Colour that looks like it came from you

Look at your cheeks after a brisk walk, because that colour is the one that will always look like it belongs to you. Cool and pink flush goes to Angelic Splash or Matte Berry. Warm and peachy goes to Apricot Swirl or Peach Frost. Golden and coral goes to Guava Swirl or Ginger Splash. If you are between two, take the softer one. Blush is easier to build than to lift.

Placement changes your face more than the shade does. Start slightly out from the apple of your cheek and sweep upward toward your temple, so the colour lifts rather than rounds. Smile to find the apple, then let the smile go before you apply, or the colour will sit low once your face relaxes. Keep it off the very centre of your cheek unless you want it to read as round.

Matte Berry is the only true matte and it is the one to reach for if your skin is already luminous or if you are photographing under bright light. The swirls carry a fine shimmer through them rather than glitter, which reads as a healthy sheen rather than sparkle. On mature or textured skin, a soft shimmer usually looks kinder than a flat matte, because matte finds every line.

Not with a dry brush and a tapped off load. Baked colour looks intense in the pan because the pigment is concentrated, and that is what makes one compact last so long. One light pass gives a flush. Two gives colour. Use a soft, rounded brush rather than the dense one that came with your foundation, and the first pass will always be light.

These are the same mineral bases as everything else we make. No talc, no bismuth oxychloride and no synthetic dye. If your cheeks are the part of your face that flares, a soft matte or a satin sheen will usually sit better than a strong shimmer over active redness. Write to me if you would like a shade picked for reactive skin and I will do it for you.