The TikTok-Viral Heavy Blush Trend Is Everywhere Now
If you have been scrolling through your FYP this past year, you have probably noticed the uptick of celebrities, creators, and online beauty gurus experimenting with the TikTok-viral heavy blush makeup trend.
As we have been ushered into an overwhelming fashion era of hyper-specific core aesthetics such as fairy grunge core, cottagecore and prairie dressing, regencycore, and the hot pink style of the summer, Barbiecore, countless subcultured core styles have been blowing up our feeds. Now, the same could be said for the various makeup trends that are capitalizing TikTok scrolling space such as the anti-mascara trend, blush nails, or even the under-eye liquid blush hack, amongst dozens of other viral beauty hacks.
Beauty guru Helin Doski shares with Teen Vogue, “The heavy blush trend essentially consists of applying a pronounced amount of blush typically along the cheeks and may extend to the temples, forehead, nose, and chin.” Doski pinpoints the rise in popularity and says, “Back in 2016, it was all about contour and highlighter. In the past few years, we have seen a shift in the amount of everyday people and content creators [who] use blush.”
The upswing in heavy blush application also corresponds with the growing craze in using liquid blush all over the face, Doski continues, “I think this is also evidenced by the number of makeup brands which have focused on producing blush products; for example, the Rare Beauty Blush, which I would say was the brand’s first viral product.” Celebrities known to recently tout the heavy blush aesthetic include Dove Cameron, Charithra Chandran, Dixie D’Amelio, HyunA, and Dawn.
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People have been going beyond traditional blush placement for a while. A prime example is the “sunburn blush” trend which applies blush in places like the tip of the nose. Blush is going everywhere unexpectedly including places such as the forehead, temples, chin and even being used on eyelids. Doski adds, “However, what is interesting is that the heavy blush trend is not limited to ‘natural’ aesthetics. For example, this can also be seen in ‘Emo girl’ makeup which tend to have heavy eye makeup.” As Doski highlights, the heavy blush trend isn’t only synonymous with no makeup-makeup looks a la Hailey Bieber. It also correlates with heavy makeup stylings associated with goth and e-girl subcultures.
There’s also a regional component to this look. The heavy blush trend is also part of the Douyin makeup scene. Named after the Chinese version of TikTok referred to as Douyin, the TikTok-viral #douyinmakeup has been viewed over 602 million times. Among the Douyin makeup community, it is said that heavy blush gives the face an emphasized and vibrant look by creating a flushed appearance.
