Princess Diana’s trending flush blush heralds the end of chiselled cheeks

Thanks to The Crown, Princess Diana has become a reinvigorated trend-setter

Beauty trends can be pretty wayward. Just as soon as you figured out how to contour, we left that behind in favour of no make-up make-up. By the time you’d perfected your eyebrows, they’d moved along to bushy brows. After we declared Instagram face de trop, it was time for fitness beauty, the total antithesis of social media beauty trends. No, it doesn’t require exercising your cheeks.

Think post-run pinky glow. It’s a healthy face, like a country girl flush. It’s skin that actually looks like skin. Raw, ruddy windburn is the look – like your cousins who grew up on farms. Or more specifically, like Princess Diana.

 

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Thanks to The Crown, Diana has become a reinvigorated 2020 style icon, sparking the return of pearls, pie-crust collars, slogan jumpers, bicycle shorts and now, her shy, natural, flush blush.

 

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“Diana’s look is the exact opposite of what we have been conditioned to think of as ‘natural’ and everything I love about make-up,” says make-up artist Orlaith Shore. “It’s all about paring things back to enhance and celebrate our natural beauty and quirks. Our Celtic skin is known for its pinky hues so this is definitely a way to embrace them.”

 

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To emulate the look just requires readjusting your blusher placement. “Traditionally blusher placement is focused on the apples of the cheeks but when recreating a more natural flushed look, I like to look at where someone would actually blush,” says Orlaith. “For this, I would advise cream or liquid products placed with the most natural tools you have, your fingers. Using little and building up will give you the most beautiful finish. If you are worried about the intensity use a soft fluffy brush or a sponge to buff the product out. Always start at the apple and work down and across, with less product and colour fading as you go. Remember we want it to look natural so the fade of colour will help with this and the more imperfect the better.”

 

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As for your go-to products, Orlaith recommends Glossier and The Balm. “Glossier Cloud Paint, €18, are great cream blushers. The Balm’s How Bout Them Apples Cheek and Lip Cream Palette, €33.95, is probably my most-used product in my kit as it’s super versatile.”

Glossier Cloud Paint, €18

“I like to use lipsticks too; everyone has some version of a red in their make-up bag. Use the same technique, adding small amounts of product bit by bit. Otherwise, you may end up looking more like Bosco. Always finish with a quick dab of the same colour on the lips to tie it all together!”

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