When looking back at all the major makeup moments (and there were many) this past year, nothing quite matched blush’s reach and influence. Whether you were aimlessly scrolling or looking for some beauty inspo on the red carpet or at Fashion Week, flushed cheeks were everywhere. Experts all agree that 2025 was the year of blush.
“[It] has become the modern statement piece,” celebrity makeup artist Misha Shahzada tells Vogue. “It adds dimension, energy, and a pop of color without requiring a full face. It’s an effortless way to look polished and expressive while keeping the overall look minimal and refined.”
But what seems most appealing about this particular product, especially in a time of political and societal unrest, is its ability to give us agency amid the chaos. Beyond the pretty shades of pink, blush is a powerful tool. “Blush itself has always been far more than decorative,” says celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, founder of her eponymous makeup line. “Today, it’s about self-expression, a way to convey mood, drama, and personality and lean into the joy-sparking moments of makeup application.”
“I think people are looking for ways to reclaim their power,” echoes celebrity makeup artist and host of “Backseat Beauties” Vincent Oquendo. “Blush is the great signifier of health, good health. I feel like now more than ever, we really want to feel like our best selves.”
With that, let’s take a very short trip down memory lane over the best blush trends this past year that we’ll probably take with us in 2026.
2025’s Biggest Blush Moments
Of the many fun ways to get that natural-looking flush, six trends defined blush’s biggest moments this year. They include:
Taking a cue from the infamous French royal, TikTok leaned all the way in with bold, Rococo-style rosy cheeks. “Delicate yet dramatic—refined, yet full of life,” celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath once told Vogue. “It’s not a contour moment. It’s a bloom of color that radiates from the center of the face outward, like candlelight or porcelain.”
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One of Shahzada’s favorite blush looks was for actor Daisy Edgar-Jones, on whom she used the product to warm the entire complexion. “We went with a sun-kissed blush that really warmed up her complexion and pulled the whole look together,” Shahzada says.
Offering a softer, more diffused look, watercolor blush gives that faint flush of color with a painterly touch. “[It] is a soft veil of product applied to the cheeks,” celebrity makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez once told Vogue. “Think of the finish as the difference between oil paint, which is opaque, and watercolors, which are diffused and buildable. You can’t see where the application of watercolor blush starts or ends because it melts into the skin with no detectable edges.”
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Oquendo sees an uptick in blush when it comes to underpainting, a technique in which you apply depth to the face before applying foundation. In his YouTube series “Backseat Beauties,” he talks with Regina King about underpainting and how to use blush underneath the skin tint for a nice glow. “That’s the thing with underpainting,” he says in the video. “You have flexibility, and you can really work with it and sheer it out. You see what that looks like when you put that skin tint over it. It looks like it’s coming out from right underneath the skin.”
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Underpainting also helps define facial structure, as seen here with Michelle Monaghan. “I’ve really loved using blush as contour,” says Oquendo. “That’s something I’ve been super into right now.”
In general, he recommends going over a cream or liquid blush with powder to pull color out and make it look more even. “It gives more depth to it,” he says. “[For example], do a pale pink first and then go over it with maybe a coral. It’s just going to be so beautiful.”
Just like the whimsical nature of a cherry-blossom tree, this blush trend uses two cream blushes in different hues to get that contour. It’s about “infusing the cheeks with a seasonal glow,” Vogue writer Maria Munsuri once wrote. “Think of it as a more playful way to contour. Thanks to the use of two different cream blush colors, cherry-blossom blush adds dimension to your face with a dewy, natural finish.”
The Best Blushes to Try
The right blush to try is really dependent on your personal preferences, but the experts have their recs. Shahzada, who contributed to the development of these products, recommends one of Victoria Beckham Beauty’s recent launch, the Color Wash Blushes. “[They] are truly exceptional,” she says. “I’ve seen firsthand the level of care that went into perfecting them, [and] they’re unlike anything else on the market.” Other blushes she loves include the Rhode Pocket Blush and the Dior Backstage Rosy Glow.
For Oquendo, two blushes he’s loved using this year include the e.l.f. Cosmetics Cheek Stain and Estée Lauder Futurist Blushmaker Dewy Cheek Tint Liquid Blush. With the e.l.f. Stains, he loves to underpaint with them to give a natural-looking lift and glow. If a stain intimidates you (they can often come with a lot of pigment and leave little to no room for error), he says the Estée Lauder tint is great for blush novices.
And if you’re looking for a cool blush hack, Eldridge loves using her Insanely Saturated Lip Colours lipstick for her blush needs. “They’re intensely pigmented, available in the most vibrant shades, and perfect for that almost powdered cheek effect.” Pro tip: She says to mix highlighter into your lipstick for a luminous blush-like finish, then blend it in an upward motion from the apples of the cheeks to the temples for best placement. “You can create a bespoke, luminous blush that will instantly give you a fresh flush of color,” she says.
The Future of Blush
Blush is here to stay, and experts say that it will become an essential step in all our makeup routines. “This is going to be one of those trends that’s around for a long while,” says Oquendo. “I think blush is this generation’s road mapping.”
“I don’t think blush is going anywhere, at least not for me,” adds Shahzada. “It’s become such an integral part of how we shape, lift, and bring life back into the face.”
But no matter how you wear your blush or what trend you’re particularly drawn to, all that matters is having fun. “You should cherry-pick what you want from [blush trends] and make them work for you,” says Eldridge. “Whether you want to sculpt, volumize, slim, plump, or lift your face, there are so many styles. It’s about making it work for you and your face shape.”
Shop Vogue s favorite blushes, below.
Have a beauty or wellness trend you’re curious about? We want to know! Send Vogue’s senior beauty and wellness editor an email at beauty@vogue.com.
