TikTok's Circle Blush Hack Hits All The Right Spots For A Bold Glow
Big, bold blush continues to be a hot trend in the makeup world, especially on TikTok. Makeup lovers have become obsessed with perfecting their blush style, whether it's learning a handy way to determine the perfect blush placement or finding a blush and highlighter hack that ups the glow factor. But if all the hacks and tutorials are a little overwhelming for your low-maintenance makeup tastes, you're in luck: A recent TikTok trend is encouraging an incredibly quick and carefree method for getting the boldest blush look yet.
Called circle blush, this technique offers a simple way to add color to your cheeks, eyelids, and temples without fussing over precise placement or multiple shades. In short, the hack suggests that you should apply blush in big circles on your face to spread pigment quickly and get a bright, balanced look. Circle blush might sound like an overly theatrical choice that's best left to the runway, but when done well, the circle blush hack is actually a great addition to your everyday makeup routine.
TikTok's circle blush hack
To try out TikTok's circle blush hack, you'll need a large makeup brush and your favorite blush product. This method is easier to do with powder blush, but you can experiment with cream blush, as well. TikTok user @makeupandmeg, one of the first adopters of the circle blush trend, gives a helpful tutorial on how to achieve the look.
If you're using a powder blush, you can pick up some product with your brush and give a gentle tap to dust off the excess. If you decide to use a cream blush, you'll probably need to spread some of the product on the back of your hand and then pick some of it up with your brush, as a way to avoid getting too much pigment.
Once your brush is fully equipped with the blush of your choice, you can begin applying. Starting on your eyelid, move your brush in a broad, circular motion, spreading blush across your eyelid, cheek, and temple. Since you'll be spreading the product out so thinly, you don't have to be as careful with the placement, so just focus on dragging your brush across any area where you'd like there to be color. If your blush is super pigmented, you might need to do some extra buffing with the brush to blend it out. On the other hand, if the blush is less opaque, you can keep going in with more product until you have the results you want.
How to make circle blush work for you
Circle blush isn't as high risk as it sounds. Yes, you're probably using more blush than you normally would, but it's covering much more surface area. To pull off the circle blush technique, it all comes down to choosing the right product.
Powder blush will be less pigmented and more movable than a cream blush, so if you have the choice, go for the powder. To avoid a garish, overly artificial result, be thoughtful when selecting your blush shade. Look for a coral or peach shade if you have a warm complexion, and a magenta or pale pink if you have cooler undertones. You can go for a contrasting, highly pigmented shade if you love bold blush, but for a more subtle effect, stick to hues that suit the vibrancy and depth of your natural coloring.
Although circle blush has only reached TikTok relatively recently, the method isn't new — as @makeupandmeg alludes to in the tutorial, the draping technique was prevalent in the 1970s and '80s. Draping is essentially where you emphasize facial features by "draping" them in color instead of contouring. Regular contour isn't going anywhere soon, but more and more trends are making the case for blush contouring, a retro throwback in the style of beauty icons like Grace Jones or a younger Brooke Shields. So if you're uncertain about circle blush, check out some of the makeup styles of yore — those bright, daring looks might inspire you.