It is OK to blush, but use a light touch

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A little blush goes a long way. Photo photl.com
A little blush goes a long way. Photo photl.com

by Samantha CritchellAP Fashion Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - It was the eyes, then the lips. Now, the beauty world is homing in on the cheeks.

``I think this look is a big drink of water,'' says Benefit co-founder Jean Ford. After so many seasons of smoky eyes and bright lips, this is a refreshing change that really embraces a warm-weather spirit, she says.

Color is the spring buzzword, says Pati Dubroff, celebrity beauty artist for Clarins, so no more playing it safe on the cheeks.

A little blush goes a long way, however, so makeup experts note that women might need a refresher course in application, color choices and what to do with the rest of their face.

``A pop of bright blush is totally doable and can look very pretty when done right,'' says Dubroff. She applies that pop right on the apples of cheeks.

Where is the apple?

It's the highest point of your cheek, which is easiest to find if you smile with a closed mouth, explains Laura Mercier global artistry director Matin Maulawizada. Concentrate the color there.

``Look at a baby's face. You can see their apple very easily, mimic that,'' Maulawizada says. ``As you get older, you'll have redness in places you don't want, so don't use that as a guideline.''

On photo shoots, he'll sometimes put blush in the hollow area below the apple, but that's not for everyday life, Maulawizada says.

Nars national makeup artist Francelle Daly found a spot between the apple and the hollow for the models walking in the spring Marc Jacobs show. She liked the result. It looked like the models were blushing,'she says but that took some trial and error. ``As you experiment with color on your cheeks, it becomes easier.''

To choose a color that works for your skin tone, work in the palette that you already use _ maybe you prefer pinks, corals or peaches and then choose a shade or two brighter for blush. Maulawizada suggests pushing your index finger against your thumb. It'll turn red, and that red is your red. It could be a warm or cool shade depending on your coloring. And you can go lighter or darker with the blush, but that's your range to work with.

Apply makeup like a pro

_If using a powder blush, fill your brush with color dipping both sides in and then blow off any excess, says Benefit's Ford. Apply it moving in gentle strokes upward outward toward the hairline.

_Women who pull out their brushes and drag them back and forth under their cheekbones end up with a very `80s look - too `80s.

_Work with creams because they blend well, especially as they warm up next to the skin. She finds them an easy building block, too if you also wear foundation or tinted moisturizer. You can even mix the cheek color with foundation or moisturizer.

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