Blush Blindness 101
Whether it’s a light red shade that contrasts my fair skin during the colder months, or a toasty maroon that I add across the bridge of my nose to give me the “sun-burnt” look – I love wearing blush. It’s the part of my make-up ritual that I look forward to the most, and one that I never leave the house without doing. While it’s not a new trend, how the beauty community thinks about blush has drastically changed over the past couple of years.
For one thing, it’s not just a powder anymore! We have Milk’s jelly tints and Glossier’s cloud paints; both which alter the ways in which we apply, and imagine blush. Thus, when the trend of blush blindness came to be, it was no surprise. The range and accessibility to beauty’s best accessory (in my opinion), skyrocketed. But what is blush blindness? How does it happen? What is its social significance and if we have it, what can we do about it?
What is blush blindness?
Blush blindness is a beauty phenomenon that happens when someone wears too much blush and can’t tell. I know, it sounds so silly, but remember when you were in your early teens trying to do winged eyeliner and kept on adding more to each eye to even them out? Blush blindness is like that, except we can’t tell once we’ve used too much. Don’t get me wrong, blush blindness is not a bad thing. Celebrities such as Sabrina Carpenter are advocates of wearing “too much” blush. In beauty, there are no rules. That being said, in order to understand what it is, and what to do about it, we must first understand why we enjoy wearing blush in the first place.
Blushing is a (beauty) tool in evolution
If we were to look at blush from an evolutionary standpoint, blushing is a natural sign of blood flow, and could be an indicator of fertility. While it’s also associated with emotions such as embarrassment or shyness, it can be a social cue for arousal or attraction. Mimicking a natural flushed look with makeup products can therefore be viewed as signalling to the opposite sex that we’re capable, and ready, to produce kin. I know, not the sexy answer you were thinking of. But that’s why adding a bit of colour to the right places can leave us looking more vibrant and youthful. However, let the record show that I wear blush for me!
How do we become blush blind?
As mentioned earlier, blush blindness is when someone wears too much blush and can’t tell. This means they’ve become accustomed to the amount they’re wearing, making it hard to gauge how much they’ve used. Neurologically, the photoreceptor cells that are responsible for receiving colour information become desensitized. Becoming less sensitive to colour makes it harder for your brain to process the small changes in pigment as you add more product. Hence, someone with blush blindness will wear more than the “normal” amount of blush.
I will admit, in the context of blush blindness, this hasn’t been scientifically proven. I’m just connecting the dots on the phenomenon itself, with what I know about how we process colour. Which leads me to my last question: what do we do about it?
What to do if you have blush blindness
If you can tell you have blush blindness (or if someone tells you), one option to do is nothing. Again, beauty has no rules. If you enjoy wearing a lot of blush, go for it. If you want to re-accustom your eyes to processing how much blush you’re using and become less “blind” to it, you can add different colours to your ritual. Rotating blush colours means you can give your eyes a rest from looking at the same pigment every time. Another option is to try your best to use a small amount of product, wait a bit, and come back to looking at your face with a fresh set of eyes. Adding product in smaller doses means having more control over your usage (and could also save you money).
Stop, you’re making me blush
One question I don’t have the answer to is why. Why is blush blindness a thing? Why is it happening now? Is it related to any of the social or neurological explanations mentioned earlier? In an era of heightened accessibility to each other through social apps, is “mating” harder than it was before? Is wearing more blush a direct correlation to wanting to appear more fertile? Is blush blindness the new survival of the fittest? While I may not have the answers to these very important, burning questions, one thing I do know is that I love wearing blush.
The colour of blush I use is a direct indication of how I’m feeling that day. Cheeky and cute? I’ll go with a hazy purple. Fun and flirty? A mix of pink and red. Confident and mysterious? I’ll most definitely opt for a toasty maroon. And maybe that’s the only thing that matters. Whether we have blush blindness, or don’t use blush at all, the essence of beauty is how we express ourselves. As long as we are being authentic, we can never go wrong. Stop, you’re making me blush.
Related reading: Our Charlotte Tilbury review · Skincare and makeup tips that changed everything
Written by Felicia Chiappetta
About Felicia
Felicia Chiappetta is a published journalist and movement artist originally from Toronto, Canada. She currently resides in London, UK, pursuing dance and the creative arts. Her on-screen credits include A24, Netflix, Warner Brothers, Disney, Paramount+, London Fashion Week, BBC and The CW Network. She holds a BSc. in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour and a Masters in Journalism; having her works published in local newspapers across Vancouver’s Lower Mainland. She is also the editorial director of 8 Magazine; an arts platform that uplifts Canadian artists in the entertainment industry.
Here’s a link to Felicia’s website!
