BLUSH BABE
The finger hack you need to apply blush for chiselled cheeks rather than a ‘baby face’, according to a beauty expert
“This is why I look 25 instead of 39,” one woman said about the make-up hack
TWO fingers is all you need to chisel your face with blush, a beauty expert has revealed.
Sierra Mayhew said her easy hack is the difference between having a model’s profile and a “baby face”.
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She demonstrated how she applies blush to add definition to her cheekbones in a now-viral Instagram video.
She uses her index and middle fingers in a peace sign and places them diagonally away from the bottom of her nose.
Then, she applies blusher in between her fingers.
“When you realise blush can completely change your face shape,” she penned.
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The two fingers act as a guide to keep the blush application away from the center of your face, which is what produces the “baby face” look.
And by guiding your blush exclusively over your cheekbone towards your temple, you ensure a more lifted and structured look.
The hack works so well because it optimises placement and blending, which are crucial for achieving a sculpted look.
It also helps to avoid applying the blush too low, which can drag the face down.
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What’s more, blush applied this way overlaps slightly with areas where you might to contour or apply bronzer, subtly blending the two.
This creates a seamless gradient of colour, enhancing the natural shadows and highlights of your face.
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Sierra struck a chord with hundreds of women.
“I’ve been doing it wrong my whole life,” one penned.
“Stop, this is brilliant,” another quipped.
“This is why I look 25 instead of 39,” a third beamed.
The hack works with all blush products - including powder, cream and liquid.
Blush gained a whole new fan club in 2024, with more and more women regarding it as an essential part of their make-up routine.
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The "no-makeup makeup" trend is mostly to thank for this, as a soft pop of color on the cheeks mimics a natural flush, enhancing the look of healthy, glowing skin.
And as part of the broader "no contour, just blush" movement, people are embracing blush as a means of adding vibrancy and color without relying heavily on contour.
Fabulous Beauty Awards 2024 Winners
Team Fabulous have spent months swatching, spritzing and sniffing the latest product launches to bring you the very best in beauty.
From our favourite foundation to an indulgent shower gel, here are all of the beauty products worthy of your wallet – and some will cost you less than a tenner.
MAKE-UP
Whether you prefer a dewy, full-glam or barely-there look, we all have different preferences when it comes to our make-up routines.
While no product is one-size-fits-all, and some cult products are polarising, we’ve whittled down the best of the bunch – and found something everyone will love.
Best Base Product
- Winner: Nars Cosmetics Light Reflecting Eye Brightener, £26 -
- Runner-up: Huda Beauty Easy Bake And Snatch Pressed Powder, £32 -
- Highly commended: Ilia Skin Rewind Complexion Stick, £48 -
Best Blush
- Winner: ELF Cosmetics Camo Liquid Blush, £7 -
- Runner-up: Ruby Hammer Cheek Colour, £24 -
- Highly commended: Ateh Jewel Beauty Watson Watermelon, £25 -
Best Bronzer
- Winner: Kosas Sun Show Glowy Baked Bronzer, £30 -
- Runner-up: Reeson Beauty Bronzing Balm, £38 -
- Highly commended: Natural Collection Bronzer, £3 -
Best Brow Product
- Winner: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel, £24 -
- Runner-up: Olaplex Browbond Building Serum, £64 -
- Highly commended: Benefit Precisely, My Brow Detailer Eyebrow Pencil, £22.50 -
Best Eyeliner
- Winner: Sculpted By Aimee Easyglide Eyeliner, £19 -
- Runner-up: Revlon Colorstay Micro Liquid Liner Blackout, £8.99 -
- Highly commended: Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner, £30 -
Best Eyeshadow
- Winner: Bobbi Brown Dual-Ended Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick, £35 -
- Runner-up: Too Faced Born This Way Mini Eye Shadow Palette, £30 -
- Highly commended: Rimmel London Wonder’Last Shadow Stick, £8.99 -
Best Lip Colour
- Winner: Maybelline Lifter Plump, £9.99 -
- Runner-up: Mac Macximal Silky Matte Lipstick, £25 -
- Highly commended: Merit Beauty Signature Lip Matte, £28 -
Best Mascara
- Winner: Clinique High Impact Hifi Volume Mascara, £27 -
- Runner-up: Vieve Modern Mascara, £23 -
- Highly commended: Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Tubing Mascara, £11.99 -
BODY
There’s been a surge of interest – and new product launches – in bodycare.
People are thinking about the skin below their chins more than ever, meaning product innovations are becoming increasingly advanced.
Best Bath Product
- Winner: Molton Brown Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver Bath & Shower Gel, £25 -
- Runner-up: Sanctuary Spa Lily & Rose Natural Oils Ultra Rich Shower Oil, £9.50 -
- Highly commended: Vieve Bath & Body Soak, £25 -
Best Body Care Product
- Winner: Ren Clean Skincare Evercalm Barrier Support Body Balm, £35 -
- Runner-up: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Daily Hydrating Body Lotion, £27 -
- Highly commended: Nécessaire The Body Retinol, £56 -
Best Fake Tan
- Winner: Bondi Sands Technocolor 1 Hour Express Self Tanning Foam, £19.99 -
- Runner-up: Bare By Vogue Clear Tan Water, £22.50 -
- Highly commended: Iconic London Prep, Set, Tan Tanning Mousse, £24 -
Best Nail Care
- Winner: Ruby Hammer Neon Nail Kit, £22 -
- Runner-up: Mii Refine+Pamper Intensive Cuticle Cream, £15 -
- Highly commended: Margaret Dabbs London Nail Strengthening Treatment, £16 -
Best Nail Colour
- Winner: Dior Vernis, £29 -
- Runner-up: Barry M Cosmetics Sheer Strength Hardening Nail Paint, £4.49 -
- Highly commended: Nails Inc Mani Marker Nail Art Pen, £5 -
Tech
Investing in a gadget is one of the smartest ways to level-up your beauty routine.
