I'm Calling It: Red Blush Is the Biggest Makeup Trend
This viral TikTok moment has staying power.
I was scrolling down my For You Page in early June when I came across a video of Rose-Marie Swift, founder of natural beauty brand RMS Beauty, applying a bright red cream blush while waxing poetic about her days as a makeup artist for Victoria’s Secret. “They had to look very natural. They had a beautiful flush of color, and a lot of people always think it’s pink, but it wasn’t—it was red," she said as she swirled her finger into one of the brand's Lip2Cheek blushes.
The video currently has over 145 thousand likes, with hundreds of glowing comments—and it's sparked a red blush makeup trend online. The term “red blush” brings up thousands of videos on TikTok, each with tens of thousands—and in some cases hundreds of thousands—of views.
One of the top-viewed videos hails from Los Angeles-based creator Toni Bravo. With a dedicated video series on her TikTok channel dubbing her the “CEO of Blush,” Bravo has garnered over 600 thousand followers for her honest makeup reviews and tutorials. Flushed skin is her specialty, and the red blush trend is one of her favorites. “Especially on deeper complexions, it's rich in a way certain pinks or oranges just aren't,” she says of the unexpectedly popular shade.
As a longtime beauty fan, I’m skeptical about any trend that claims to be “universally flattering” like this one. And red blush? Well, I'd think it resembles clown makeup more than a natural flush. Armed with questions, I turned to Swift herself for an explanation.
“I think people love this trend because it's so surprising how good it looks,” Swift tells Marie Claire about why the color is gaining traction right now. Beauty lovers are seeking that end-of-summer flush and a perfectly-blended red product is the way to go. “Pink is too soft—the red just gives that pinch of color as if the blood was drawn to your cheeks,” she continues.
The red blush trend isn't just siloed to TikTok. It's taking over offline, too. At the Buci Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show at New York Fashion Week, models sported so-called "strawberry makeup," a term popularized by Hailey Bieber, with flushed red cheeks and just-bitten berry lips. Gigi Hadid sported rosy cheeks with a matching red lipstick at this year's Met Gala.
Despite my skepticism, the amped-up hue is certifiably here to stay for fall. So, I took it upon myself to test out a handful of red blushes. I'm officially convert—the bright shade really does create a perfect flush. I found the best red blushes in almost every formula, from a highly pigmented liquid blush to a cult-favorite powder option worth the investment, ahead.
Shop the Red Blush Trend
At Marie Claire, we have tried and tested every single Rare Beauty product, and this cream blush from the range is one of our favorites. It's highly pigmented and blendable, giving you a naturally gorgeous result. There's a reason it's the brand's best-selling item.
Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike loves this powder blush from NARS. The bright, poppy-red shade is a cult-favorite amoungst NARS superfans.
Sheer and dewy, Bravo says this formula is "just a dream" to use. "It's the perfect amount of pigment and glow," she says.
I love Glossier's Cloud Paint blushes. This "Spark" shade is one of my favorites (more on that below) for when I want a brightly hued option that still looks natural.
Dior Beauty's lip oils get a lot of hype, but I recommend trying out the brand's powder blushes. Sephora shoppers love this Cherry shade for its buildable color.
Lady Gaga's Haus Labs makeup line is known for its selection of bright, highly pigmented hues, and this blush from the line—aptly titled "Watermelon Bliss"—is no different. The formula is smooth, and it's one of Bravo's favorites.
This affordable blush deposits lightweight, high-pigment color that mimics a natural flush. I love shades Swipe Right and Devoted, but you really can't go wrong.
This is the exact shade that Swift was using in her TikTok. Its soft, glowy texture is perfectly sheer.
This is a slightly deeper drugstore shade from e.l.f Beauty. The bouncy formula blends easily to give you a rich merlot shade perfect for mimicking the shade you naturally turn after an afternoon spent in the cold.
Makeup artists love these Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Sticks from Westman Atelier (the brand founded by celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman) because they're the perfect blend of creamy and pigmented. Bichette is another favorite of Bravo's, who swears by it. "It's a kind of red berry tone that is actually really difficult to find for deeper skin tones but they did such an amazing job," she says.
How to Wear the Red Blush Trend
Red blush might look shockingly bright in the tin, but there are a few ways to make it appear natural on the skin. Swift recommends starting with a light hand and slowly building to an opacity that you're comfortable with. "Go slow and keep it light—you only need a little bit," she says.
I followed her technique with one of my favorite blushes from Glossier—Cloud Pant in the shade "Spark"—to master the look for myself. Starting with a bit of the product on the tip of my finger, I patted the formula on my cheekbones and closer to my ear before blending out with a brush. The result was a natural-looking flush that warranted my husband asking me if I had gone for a run.
Glossier's Cloud Paint in "Spark" is one of my favorites to wear for a fresh-faced, flushed look.
Bravo, on the other hand, recommends layering a few shades to make your preferred red blush cocktail. "I like to start with a liquid blush, set with a powder blush, and at the very end, bring back that radiance with a pop of cream blush on top," she says. And you don't necessarily have to use fire-engine-red shades, either exclusively. Deeper, merlot-themed hues also work here, especially as we head into the chillier months.
Meet The Experts
A pioneer of the clean beauty movement, Rose-Marie Swift is the founder and the spirit of the brand. A master makeup artist for over 30 years, her lightbulb moment was realizing that cosmetics could be made with better, safer ingredients while simultaneously making women more beautiful. Bold, authentic and unwavering in her quest for innovative clean ingredients that perform, she launched RMS in 2009 to clean up the industry and set a higher standard for beauty
Toni Bravo is a Los Angeles-based beauty content creator and makeup artist with over 100k followers on Instagram and an additional 600k on TikTok.
