Cheek Challenge Fall 2024: Fall Flushing Forward

[danielledanielle]

HELLLLLOOOO HELLO 👋🏽 my Cheeky Coquettes!  It's the Awesome Autumn Advent of the cheek challenge.  We're again, choosing our own adventure.  I'm calling this one ..Fall Flushing Forward!

This is where I encourage you to lean into your blush blindness by using a product you thought you could never use or can't figure out.  But, fear not we're still mixing it up mediums and technique wise, but with the seasonal spin.

"But danielledanielle I want inspo and not just options"

I got you, I goottttt youuuuu.

I have kept the suggestions and descriptions below, and added a few updates!   BUT, I still encourage everyone to choose what they like, you don't even have to go in order. Want to be bronzy STILL? Be about the bronze ‌🥉‌ ‌😎‌ and apply it in any and every method.  Want to stick to your tried and true, check out vibrant...... Or, wanna take something that didn't wow you?  Check out the prompt Tried and Through take 2.

I woke up (blonzed)** like this aka Blush and Bronzer  (Sephora 22-28; Fall Equinox is 22nd)

Spoiler

Yet, another  old/new thing IMO. Placement of blush matters. The idea is to get that snatched face - it still looks like you've been in the sun but less - you're applying product to apples of cheeks, temples and nose bridge like before, however use bronzer or a blush that warms you up.  Again, for myself, I go upward and towards my eyes to avoid looking heavy and out of preference skip the nose bridge unless I'm using an actual matte bronzer. I love NARS Laguna Talc-Free Bronzer Powder , the predecessor with Ami Colé Desert Date Cream Blush & Lip Multistick Dune for this

BOYFRIEND BLUSH
Tomboy Blush (Sep 29-Oct 5th)

Spoiler

Shout out to Patrick  Ta's first NYFW, where he penned this.  I think this is another tik tok thing that is only a thing on tik tok 🤷🏽‍♀️, but it's on par with current gen z styles: glowy skin, little to no eyes makeup and a simple lip.  Much like boyfriend blush, but the idea is to achieve a healthy flush, so the blush is the main focus once your complexion is applied.  Patrick uses the creme over powder method for that extra dewy look.  So of course, PATRICK TA Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo highly recommended.  A lash curler also makes an appearance as well as his PATRICK TA Major Glow Balm , but I am going to sub in Ami Colé Light-Catching Highlighter Balm Glaze or PAT McGRATH LABS Skin Fetish Highlighter & Balm Duo for that

Tools suggested: PATRICK TA Dual Ended Blush Brush , PATRICK TA Precision Dual Ended Sculpting Brush , Beautyblender ORIGINAL Beautyblender Makeup Sponge Original 

 Glazed Cheeks AKA Blushlights (Oct 6-12th)

Spoiler

This is mixing a liquid blush and liquid highlight for dewy glow. If you have a pearlescent product, your essentially creating a blushlight. Rare Beauty's liquid blush, highlighter and blush brush are PERFECT for this.

Vibrant or Tried and Through, Take 2- one and done (October 13-19th)

Spoiler

With the onslaught of dewy blushes, ‌‌🙌🏽‌‌‌‌🙌🏽‌‌, a bold color is both a statement on its own and evokes feelings of summer. Use fingers to tap, or go in with a brush of choice. Half Magic's Baby Paw Blush blush or something similar (angled, dense not not tightly packed) recommended.

OR, that blush not  blushing right with you?  Try using that blush in a new way.  Powder lipstick ? Color corrector? Eyeshadow/eyeliner?  Make the unworkable werkkkkkkk

(If using on the eye, make sure it's eye safe)

Fenty's Powder blushes didn't do it for me initially, but some setting it for glazed cheek applications and as eyeshadow for a 90s vibe, YESSSSS

Fall Foliage Face AKA Sunset Blush for the season (Oct 20-26th)

Spoiler

This is what I call layering blush and highlight, or what Wayne Goss called the cloud burst look. What's old is new again 🤷🏽‍‌♀️‌. Using colors of sunset ( this time go for orange, brown, red and gold) create an ombre effect that mimics t the e change of seasons (in applicable areas). You want the highlighter as the outmost color and your horizon as the deep/pop color. I think fan brushes are super helpful here, they can layer the highlight and help with the blends.  This is a rework of previous year's Fierce Foliage.

