From Sabrina Carpenter’s signature look to Rhode, blush is everywhere

Thousands of women are panicking about a new disease on TikTok. Tik Tok Earlier this month. “Do I have blush blindness?”

To understand blush blindness, we must understand “Eyebrow BlindnessThe term was coined on TikTok to describe the thick brows that were popular in the 2010s. Last month, users began reminiscing about that era of makeup with shame and regret. Now, many online makeup enthusiasts are starting to worry that they may be overdoing other beauty trends, especially the current level of pigment on cheeks, as blush has become the latest makeup craze. Now women are debating whether they should be applying a touch of red and pink to their cheeks and temples, or whether they are just following another viral trend.

You can argue both. “Strawberry Girl” and “Cold Girl” Over the past three years, blush has become an essential beauty product in the cosmetics industry. According to Circana, blush sales have reached $462 million In the past 12 months, blush sales in the US high-end cosmetics market have increased by 36% compared to the previous year. $59 millionThere have been many blush trends this year, including “Boyfriend blushes” “Sunset” and “Glazed blush.” While some consumers are hoping to achieve a more natural, sun-kissed complexion, others seem to be taking inspiration from the singer Sabrina Carpenter The heavy, dolly-like application—blush blindness be damned!

This is similar to The beauty of the past decadewhen there was little emphasis on creating a warm, rosy complexion. In the past decade, blush was the preserve of mature women. But that perception has begun to shift. “As a millennial, I grew up worrying about looking like our moms in the ’80s and ’90s, when blush was all the rage,” says Stephanie Peng, author of the Beauty Unhyped newsletter.

Today, Generation Z even More likely Millennials are more willing to buy blush than the hesitant millennials of the past. Why? First, blush, along with ribbons and ballet flats, has become Popular girly aestheticsBlush can give a healthy, dewy, youthful glow. However, beauty forecasters believe that the current blush craze has to do with something more rebellious and experimental than simply pursuing youth. Blush may have become the ultimate form of female self-expression.

In the 2010s, blush seemed mostly an afterthought. Contouring and highlighting finally went mainstream after years of being practiced by drag queens. The goal was to make the face look as angular and “eye-catching” as possible, with little emphasis on bright colors. Instead, consumers prioritized creating shiny metallic effects with bronzers and translucent highlighters.

“When I was in my early 20s, my makeup was very bronzer-focused,” says Peng, “and if I wore blush, it was very light, very minimal, with a little bit of shimmer but no obvious color.”

As we head into the 2020s, this neutral, brassy look looks set to continue to gain popularity, with highlighters expected to become even more popular. February 2020, Interactive Tracker Cherry Pick Reported The highlighter was the most requested product “by far” by consumers. Furthermore, highlighters and brighteners “completely replaced blush and bronzer in the cheek category”. However, the pandemic has proven to be disruptive to the makeup world as well as everything else. In particular, quarantine has put this Kardashian-esque glam look on hold as everyone seems to be prioritizing the health and appearance of their natural skin.

The “no-makeup” look has been around since the early 2010s, but the trend fell a bit flat at the time, thanks in part to Glossier, a brand that specializes in hybrid makeup and skincare products. K-beauty has also gained popularity in the Western world for its skincare-first approach. But in the years since the pandemic, the desire for “clean beauty” seems to have reached new heights, as Hailey Bieber She’s pioneered a number of natural, dewy trends (i.e. “glazed donut skin,” “latte makeup”) while launching her own popular skincare line, Rhode.

One trend is the “strawberry girl” look, which involves applying blush to multiple areas of the face, including the cheeks, nose, brow bone, and in some tutorials, the forehead. “Tomato Girl” Makeup is another take on this blush look, specifically designed to resemble a flush you might get on vacation. However, these natural looks are gradually becoming bolder.

As MacKenzi Nelson, art director at digital marketing agency Helen + Gertrude, puts it, they’ve inspired “more blush creativity going into 2024.”

Just like The “lipstick effect” In the 2020s, blush has become a relatively affordable and collectible makeup option. The current blush craze was largely sparked by Selena Gomez’s makeup line Rare Beauty, which debuted the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in 2020. Rapidly became popular Since then, other cosmetics companies have introduced new blushes that emphasize versatility and skin-like effects, including Saie, Milk Makeup, elf Beauty and Huda Beauty. Unsurprisingly, Rhode launched its own Pocket Blushes collection in June this year.

