A Makeup Artist's Hack To DIY Your Own Cream Blush For Just The Right Glow
At the risk of sounding dramatic, there's nothing you can't do with a cream blush. Glide it across your cheekbones for a dewy flush, press it into your pout for a rosy lip tint, tap it on your lids for a low-lift eye look—it's truly one of the most versatile beauty buys. (And here are our favorites, in case you're curious.)
But if you don't own a cream blusher at the moment, celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes says have no fear: Just make your own. She shares a quick and easy DIY formula over TikTok, and it requires two ingredients you may already keep within arm's reach.
A DIY hack to make your own cream blush.
Grab your favorite foundation or concealer and liquid lipstick (like this cherry red from Johnny Concert). Then simply turn your palm into a palette: "Apply a little foundation to the palm of your hand," says Hughes, and "swipe some liquid lipstick right next door." Mix the two together with your fingertip, and it should swirl into a nice, slightly muted shade (so if you're using the aforementioned cherry red, the foundation transforms it into more of a dusty rose).
Then apply it onto your cheeks (or lids, or lips, or hairline, or everywhere) and tap with your fingertips to blend. It's really that simple, and it also allows you to repurpose your favorite lip color—ever loved a lipstick shade so dearly that you want to stamp it all over your face? Well, you can either apply the lip color directly onto your cheeks (another classic trick makeup artists love), or you can mix it with a complexion product to make it even more creamy.
Plus, you can customize this DIY blush depending on the look you want to achieve (whether you're in the mood for a bold, highly pigmented look or more of a natural glow). Says Hughes, “Squirt [more] foundation if you want it to be a little less bright." Or you can add more lip color if you want to increase the vibrancy—you get the idea.
The takeaway.
If you're gunning for the fresh, dewy glow only a cream blush can bring, you can always create your own confection with foundation (or concealer) and a bit of liquid lipstick. Not only does it work in a pinch, but it's easy to customize it to your perfect shade—chances are, the DIY blush hack may just become your newest staple.
Jamie Schneider is the Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and more. In her role at mbg, she reports on everything from the top beauty industry trends, to the gut-skin connection and the microbiome, to the latest expert makeup hacks. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.