Blontour**, the cooler the better (Oct 27-Nov 3rd)

Spoiler

This is inspo from Dior with their Fall makeover refresh class in August.  They used DIOR Rosy Glow Blush 020 Mahogany  for this look, but any blush that you can build up can do, but I would stick with a cool one.  NARS Talc-Free Powder Blush Dolce Vita – 888  works well for me for this, but I would say stick with matte vs shimmer.  The blush placement is definitely dependent on your face shape, I suggest tilting your head to see where your shadows fall and use a small blush to help shape your face until you feel snatched.  Posted/posting a walkthrough with screenshots from Dior in 🏫🎓BIC University 🎓🏫 

**Side quest:

Spoiler

for both blonzer and blontour.. Use the blush or bronzer for a contoured eye look, too.  It's one and done, "but make it blush"

Hottie Toddies! November 4-10th

Spoiler

This is my fave from last year's challenge,   Warm me up with a smoky look, brown\based blushes, smoky eyes and monochrome welcomed!  Add some shimmer for the upcoming holidays.

Methods:
"Diffuse the doozy" aka blend with color
Instead of a blush brush, use a tapered brush with a highlighter or a lighter color blush to blend out the stronger/pigmented one. If using liquid products, see Glazed Cheeks.  The idea is to system harsh edges with a lighter blush.

Update - Diffuse the Doozy when color on color

Spoiler

Use two blushes with the lighter blush placed closer to your nose and the deeper towards your ear.  Use your complexion tool (sponge or brush) WITH your leftover complexion product to marry/blend the lighter blush and bring it in further without too much color or harshness, IMO

It's a lighter diffused look than boyfriend blush, but it mimics that flushed look

Brush Army

Use multiple brushes in your application. Think powder, fans, tapered, stippling. Go beyond your favorite blush brush or use this as rationale to get new brushes, just sayin'


Bounce, bounce bounce

You guessed...it sponges. Do you go for the beloved #Beautyblender ORIGINAL Beautyblender Makeup Sponge Original #Beautyblender ORIGINAL Beautyblender Makeup Sponge Original #or something else? Bounce to it


All Hands on Deck
Fingers are nature's brushes, and nothing blends better than the warmth of your hand.

Side Quest:
Apply blush to the back of your hand, then press or "stamp" to your face and blend out with your fingers.     I haven't tried it yet, but saw a comment on Reddit about this.  I usually tap out blush with my two fingers (index and middle), but this seems interesting ‌🤔‌

Pressed, but never stressed
This is inspo @furbie when she asked what a powder puff was for. I think I said for powders, but I never considered using it for other powders (blush, highlighter) until then. This takes something baked like #Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Demi'Glow Light-Diffusing Highlighter #Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Demi'Glow Light-Diffusing Highlighter # to next level space shine ‌🌟‌‌🌌‌🌟‌

Double Dip with optional swirl

This is @sister13 's technique where she so kindly let me name it with this level of ridiculousness I like to do.  This works really well with bold, complimentry colors (color theory y'all), the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter duos are great for this as well as the highlights.  The optional "swirl" sister used can involve tapping both colors in a flipping the blush, or a general swipe while blending, which can make bold colors and little more uniform
She used SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Powder Brush #50  for the Killawatt, namely mimosa sunrise

Photo cred STABILO, GIPHY

[PDXXXX]

Thank you @Titian06 ! I hope your day is going well 🙂

[itsfi]

Ah-ha! After a misstep on my part with grasping blontour - the concept, and with the help of Blontour 101 at BIC University, I've got a blush that should work for blontouring and a helpful map of how to go about it. Thank you, Professor @danielledanielle!

The Tools: 

Stila Convertible Color (Forget Me Not), a rose brown cream blush. In the photo, it leans more brown than it does in real life. The red hues in this one have a dusty bordeaux tint to it. The "blended" out swatch is also more brown than IRL where the red tones gives it that very faint sunburnt quality - this is a good thing for my skintone when I look for bronzers so I'm happy with this shade choice.  

Off to start my day and will be back to share how this blontour work performed over the course of the day. 

[lmaster]

That's a gorgeous blush shade @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Thank you @lmaster; I wish they still made this shade. 

[itsfi]

Blontouring Update

This went pretty well. I agree with @PDXXXX that this gives a nice lifted look. 

I used Stila Convertible Color Forget Me Not (discontinued), applying product to the area just under my cheekbones, from the top part of my ear to the area on my cheeks that line up with the outer end of my brows. When I first started contouring, I would take an eyeliner or eyeshadow brush with a pointed tip, pick up product and then use the brush to dot the product on the part of my cheek where the contour product needed to end. That's now sorta become a habit for me. I'm not great at eyeballing that so I take another brush, place it on the outer end of my brow, pointing it straight down and then dot where it lines up on my cheeks.

