Are You Making This Surprisingly Common Blush Mistake? What To Do Instead

Imagine: You're peering into the mirror, blush in hand, ready to sweep on the pigment for that oft-mentioned healthy glow. You smile so the pigment hits the points where you naturally flush, and you tap it onto those supple circles. You relax—and you move on with your makeup routine, with your day, with your life. 

But wait! According to makeup artist Alexandra Compton, product development manager at clean beauty retailer Credo, you shouldn't actually smile while applying blush. Oh.

While blush placement differs for everyone, the smile can be a bit misleading. See, smiling lifts the apples of your cheeks and helps them form into plump, perky rounds—which is helpful for knowing where you naturally turn rosy, sure, but those apples sink back to their resting place as soon as you relax. 

As a result, "Your blush placement will actually be lower with a straight face," Compton notes, which can create the illusion of sagging. Rather, when you apply your blush with a relaxed face, you'll know exactly where to plant it to achieve that lifted, lit-from-within glow, sans grin. 

Plus, Compton adds, applying blush on a relaxed face can keep the formula from settling into any creases. Again, because smiling lifts the cheeks, the pigment on the edge of your apples can nestle into fine lines once they lower back down.