshadow and cheekbone or lip and cheekbone duos, adding that dose of shimmer and shine that makes all the difference with "glazed blush". – AFP Relaxnews
