TikTok Taught Me How To Blush Properly & It Changed My Face

As someone who loves makeup and wears it most days, there are a handful of things I could probably do with both eyes closed. Nailing a smoky eye? Yep. Plumping my lips using nothing but liner? Check. But something I really struggle with is applying blush.

How hard can it be, considering the brush does all the work for you, right? But every single time I either go a little too hard on the powder and resemble a china doll on a treadmill or apply it much too low, which only pulls my face down. No matter how much I suck in my cheeks, I just can't get it right.

It seems I'm not the only one. When makeup artist @glamwithdaminee shared their easy blush hack on TikTok recently, 1.7 million people watched it and tens of thousands shared and liked the post. I think it's the simplicity that had everyone sold. Putting their hand up to their face in an L-shape with their thumb touching the outer corner of their nose, Daminee applied blush in the space created. The result was a perfect flush that made their face look fresh and lifted.

Initially I was sceptical. But as the comments came flooding in, with some saying that it totally changed the game, I sought out my trusty Charlotte Tilbury Cheek To Chic Blush, $55. I like to use an angled brush like the e.l.f. Blush Brush, $11, or the Eco Tools Skin Perfecting Brush, $18, and the shape is probably best to nail this technique, rather than a powder brush which is big, round and fluffy.

The key is to ensure your thumb sits at the outer edge of your nose and that your hand creates a sort of right angle shape. Rather cleverly, it's the negative space between your hand and your face that will allow you to create that lifted look. Blushing the left side of my face was easy as I'm right-handed. I found it quite difficult to do the other side and ended up poking myself in the eye with the bristles. I made sure to blend the blush into my skin with both swirling and tapping motions, and when I put down my hand, I was actually really surprised by the result.

Thanks to the hand placement, it's virtually impossible to apply blush too low down. Instead you're encouraged to blend it upwards towards your temples and to concentrate on the apples of your cheeks. This hack hoisted up my cheekbones and gave me that 'snatched' look, which makeup artists often use face tape to create (all without the uncomfortable, stretched skin).

One thing I've learned from the makeup artists I've spoken to is that all powder makeup (that goes for translucent powder, bronzer, eyeshadow and blush) should be gently tapped off the brush before you apply it to your face. This is to avoid an unsightly splodge of colour where your brush lands first. My only issue with this hack is that if you're wearing base makeup like me, it's a good idea to be soft when you put your hand to your face. In concentrating on my application, I pressed a bit too hard and shifted my foundation so had to go back over it at the end.

While this works a treat with powder blush, I wanted to try it with my favourite liquid version (Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Hope, $34). I dotted a little on the apple of my cheek and made the right angle with my hand, then used a dense foundation brush (NYX Professional Makeup Total Control Foundation Brush, $26.99) to press the product into the space. Again, the hand placement allowed me to blend the blush up to my temple really easily for an elevated look. However, it did transfer onto my fingers so your best bet is sticking to powder.

I love Jones Road The Best Blush, which is incredibly pigmented and goes a very long way, as well as VIEVE Sunset Blush, if you like your makeup matte. In Australia, you could try the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge, $58, the Laura Mercier Blush Infusion matte formulation, $51, or Huda Beauty Glowish Cheeky Vegan Blush Powder, $31, which boasts a slight shimmer so that you can ditch the highlighter. If you have less to spend, you won't be disappointed with Morphe Perk Up Cheek & Lip Colour, $18.

Unlike plenty of other TikTok hacks, like nail slugging for brittle nails or skin flooding for dry winter skin, this hack doesn't require you to spend any money on extra products — provided you already have a favourite blush. For that reason, this one gets a big thumbs up and I'll be practising it every time I do my makeup.