‘Blush Blindness’ and Fluffy Brows: Future Me Might Hate These Looks?

‘Blush Blindness’ and Fluffy Brows: Future Me Might Hate These Looks?

By Daisy Stonier

Scrolling through photos of myself from when I was in my early teens can be a bit of a shock to the system sometimes. Peachy lips and wonky winged liner unapologetically stare back at me, giving me an embarrassing reminder of the endless tutorials I followed on Youtube to achieve my ‘everyday makeup routine’.

Did I really need to use all those smokey shades from my beloved Naked eyeshadow palette? Maybe someone could have mentioned the slightly flakey effect of the matte liquid lipstick I meticulously applied? Teenage me really gave it her all.

TikTok probably would’ve been that ‘someone’ to unashamedly tell me exactly how it is. Faced each day with a new reminder of current trends and the absolute do’s and don’ts, the bold experimentation of my younger self probably wouldn’t have lasted long with the unsolicited comments that are thrown our way with today’s trends. 

So when ‘blush blindness’ appeared on the algorithm, a ripple of panic seemed to wade through the sea of rosy cheeked victims. Blushed with embarrassment, or maybe just an extra drop of liquid blush, people took to their pages to ask anyone watching:

 ‘Do I have ‘blush blindness’?’

Like anything else these days, what’s ‘desirable’ in terms of beauty seems to change by the day. Whether it’s chiselled jawlines through perfect contour, or ‘no makeup, makeup’, achieved with dewy tinted moisturisers and glowing highlight, our preferences in the endless cycle of beauty trends quickly become an ‘absolute no’ in the eyes of social media. Blush however, seemed to be the one that could take a confident place in our routines through all seasons. Flushed complexions in the cold, and slightly burnt cheekbones in the summer, what could go wrong with a blend of cloud paint across your cheeks?

A lot it seems… as my For You page became flooded with those of us labelled with the new accusing term. Maybe it was Sabrina Carpenter’s mauve glow that did it all, but as I scrolled through video after video, I noticed people’s offence growing at the pretty pink flush that no longer remained on just the apple of our cheeks. Blossoming across the rest of our faces in a rosy haze, I can admit that I have also found some happiness in an extra bit of pink on my nose and temples. Anyone given the title ‘blush blindness’ has apparently lost sight of the layers of pigment on their cheeks, applying much more than what flatters their face shape and skin tone. Swapping between my Glossier Cloud Paint and Milk Makeup Lip & Cheek Stick, it was becoming clear that I was probably a culprit too. Not only that, but this so-called ‘blindness’ has now bled into multiple steps of our beauty regimes. Now ‘what kind of blindness do I have?’ seems to be the pressing question that we need answering, with brows taking position as the next extreme culprit. 

Even when writing this, it’s a little painful to be faced with how crazy it is that people are left worrying about these kinds of trends. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that many of these new terms to adopt are just there for some light-hearted entertainment, but as Lizzy said in her ‘Rant On How TikTok is Stripping Away Authenticity And Originality’ (have a read after this if you haven't already!!), you get these sudden moments of realisation that, whilst you’re scrutinising the intensity of your blush, there really is so much more going on in the world. It’s almost as if we feel like these terms are glowing above us as we walk through our day to day lives, a bit like the ‘Nosedive’ episode of Black Mirror, when their social rankings appeared as a hologram next to them, like a warning sign to indicate if you’re a decent human being or not. But I promise you, away from your phone, ‘blush blindness’ and whatever else just doesn't exist, and has no real effect on you as a person.

Maybe I’m thinking about it all way too deeply (I definitely am), because really it’s just a silly trend, but I think things like ‘blush blindness’ can subtly but swiftly feed into us feeling that bit less confident in ourselves. A new day, and we’re doing something else wrong, our morning routine, our career, to travel or not to travel, and now something as trivial as the rosiness of our cheeks and direction of our brow hairs… what?! 

Thinking about little me, surrounded by a glittery cloud of blue and pink as I did my makeup, I would hate for her to have been faced with the infinite scroll of opinions and hate comments from strangers. She was full of joy and experimentation, and didn’t really care how it all ended up looking, never mind what anyone else thought of it. It was exciting enough just being allowed to wear makeup, and I couldn’t wait to be ‘grown up’ and get to do my little makeup routine every morning before leaving the house. 

So… all I want to do is enjoy that little routine, blush and all, and spend my time thinking about things that really matter to me in life. Yes, we might be a little heavy-handed at times, but maybe that’s the fun in it all. Being able to experiment with makeup, go through some questionable eras, and try the new products and blush shades that our heart desires. 

It seems like most aren’t ready to drop the blush anytime soon anyway. In fact, some are holding the title confidently, such as Eva Koper on TikTok, stating that ‘if blush blindness is wrong, I don’t wanna be right’, so it’s probably here to stay for now.

Looking through photos of my younger self might have been embarrassing, and I’m sure I’ll be cringing at my blush blindness and fluffy brows a few years from now, but I’d rather have that, all so I can remember how much I loved it at the time too. 

Future me might hate these makeup looks, but I think little me would absolutely love them.

A hug from one blush lover to another,

Daisy x