How to Apply Blush on Mature Skin, According to a Celebrity Makeup Artist

Over time, the bloom goes off any rose—luckily, cheeks have options. The best blush for mature skin should melt seamlessly into the complexion, livening the face with a healthy flush that doesn’t settle into fine lines, or appear to come from a compact or tube at all. To make a wash of cream, liquid, or powder color look all the more natural, Westman Atelier co-founder and creative director Gucci Westman has a few tips that are guaranteed to make you blush. Read them all below.

Our Top Picks

• The Editor’s Pick: Chanel Joues Contraste, $52
• Best Cream Blush: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks, $48
• Best for a Second-Skin Flush: Merit Beauty Flush Balm, $32
• Best Powder Blush: Jones Road Beauty The Best Blush, $28
• Best Multipurpose Blush: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek Lip & Cheek Color, $36
• Best for Dry Skin: Ilia Multi-Stick, $36
• Best for Sensitive Skin: Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm, $29
• Best for a Soft-Focus Glow: Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush, $42

In This Article

• Should you use cream or powder blush on mature skin?
• What color blush is best for mature skin?
• Where should you apply blush for mature skin?
• Meet the experts

Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks

• Why we love it: Westman designed Baby Cheeks in such a way that color would appear to be radiating from within the skin, rather than sitting on top of it. The innovative blush harnesses biomimicry pigment technology to bring this healthy glow to life; it also hydrates and detoxifies the skin with vitamins C and E, and kaolin clay in the formula.
• Key ingredients: Biomimicry pigment technology, organic jojoba oil, Vitis Vita grape extract, kaolin clay, vitamins C and E, Berryflux Vita extract
• Shades: 9
• Type: Cream

Merit Beauty Flush Balm

• Why we love it: Remember the “sunburn blush” trend Hailey Bieber set off two years ago? This creamy balm—which imparts a transparent wash of color that makes the cheeks appear naturally flushed—was responsible for the look that French makeup artist Violette previously told Vogue “encompasses the spirit of summer.”
• Key ingredients: Vitamin E, oxtyldodecanol, hydrogenated polyisobutene
• Shades: 8
• Type: Cream

Jones Road Beauty The Best Blush

• Why we love it: This silky powder formulation melts into the skin to provide a lit-from-within flush, which you can admire all day. All the pinky hues come in a mirrored compact for blush touch-ups on the go.
• Key ingredients: Mica, synthetic fluorphlogophite, magnesium, myristate
• Shades: 5
• Type: Powder

RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek Lip & Cheek Color

• Why we love it: Infused with natural butter and oil, the multitasking formulation gives lips and cheeks a subtle pop of color. RMS Beauty founder Rose-Marie Swift previously told Vogue: “Cream blush is fabulous for mature skin. It adds hydrating color to make the skin look more youthful.”
• Key ingredients: Wildcrafted buriti oil, shea butter, organic cocoa seed butter
• Shades: 5
• Type: Cream

Ilia Multi-Stick

• Why we love it: The creamy color on this multitasker sinks into the skin on contact, leaving cheeks and lips with a luminous glow. What’s more, it’s packed with nourishing ingredients such as avocado oil, shea butter, and orange peel wax to soften the skin while giving it a boost of antioxidants.
• Key ingredients: Shea butter, avocado oil, orange peel wax
• Shades: 12
• Type: Cream

Chanel Joues Contraste

• Why we love it: The iconic blush sweeps easily over the skin, reviving the cheeks with a pop of color. Its subtle rose scent is an added perk, as is the brush that comes with it.
• Key ingredients: Talc, cellulose, silica, synthetic fluorphlogopite
• Shades: 12
• Type: Powder

Guerlain Terracotta Powder Blush

• Why we love it: Light as gossamer but long-lasting, Guerlain’s buildable blush peps the cheeks up with a natural-looking flush. What’s more, it’s infused with argan oil for a silky, comfortable feeling on the skin.
• Key ingredients: Argan oil, mica, lauroyl lysine
• Shades: 6
• Type: Powder

Clé de Peau Beauté Cream Blush

• Why we love it: Moisturizing and radiance-boosting thanks to hyaluronic acid and reflective micas in the formula, this creamy blush can be swiped on lightly for a subtle flush or layered for a contoured look. Fragranced with the brand’s signature scent, it tops off color with a whiff of rose.
• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, mica
• Shades: 3
• Type: Cream

Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm

• Why we love it: A staple in Padma Lakshmi’s kit, this oil-free, allergy-tested blush imparts a sheer, long-wearing glow. Easy to stash in a purse or beach bag, the stick swivels up so no sharpening is required—nor is a brush. The product blends seamlessly into the skin with the pat of a finger.
• Key ingredients: Isodecyl isononate, polyethylene,
• Shades: 4
• Type: Cream

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush

• Why we love it: The two-step application process starts with a swish of color across the cheekbones; then, a touch of luminous color on the apples adds a lit-from-within touch. One would expect no less from Tilbury, the doyenne of soft-focus glow.
• Key ingredients: Talc, mica, isononyl isononanoate, rice starch
• Shades: 6
• Type: Powder