Charlotte Tilbury’s blush-highlighter hybrids, like the Pillow Talk Matte Beauty blush stick and the Hollywood Blush and Glow palette, have become online darlings. Founded by the eponymous celebrity makeup artist nearly a decade ago, Charlotte Tilbury was able to capture the zeitgeist during the pandemic, in part due to her viral tutorials. By 2023, Cosmetify ranks it It is the second most popular cosmetics brand after Rare Beauty in terms of Google searches and social media engagement.

Its success seems to be due in part to “War of the Trends” Since Glossier’s rise, this philosophy has been reflected in the many uses of blush: natural aesthetics versus glam aesthetics. Tilbury’s shimmering blushes strike a balance between Hollywood glamour and a natural, skin-flattering finish. Overall, the brand represents The appeal of Generation Z Prioritize dewy, light, and shimmery effects. (Think minimalist yet dazzling makeup Euphoria) However, beauty forecasters predict that this year younger consumers will crave bolder, brighter looks, with blush becoming a key tool.

Social media shows that blush consumers use these products for more than one purpose. One, of course, is to mimic healthy, hydrated skin, and cream blush can provide a skin-like, less noticeable texture.

“I think consumers want to enhance their look with makeup,” says beauty influencer Dani Nicholls. “Natural blush is used in the ‘clean beauty’ and ‘no makeup’ everyday makeup to give a fresh-faced look, like you’ve just woken up but look groomed and healthy.”

Glowing, warm skin is a key sign of youth, a focus that has sparked interest among Gen Z and even Gen Alpha. My latest skincare obsessionYouth and vitality have been the main selling points of blush since ancient times, says Peng, who finds herself using the product to combat “the general anxiety that comes with aging.” “I tend to think, ‘Well, if I add a little bit of pink blush, it’s going to make me look more vibrant and a little younger,'” she says.

While our culture’s obsession with youth has become more pronounced recently, the motivations behind blush use aren’t all so doom and gloom. On TikTok, for example, not everyone sees blush as some sort of gateway to youth or long-lost girlhood; they’re going for something bolder and more artistic. Take the C-shaped blush, or “blush drape,” for example, where users line the upper half of their face with blush to create the kind of dramatic, colorful looks associated with ’80s artists like Debbie Harry, Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston, and Grace Jones. Layering different shades of blush has also become a popular technique.

Likewise, you’ll find some TikTokers rejecting the notion of blush blindness, the idea that blush should be applied in a subtle, natural way. “This reflects a cultural shift away from ‘subtle’ expectations of women and towards embracing self-expression in any setting,” says Helen + Gertrude’s Nelson.

Beauty forecasters have Expected Makeup will move in a more minimalist direction this year. Some have linked this to the slow rise of the “weird girl” aesthetic, which emerged in response to the “clean girl” and super-pink Barbie aesthetics. In contrast, the weird girl look involves bright colors, clashing patterns, and bold makeup, including bright lipstick and heavy blush.

In an article BewilderedJournalist Alan Atlanta sees parallels between the current evolution of the beauty industry and the New Romantic movement in Britain in the 1980s. Just as these young people embraced punk and goth aesthetics in response to Thatcherism, Atlanta sees young consumers rebelling against a culture that advocated Traditional gender roles and take right For women. “New Romantic 2.0 as an aesthetic subculture took ultra-feminine ribbons and exaggerated blush and added a political and gender twist that was missing from our perception of girlcore style,” she writes.

Whether or not consumers are using blush in a socially conscious way, young people seem ready to experiment again and move away from bland trends. “I think people are also just having fun now,” says Peng. “Blush is less utilitarian than it used to be. Blush can really be a statement product, just like eyeshadow was a statement and experimental makeup product in the 2010s.”

While some of the more natural-looking blush trends, like “sunset” and “sunburned” blushes, are tied to the summer aesthetic, Nelson found that consumers have long been exploring the possibilities of blush. It’s one thing when a certain makeup routine feels dutiful, but it’s another when women actually enjoy it.

“I think bold blushes are going to be popular right now,” Nielsen said. “The pendulum will eventually swing back toward neutral makeup, but with the focus on minimalist feels and skin health, I think we’ll see consumers experiment with bright blushes for a while.”