Thread: Blush: Apples or hollows?

When do you apply blush to the apples of your cheeks and when to the hollows?

Which method do you favour for daily wear, for performances, for photo shoots?

For daily wear, I apply blush to the apples of my cheeks. I like the way that application to the hollows accentuates the cheekbones (I've tried to achieve the same effect using bronzer with limited success), but I'm not sure in what context I would wear it that way.

Bhuzzers, lend me your wisdom!

Put two fingers beside each side of your nose. The blush should not go any closer to the nose than that and should be applied to the cheekbone. I usually smile when I apply blush so I can see my cheekbones better. I go all the way to the hairline so it shows on the side. Be sure to blend well. :)

For daily wear, just the apples with a light pink blush. For performances, I use a dark dusky pink under the cheekbones as contour, then a bright pink on the apples and along the cheekbones.

Apples....as I understand it you are supposed to put it where you would naturally colour AND that you shouldn't smile to find that spot because you'll apply there and when you aren't smiling it moves the 'apple' down the face (sorry about the way I typed it but hopes that make sense?).

I remember hearing it from a famous make up artist, someone said, 'but we're always told to use it to contour' and she replied something about, 'listen, 99% of you aren't make up artists and won't get it right and won't blend properly and will just look like you are walking around with tiger stripes painted on your face so stick with colouring where you naturally would blush'.

daily I do hollows for performing I do both, so I make a "7" stroke with blush

Blush goes on the apples, for most applications.

For stage and for certain shoots, I like to apply kind of a tawny-colored, MATTE blush about 2-3 shades darker than my skin tone just under the cheekbones. A pale, shimmery highlight goes on top of the cheekbone.

Theoretically, you could try this with bronzer as the contour - but I'd recommend against it. Most bronzers have shimmer, which brings an area forward. When you contour, you're looking to recede. The result when you contour with bronzer usually just ends up looking fugly.

IA with SatinWorship. On most days, I do blush on the apples of my cheeks and a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones and under my brows. I only use contour (hollows) for really fancy dress-up or for stage.

when I wear makeup (which is usually only for the stage or photoshoots anyway) I use bronzer along my cheekbone, starting at the top in line with my ears and then I blend down along the boneline to the apple.

Then I take a pink blush and apply it to my apples and blend up. Ive always really liked the way this looks on me.

Funny, I was just reading something about this in Allure yesterday. For daily wear, unless you are at an age where your face is starting to fall, you should wear it on the apples. But after you start to age, you should wear it mostly on the top of your cheekbones because then it draws your attention upward. For performances, I wear it mostly on my cheekbones with a little darker color under that one to contour.

apples, for all occasions.

for performance, I use actual, full-on contour powder and highlight powder in the hollows of my cheeks and on top of the cheekbone. then I do a light dusting of blush on the apples for color. I got an awesome double compact with contour and highlight from MAC. I really love it. I can channel my inner 80s girl and load up the tiger stripe action, but have it look sculpted and finished instead of garish.

I swear to God I don't actually know what an apple is. The place people talk about as "apple" is where I hollow. Thanks, Granddad.

I can channel my inner 80s girl and load up the tiger stripe action, but have it look sculpted and finished instead of garish.

Amusingly, a young woman I know who loves the 80s revival fashions was lamenting her inability to make the tiger stripe work - because she didn't realise you put it *under* the cheekbone.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

I swear to God I don't actually know what an apple is. The place people talk about as "apple" is where I hollow. Thanks, Granddad.

The "apple" is the fleshy part that sticks out when you smile.

Apples never works for me. I put blush under my cheekbones and blend well. Trying to put it on the apples, even with blending, is too much of a kewpie doll effect.

Originally Posted by bgordon2020

Apples never works for me. I put blush under my cheekbones and blend well. Trying to put it on the apples, even with blending, is too much of a kewpie doll effect.

If the color is subtle and natural enough, and if you apply it sparingly, you shouldn't have this issue. Nars makes a color called Orgasm which looks amazing on an array of light-to-medium skin tones.

Using a good blush brush helps immensely, too. Get one where the bristles are laid out approximately in the shape and size of a golf ball, rather than those nasty brushes that come with the compact. And gently tap it before applying blush to make sure the excess falls off.

For non-stage wear, blush on the apples and a bit up the cheekbones. It should be pretty sheer, though, as the point is to imitate a healthy glow as opposed to a rash!

For stage - and by this I mean theatre stage with wash-out lights and whatnot - if you are trying to create a very, very "structural" appearance to your face for the audience, there's a three part step to doing it. Keep in mind that this looks completely ridiculous up close, but is very effective from the audience's distance and under stage lights.

Darker shadow/bronzer in hollows - use a shade or bronzer with the same undertones as your skin, but a few shades darker. Suck in your cheeks to find the true hollows and bring the colour from your hollows up at an angle towards your hairline below your cheekbones. Use a large head brush to blend it in softly and keep the distribution of the colour even - you don't want the appearance of dark spots under your cheeks. This will accentuate the parts of your face that naturally collect shadows from lights.

Red/pink tone blush on apples - use a blusher shade that is darker or more intense than what you would normally use off the stage. Regular blush can get washed out under stage lights, so up the colour saturation a bit. Smile broadly to find the apples of your cheeks, apply the blusher and drage the colour up toward the hairline, following the line along your cheekbones created by your smile. The colour should start on the apples and then fade upwards towards the hairline - it's a fine line between racing stripes and polka dots, so find that middle ground.

Highlight/pale/shimmer above cheekbones and around exterior orbit of the eye - crack out a very pale shade to highlight ridges. I personally use an eyeshadow that is pretty much white for this purpose, although darker complexions probably should go that pale. This is an appropriate place to use shimmer powders as well. I put this on right above the cheekbones and along the browbone, as these are areas that catch stage light and help highlight facial structure.

Again, this will look freakish off stage, but works well under the bright lights. Experiment and blend, and get photos or opinions of your makeup after stage performances to find out what is working. Applying the makeup under tortorously bright lights also helps imitate that stage light environment.

Originally Posted by MakedaMaysa

The "apple" is the fleshy part that sticks out when you smile.

Aha, but it doesn't stick out unless I'm smiling. So how am I to follow the rule of "not smiling" so it doesn't move down my face?

The bit that sticks out when I smile is not full, it is precisely where I start to hollow under the cheekbone.

I used to draw fake cheekbones when I was younger but it doesn't work well for me now. Azhia had a good tip for my face shape, which I like so long as it is very subtle.

Also I use bronzer as blush, and a darker brown colored power in my hollows. So I highlight thr cheeks with bronzer snd put a shadow in the hollows.