Gucci Luminous Matte Beauty Blush

• Why we love it: Infused with hydrating ingredients, this featherweight blush brings dewy color to cheeks and eyes. Its display-worthy compact, decked with gilded stars, makes it all the more appealing.
• Key ingredients: Shea butter, hyaluronic acid, black rose oil
• Shades: 9
• Type: Powder

Monika Blunder Liquid Flush Cheek Tint Blush

• Why we love it: Featured in Kate Hudson’s Beauty Secrets, this liquid blush is formulated with a blend of Austrian botanicals—Arnica flower extract, edelweiss extract, safflower oil—to revives skin with a sunkissed glow, as if indeed, you’ve just returned from wildcrafting in the sun.
• Key ingredients:, C10-18 triglycerides, caprylic/capric triglyceride
• Shades: 4
• Type: Liquid

Saie Dew Blush

• Why we love it: One of the best liquid blushes we’ve tested—it’s formulated with mulberry and licorice root extract to brighten the skin, and glycerin to keep it supple and moisturized—Saie’s liquid blush lives up to its name. It leaves behind a dewy flush and melts into the skin for an unfussy, what, this old radiance? effect.
• Key ingredients: Elderberry fruit extract, licorice root extract, plant-derived glycerin
• Shades: 8
• Type: Liquid

When it comes to selecting powder or cream, “it depends on the level of maturity of the skin, but it’s in the application technique,” Westman says. “If you’ve created a radiant finish using foundation, then you can absolutely either use a powder or a cream blush. It really all depends on the skin’s finish and the preparation you used.”

Jenny Patinkin, a makeup artist and the founder of Jenny Patinkin Eco-Luxe tools, says: “I generally think that liquid or cream blush is better for mature—or ‘lived-in’ skin as I like to call it—because it has a reflective appearance, even if it’s formulated without any shimmer. A reflected bounce of light off of skin that has started to thin or droop can create the illusion of a smoother, more glowy appearance. Not to mention that as skin ages it doesn't retain moisture as well, so liquid or cream blushes can also give the appearance of being more hydrated and plump.”

As for powder blush, Patinkin doesn’t generally recommend it for everyday wear on mature skin. “Powder blush formulated with shimmer can give the same effect of making the skin appear more glowy and fresh, but that’s mostly when you view it either on camera or from a distance,” she says. “Close up, powder blush with shimmer can settle into fine lines and pores, which can make them appear more pronounced.”

Westman adds a caveat: Powder blush can work on mature skin types, but only if the skin has been properly prepped—and that’s particularly true for those with moisture loss. “If your skin is very dry to the touch, you would need to add some sort of radiance, whether that be from your moisturizer or a skin enhancer, to ensure the skin feels a bit more alive,” she says. “If skin is prepped, it will ensure the products are blending seamlessly together for a softer finish.” That soft finish is key to Westman’s general makeup philosophy for aging skin. “Less is more, especially with mature skin,” she notes. “You don’t want to overdo it.”

Though the best blush color will vary by skin tone, Westman cautions that mature skin types prone to redness don’t should steer clear of pinks. “You won’t want to add more pink or red shades,” she says. “If there are any sort of discolorations on the skin, you’d want to offset that. Generally speaking, I would suggest bronzy, taupe, and/or tawny shades.” Not only can these hues complement one’s natural skin tone—as someone very dear to Westman can attest, peach and bronze hues also have a contouring effect that can enhance facial features in a flattering way. “My mother looks much better with a peachy bronzy blush that follows her cheekbone, since she has more of a round face,” she says. (Her mother’s blush of choice? It’s actually Westman Atelier’s tinted highlighter, Super Loaded, in Peau de Pêche.)

“Your face changes a lot as you age,” Westman notes. “If your face is rounder, I would suggest creating more definition and shape. If it’s hollower, you’d want to create a softer, oval application.” To achieve this, Westman recommends putting the edge of a blender brush directly under the cheekbone, then using the brush to follow the cheekbone’s natural curvature, while creating a horizontal oval. “Sort of like how you do contour, but make it soft for a rounder face,” she says. “This gives you warmth, radiance, and definition all in one.”

Celebrity makeup artist Mia Hawkswell whose worked with Pamela Anderson and Rose Byrne also previously told Vogue that the classic application technique of applying blush on the apples of your cheeks doesn’t work as well after a certain point, as the apple “has fallen.” Haskell’s top tip? Instead of placing the product where you normally would, she suggests applying it under the eye, on the top of the cheekbones, and close to your contour if you use it. Then, she says, use a brush to blend the blusher upwards towards your temples.

• Gucci Westman is the co-founder and creative director of Westman Atelier and a celebrity makeup artist for the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anne Hathaway.
• Jenny Patinkin is a makeup artist and the founder of Jenny Patinkin Eco-Luxe Beauty Tools.