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TikTok has spoken, and this season’s makeup trends are all about working with colour in unexpected ways. Enter anti-blush and eyemaxxing, two viral beauty movements taking over the app–one designed to make your natural eye colour pop, the other embracing a softer, more muted approach to cheek colour.
What is the anti-blush trend?
The anti-blush trend is taking the opposite approach to traditional, high-impact cheek colour. Rather than reaching for bright, highly saturated pinks, oranges or purples, the minimalist makeup movement favours ultra-muted, skin-like shades that sit somewhere between blush, contour and bronzer for a more understated flush.
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Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand
Anti-blush is all about embracing softer, more muted colour for a natural-looking flush. This easy-to-use cream contour blends seamlessly into the skin, helping define the face without introducing overly saturated colour. Wear it on its own or layer it over your makeup when you want a softly sculpted, barely-there finish.
$59.50 at Sephora
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
When it comes to anti-blush, less is more. This viral liquid blush delivers buildable colour in a lightweight formula, making it easy to create a soft, diffused flush without going too bright. Choose a muted rosy, neutral or brown-toned shade and apply sparingly for that barely-there, skin-like finish the trend is known for.
$35 at Sephora
Phytosurgence Skin Spark Blush (The Toasties Collection)
For a softer take on the anti-blush trend, this cream blush melts into skin and builds from a sheer wash of colour to a more noticeable flush. The Toasties Collection is especially well suited to warm, autumnal makeup looks, with muted shades of copper, terracotta and toasted brown that blur the line between blush, bronzer and contour.
$21 at Phytosurgence
MAC Cosmetics Powder Blush
Give your anti-blush look a softly sculpted finish with this silky powder blush. Its buildable, velvety formula lets you layer on subtle colour without veering too bright, while the blurring finish creates a polished, diffused effect. Reach for one of the more muted shades to create that barely-there flush the trend is known for.
$46 at MAC
Powder Kiss Lip + Cheek Mousse
This whipped lip-and-cheek mousse is an easy way to tap into the anti-blush trend. Its hazy matte formula gives cheeks a soft-focus wash of colour that can be built up gradually, while the matching lip shade creates a subtle monochromatic look. Reach for one of the more muted tones for that diffused, skin-like finish.
$37 at MAC
L’Oréal Paris Lumi Glotion – $15.98
Wet n Wild Always Naked Palette– $5.79
Eyeliner Brush Fine Angled – $13.99
What is eyemaxxing?
Think of eyemaxxing as colour theory for your makeup bag. The trend is all about identifying your natural eye colour and choosing shades that contrast with it, making your irises appear more vibrant without actually changing their colour.
The trick comes down to the colour wheel. Shades opposite each other create contrast, which can make the colours beside them look more intense. That means warm orange, copper and bronze tones can make blue eyes stand out, while purples, plums and berry shades can emphasize green eyes. For brown and hazel eyes, there’s a little more freedom, but mauves, purples, golds and warm metallics can help highlight the different tones in the iris.
And you don’t necessarily need to go all-out with colourful eyeshadow. A swipe of complementary liner, a wash of shadow or even a coordinating blush can bring the same colour-story idea into your look.
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e.l.f. Fine As Fleck Glitter Eyeshadow in So Metal
This sheer glitter eyeshadow adds a wash of warm, metallic sparkle that can bring out the golden and amber tones in brown and hazel eyes. Wear it on its own for a subtle shimmer or layer it over shadow to add extra dimension and a light-catching finish.
$7.96 on Amazon
NYX Professional Makeup Epic Inky Stix in Kinetic Copper
Copper is a natural complement to blue eyes, and this creamy gel eyeliner makes it easy to work the warm tone into your look without committing to a full eyeshadow moment. The waterproof, one-swipe formula delivers rich colour that can be used for a precise line or a more smudged effect.
$15.72 on Amazon
MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eye Shadow in It’s Vintage
Plum and berry tones are a classic way to make green eyes stand out, and this softly diffused shadow offers a wearable take on the colour theory trend. Its creamy, blendable formula creates a hazy matte wash that adds definition while letting your natural eye colour take centre stage.
$34 at Sephora
Three Ships Superfruit Exfoliating Mask – $38
e.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray – $12.97
Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask – $32.49
