Do my cheeks look big?

Flushed pinkish fuchsia blush applied in a circular manner over the cheeks; thin, defined brows; pinkie-brown lips -- a remnant of the 90s makeup fashion that remained with us through to the mid naughties, and  the style of makeup that still persists within the 35-45 age bracket today. The blush  is placed over the entire "apple of the cheeks" (that's the front and circular protruding section of the cheeks) to give a flushed look of exertion.  While the bone depressions and the cheek muscles that lead into the temples are completely ignored. This look became so mainstream that makeup companies  released blunt cut circular ferrule blush brushes instructing customers to apply their  blush in a circular, flat motion.  Cheeks were not encouraged to be sculptured. The blush hues pushed towards the cool side of the colour spectrum which helped counteract some of the synthetic exaggeration for most caucasian women). Regardless, this makeup trend rounds up the face and sets eyes closer together.  The excessive center facial focus it creates translates to loss of definition and dimension, imparting a sfake, doll like look.  The immaturity it created did, however, fit extremely well with the accompanying clothing and accessories fashions of  the times.

However, by the mid naughties this blush application was not melding well into incoming and  opposing fashion trends.  The 90s  "little girl",  pre-pubescent inspired fashion started to wane by the early naughties. Small, center parted hair; drop waist cothing; kitten heeled mary-janes evolved into "I am a Woman and I Ovulate" so I can wear my hair big; with low cut cleavage shoes and uber heels; and cinched in  high waisted silhouettes.

Similarly, big, pink, cooled toned cheeks, thick brows, bronzer and oily lips clashed with each other,  rendering the wearer cheesy to garish. Extremly noticeable in high fashion hubs such as southern Europe cities where trends are layered on top of one another with no fear over kill, as there are no self imposed outdated  and misapplied Chanel restrains that seemingly rule the American style culture.  The thick brow trend meant the viewer's eye was already being pushed upward and centered to the middle upper face region and eyes, the addition of  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang wind-up doll cheeks was causing major imbalance and overload to the face.

The solution came  in various stages and has completely reshaped blush application. The first change the fashion world saw was the position in which blush was applied.  As can be seen on the model to the left, the blush continues towards the ears, softening the face with a hint of  continuity, and  creating a subtle sculptured feel that looks less harsh and more natural. The end result is sleeker, elongated cheeks, with the illusion of the apples of the cheeks being placed lower and further apart on the face, connecting out and up to the cheek bones, dragging the cheeks upward and out. For reasons of geometry the viewers gaze feels more at ease with this type of blush application.

This second change came by way of default through  the bronzer come-back. This time round, though, cosmetic companies are now saturated with makeup artists who over the past ten years have altered makeup counters to include professional makeup, tools and/or techniques. In using artists to push bronzer has meant that it's peddled as a low-lighter, thus educating customers to utilise it  as a pseudo facial cheek contour.  Bronzer application has evolved so much that it is becoming rarer to see it merchandised with foundations and pressed powders.  More likely to find it categorised with blushers, and marketed as a cheek contour or for adding warmth and depth to the face.

The third change came through the addition of cheek high-lighting using a shimmery or pearlescent highlighter, so to enhance  the contouring  creatd by a deep blush shade or a realistic contour shade.  The combination of the shades together creates the maximum three dimensional cheek effect . Contouring is the new facial accessory and it's very likely here to stay with us for most of this decade.

The three dimensional cheek trend of the 10s  has been such a  marketable success that many cosmetic companies often package  blushes with a contour and/or a highlighter. Two examples can be seen below: Nars Blush Highlighting/Bronzer Duo (left) a high-end option and Milani Sunset Duos Blush and Bronzer (right) a low-end option.

The last fashion change in blush has been the colour changes.  Gone are the  olive skinned inspired  cool  toned colours. The blush colours are now softer and warmer  including hues such as apricot, tan, tawny, peach, mandarin, beige, and soft coral.  All colours are either neutral or lean towards the neutrals colour family due to their high yellow content.

The combination of all these changes has seen cheek accentuation become one of the primary fashion focuses. A little blush, when pressed for time, like mascara, is the only other makeup accessory that can be worn alone. Complex, three dimensional cheeks with enhanced zygomatic bones may be considered high-fashion,  but  sweeping, on toned blush is still  beautiful, and very much an on trend alterantive (as can be seen worn by the model above).  There is no need to feel overwhelmed by techique and choice, tailor the choices to your preferences and enjoy the warmth and youth that is exuded by blush.