This Backstage NYFW Blush Trick Fakes 8 Hours Of Sleep

Even if you’re slapping everything on in a five-minute haze before running out the door, makeup is still an art form. Your face is the canvas, your products are the paint, and your brushes are your tools. How technical you want to get is up to you.

Oftentimes, makeup is simply a matter of enhancing and accentuating with a variety of hues — and some proverbial painting techniques have more transformative effects than others.

Since it’s all about color theory, you can usually use products beyond what the label says: eyeliner can become lip liner, lipstick can double as eyeshadow, and — as I recently learned backstage at New York Fashion Week — blush can work as a color corrector.

The Transformative Power Of Blush

Everything during NYFW typically runs late, but I learned this game-changing beauty tip because I arrived early at PatBo — before the pre-show chaos set in. Models were still in robes, sipping Voss water, getting nails done and skin prepped. Lead makeup artist Olivia Madorma had a moment to chat, and she walked me through the show’s beauty direction.

“PatBo’s designs are loud and beautiful, so we wanted [a makeup look] that enhanced models’ natural beauty,” she tells Bustle. Translation? A soft flush, radiant skin, and a your-lips-but-better pout. “The result looks like you could’ve just been outside on a brisk walk.”

Because she had time, Madorma offered to zhuzh me up — and I obviously said yes. Five minutes later, I caught my reflection in the catwalk-length mirror. My complexion looked brighter and more awake… yet she hadn’t used a drop of foundation or concealer. The transformation came entirely from blush.

That’s when she broke down the trick: bring your blush up to the under-eye area. Done right, it not only distracts from darkness, but also cancels out unwanted tones — all while giving you that healthy, naturally flushed glow.

How To Color Correct With Blush

Of course, blush isn’t exactly meant to do this job; if you want true color correcting, stick to an actual color corrector. But this technique creates an instantly brighter under-eye area — which is perfect for my fellow tired girls.

If you are on the fair side, look for peachy flush. Madorma used Morphe’s Cheek Thrills Multi Finish Face Trio in Beach Bonfire, a coral shade, on me. “This has peachy undertones to cancel blue and green discoloration under the eyes,” she says. “Note that very fair-toned complexions can find it tricky to find a blush shade that’s soft enough to not overshadow any concealer that’s laid over top.” Richer skin tones should reach for a nude rose like the After Party shade from Morphe’s Cheek Thrills collection. For deep skin tones, Madorma recommends a brick-toned or brown blush.

For application, Madorma recommends a brush, not fingers. “I’ll really buff it into the brush so it mimics a natural flush,” she says. “When you use your fingers, it warms up the product too much and just lifts back off the skin.” (She swears by Morphe’s M131 brush.) Placement matters, too: “Lightly tap blush below the eyes, focusing on the inner corner area to draw more light toward the center of the face,” she says.

The beauty of this hack is that it does two glow-boosting things: gives you a gorgeous flush, and fakes a full night’s sleep — all with a product you already have.