'Blush blindness'? Do your thing, says Dior Beauty pro Peter Philips

National Post

2 days ago

'Blush blindness' is a beauty term that's been trending for a while on TikTok and Instagram.
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The New York Times defined the beauty affliction as 'not being able to tell, empirically, how rosy is too rosy.' Thrown around as both a criticism and a beauty trend term, the idea behind 'blush blindness' is that the wearer boldly wears the makeup product. Perhaps, sometimes, too boldly.
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Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is a celebrity name that's become attached to the trend, as fans point out that her preference for adding extra blush to her look appears to have grown. Whether it's a liquid, balm or powder formulation, 'blush blindness' can apply to both the amount applied, hue and pigmentation of a product.
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But Peter Philips, celebrity makeup artist and the creative and image director of Christian Dior Beauty, says if you are a big fan of going big on blush — well then, you go ahead wear it.
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The longtime makeup pro says that wearing too much makeup of any kind can be a delicate balance, but one that only you can perfect.
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'It's very difficult to give tips now, in general, because there is no 'in general',' Philips says. 'Every face is different.'
And not every makeup fan, he notes, wants to look the same as everyone else. Philips points to a young colleague on his Dior Backstage Beauty team who 'loves' blush, opting to add the cheek tint with a 'full-on' application approach.
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'She wears it so confidently. And so, I'm not judging her,' notes Philips, speaking during a virtual call with international media. 'I mean, she feels good. She feels great …
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'Maybe in five years time, she will see a picture of herself and say, 'Oh, my god. What was I thinking?' I have pictures of me when I was a teenager going out, and I felt fantastic. And then I was like, 'Oh my god, what was I thinking?''
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As is often the case with younger generations exploring makeup products, they play with particular product categories with the aim of making them feel new. Blush has become a main medium of play, and they're using it as more than just a pop of colour on the cheeks.
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'Now, for younger kids, blush blends into fashion, almost,' Philips says. 'They go really high with a bit of blush and it combines almost with the eyeshadow.'
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While Philips admits he'd step in to offer some tips for blending or a better shade suggestion if he felt someone's 'blush blindness' had truly gone a bit too far, he'd be hesitant to hinder someone's sense of play or creativity with their own beauty look.
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'It's just fun, you know?' Philips says. 'You can be playful and creative with new makeup at any age.'
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Perhaps in an effort to promote that play, while also offering wearable, blendable shades that play down the possibility of a 'blush blindness' snafu, Philips and the Dior Beauty team have created a new collection of blush sticks just in time for the easy-breezy beauty days of summer.