Blush Draping: The Effortless Way to Sculpt Your Face with Blush

Blush is having a major moment. Forget the days of just dabbing a little color on the apples of your cheeks. This season, it’s all about blush draping. Think of it as contouring’s softer, more radiant sister. Instead of using bronzer to sculpt your face, you’re layering blush along your cheekbones, temples, and even your eyes for a naturally lifted, flushed look.

The best part? You don’t need heavy powders or sharp lines to make this work. All you need is a blendable, lightweight blush, like Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer Blush. It’s sheer, hydrating, and melts into your skin like a dream for up to 12 hours, making it the perfect blush for this technique.

So, What Exactly is Blush Draping?

Blush draping isn’t new, it was actually made famous in the ‘70s by celebrity makeup artist Way Bandy, who worked with icons like Cher. But today’s version is fresher, more wearable, and perfect for achieving that effortless, sun-kissed glow.

Instead of just focusing on your cheeks, blush draping follows the natural structure of your face—sweeping color along the cheekbones, blending up toward the temples, and sometimes even dusting a little across the eyelids and nose for a monochromatic look. 

How to Drape Your Blush Like a Pro

1. Pick Your Perfect Shade

Whether you want a subtle flush or a bold pop of color, there’s a Tinted Moisturizer Blush shade (13 of them to be exact!) for you:

• For a Soft & Natural Glow: Provence (a pale pink nude) or Mediterranee (a pale coral nude) are perfect for an everyday, barely-there flush.

• Sun-Kissed & Sculpted: Coastline (cappuccino) or French Riviera (a red chocolate) add warmth and structure, making them great for mimicking that post-vacation glow.

• Radiant & Playful: Parasol (a shimmering fuchsia) or Mistral (a shimmering warm rose) bring a touch of shimmer for that fresh, lit-from-within look.

• Bold & Statement-Making: Feeling daring? Try Croisette (a shimmering garnet) or Cherry Orchard (a shimmering tomato red) for a vibrant, editorial-style flush.

2. Apply in All the Right Places

• For a lifted look, apply your blush along your cheekbones and blend up toward your temples using your fingers, a damp beauty blender, or our Cheek Color Brush. This creates the illusion of higher, more sculpted cheekbones.
• For a soft contour effect, sweep the blush slightly under the cheekbones (where you’d normally place bronzer) and diffuse the edges.
• For a monochromatic look, lightly dab some on your eyelids and nose bridge for an effortless, sun-kissed flush.

3. Blend, Blend, Blend!

The key to blush draping is seamless blending, no harsh lines here! Since Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer Blush has a lightweight, skin-like finish, you can blend like a dream. Start light, build up the color gradually, and let the sheer, hydrating formula do the work.