Then I applied the blush onto my cheeks with my fingers, then blend, blend, blend. I also applied some products to my temples and blended that out. I had set aside two brushes - Otis Batterbee Mini Angled Contour Brush  and the SEPHORA COLLECTION Essential Brush - 04 Cheek - I prefer the Otis Batterbee brush though the SC Essential 04 did a really  nice job of blending out the color along my temples. 

Link to @danielledanielle's post on BIC University for blontouring - BIC University 🎓🏫 - Blontouring Tips & Tricks 

[PDXXXX]

@itsfi Your photo gives such a cozy, fall feeling - I love it. Thank you for the placement tips you gave. And add me to the list of people who love the Stilla Convertible Color! I'm glad you still have some of that shade left.

[itsfi]

The Stila Convertible Colors are so good @PDXXXX. 😃 I hoarded a few backups and now I’m of the mindset that I should use them.

[danielledanielle]

Hurray, "third"ing that blontour gives you that lifted look @itsfi 

Ugh, stila convertible color 🥲.  I just decluttered one last year, but I think it was still good, which blew my mind. (
What a great use for blontour, and I'm going to pretend I didn't see that blush brush rec.)

Stila liner and.... Ugh, Cargo glosses.... Those were my girlllllssss

[itsfi]

I know!! I miss some of the Stila goodies and the whimsy of their OG packaging,  @danielledanielle. 😔 I was surprised these are still good. I tossed a couple of ones that I had opened a while ago though I suspect I probably could have salvaged them. I’ll be sad when it’s time to let these go, whether because I used it up (wishful thinking on my part) or it’s time to declutter. 

[PDXXXX]

Sorry me again 😂 This is my second attempt at blontour this time using Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Stick Petal . I'm still digging ways to bring this up into the eye and thought I'd try to make it pop with contrasting warm tones from PATRICK TA Major Dimension III Matte Eyeshadow Palette and Colourpop Got Me Beaming Highlighter palette. And, yes of course this was my entire reason for pulling out my pink sweater.

[lmaster]

Fantastic look! @PDXXXX 

[PDXXXX]

Thank you so much @lmaster !

[danielledanielle]

@PDXXXX.... Homg, you AGAIN!  😂 Your intro... Anyhow, you look like a doll!

[peculiarzmakeup]

Gorgeous blontour look! Really love the placement as well! Such a cozy pink sweater too! Very beautiful! 💕 @PDXXXX 

[Titian06]

This look is beautiful, @PDXXXX ! 💞

[PDXXXX]

@Titian06 thank you, Lady!

[danielledanielle]

Just posted a photo walkthrough of blontour in case anyone is interested in my 🏫🎓BIC University 🎓🏫 thread

[PDXXXX]

I thought I'd share my Blontour fail today in case others want to learn from what I did (or didn't do). This is my attempt using Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush Whim topped with Jones Road Beauty Peachy (a powder blush). It's amazing how much blush it took to not look like I'm wearing blush:

First I want to share an article I found with some great blontour looks and tips: https://www.glamour.com/story/contour-blush-draping

In my case, my biggest fail I think was using a liquid as opposed to cream blush. A cream blush would have been SO MUCH BETTER.

Regardless of color payoff, two things I did like and learn from this, (1) it really does lift, and (2) bringing it up into your eye socket is a really fun way to play with a gradient eye look (I pulled my blush up to my outer eyes all the way to the brow, went over my lid with Jones Road Just a Sec cream shadow in Golden Peach and then used the darkest shade of the old Smashbox contour palette that was a trio of shades).

I am really looking forward to seeing how others make this work. It's a look I'm so into but I definitely will need some help to pull it off!

[peculiarzmakeup]

Lovely blontour look, I think it looks amazing I like how you assessed what works and what doesn’t for you I love that about these challenges I always am learning! Thanks for sharing the link and I’m looking forward to trying this 🫶 @PDXXXX 

[Titian06]

I think your blush looks great, @PDXXXX ! 😍  It may not be what you had envisioned, but that doesn't mean it was a fail.  Ask me how I know! 😁

The details you provided and the article are sooo helpful.  I did not understand blontour at all.  I even Googled it and came up with nothing (very unusual).  My try at this wasn't even close.  Now I know what to do on my next attempt!  Thanks! 😘

[PDXXXX]

@Titian06 I'm glad I'm not the only one who has more to learn on this one! It seemed like it would be one of the easier challenges and it was so challenging for me! I love the look though so it was super cool to learn about and I'm looking forward trying again. I hope you try it too and share if you find some tweaks that make it work from you if you get it down!