COLOUR POP

How has the humble blush become the MVP of all make-up looks?

- KONIKA DATTA

It happened slowly - but prominently. One day, we were all up about edgy, bold make-up, and somehow, looking 'sunkissed' took over. Don't get us wrong - we know 'bold' will never go out of style, but there's something about clean, blushy skin that makes one look like they're in the pink of health (pun intended).

"I have always been a blush baby.

I will not wear lipstick, but I will never leave my house without a  blush because it instantly makes me look healthier and feel prettier," says Namrata Soni, celebrity make-up artist and founder of Simply Nam.

The category is now experiencing a resurgence that has transformed the idea of what we knew as a 'blush', making traditional powder blushes a thing of the past. With innovation and playfulness driving today's industry, this particular product category is soaring higher in popularity than ever before. In fact, according to the NPD Group, blush sales increased 39 per cent over 2021, and fintech company Klarna reported that cream blush purchases increased 89 per cent, while powder purchases were at 37 per cent from 2020 to 2022.

NEW ON ALL FRONTS

We went from having talc-based blushes to unlocking a whole world of formulas and textures within the span of a few years.

One such recent example is Milk Makeup's viral blush stain, which features a bouncy jelly texture that leaves behind a watercolor finish.

Youthforia's pH-activated blush oil, whose green liquid formula turns pink when applied to cheeks, also exemplifies the modernisation of the blush landscape. But the one whose launch skyrocketed the demand for this category is Rare Beauty's  ultra-pigmented liquid blush. In 2022, the brand sold around $70 million worth of this blush alone.