While they can be pricier than buying disposable products, an effective beauty tool can help speed up and even simplify your hair or skin routine. These are the gadgets we can’t live without…
Best beauty gadget
- Winner: Foreo UFO 3 LED, £289 -
- Runner-up: Hello Klean Purifying Shower Head, £65 -
- Highly commended: Omnilux Eye Brightener, £96.80 -
Best Hair Tool
- Winner: Nicky Clarke Airstyle Pro Infrared & Ionic Hair Dryer & Styler, £249.99 -
- Runner-up: GHD Chronos, £289 -
- Highly commended: Mdlondon Wave, £125 -
Skin
We’re more savvy about skincare than we’ve ever been, meaning we’re demanding more from our products and routines.
From sunscreen to lip care, we’ve searched high and low for the products that deliver results – and promise bang for your buck.
Best Body Sunscreen
- Winner: Garnier Ambre Solaire Ideal Bronze Milk-In-Spray SPF50, £7 -
- Runner-up: Sol De Janeiro Rio Radiance Body Spray SPF50, £36 -
- Highly commended: E45 Sun Body Spray SPF50, 14.99 -
Best Face Sunscreen
- Winner: Trinny London See The Light, £45 -
- Runner-up: Boots SPF+ Anti Pollution Daily Suncare Face Fluid SPF50+, £8 -
- Highly commended: Supergoop! Every. Single. Face. Watery Lotion SPF50, £29 -
Best Lip Care
- Winner: The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm, £11 -
- Runner-up: Tatcha The Kissu Lip Tint SPF25, £35 -
- Highly commended: The Ordinary Squalane & Amino Acids Lip Balm, £8.50 -
Best Skincare Brand
- Winner: Medik8 -
- Runner-up: Cerave -
- Highly commended: Murad -
HAIR
Haircare no longer means just picking out a good shampoo and conditioner. Caring for our scalp is now just as high on the agenda, as are styling products that both nourish your hair and hold it in place.
Whether your hair is straight, curly, wavy, fine or thick, these are the haircare products we swear by.
Best Haircare Product
- Winner: Tresemmé Lamellar Shine Finishing Oil, £9.99 -
- Runner-up: Living Proof Clarifying Detox Shampoo, £31 -
- Highly commended: Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Honey, £9.99 -
Best Hairstyling Product
- Winner: Color Wow Dream Coat Extra Strength, £32 -
- Runner-up: Bumble And Bumble. Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray Light, £31 -
- Highly commended: Hershesons Almost Everything Cream, £69 -
Best Scalp Product
- Winner: Living Proof Scalp Care Density Serum, £54 -
- Runner-up: Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Salt Scrub, £60 -
- Highly commended: Straand The Crown Fix Prebiotic Scalp Serum, £20 -
BEST OF THE REST
From new beauty brands to viral products worth the hype, we’ve scoured the beauty industry for its top players.
Best Cult Product
- Winner: No7 Future Renew Damage Reversal Serum, £42.95 -
- Runner-up: Clarins Lip Comfort Oil, £25 -
- Highly commended: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum, £65 -
Best Menopause Beauty Product
- Winner: Olay Collagen Peptide Menopause Max Serum, £44 -
- Runner-up: Dove Pro Age Lotion, £5.69 -
- Highly commended: Charles Worthington Menoplex Healthy Scalp Serum, £12.99 -
Best Beauty Innovation
- Winner: Dyson Airstrait Straightener, £449.99 -
- Runner-up: Trinny London Elevator, £68 -
- Highly commended: Marc Jacobs Daisy Drops, £28 -
Best Budget Product
- Winner: L’Oréal Paris Panorama Mascara, £13 -
- Runner-up: Sali Hughes X Revolution Skin Ringlight Illuminating Eye Balm, £10 -
- Highly commended: Isle Of Paradise Gradual Tan, £9.99 -
Best Supplement
- Winner: Vida Glow Collagen Liquid Advance, £40 - buy here
- Runner-up: Dose By VH Liposomal Vitamin C, £35 - buy here
- Highly commended: Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture IQ, £81 - buy here
Best Viral Beauty Product
- Winner: Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint, £49 -
- Runner-up: Nyx Professional Makeup Fat Oil Lip Drip, £7.99 -
- Highly commended: Hair Proud Glass Hair Heat Activated Smoothing Shine Spray, £8.95 -
Best Men’s Grooming Product
- Winner: Super Facialist Age Defence Serum For Men, £16 -
- Runner-up: L’Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic Vitamin C Shot Serum, £16.99 -
- Highly commended: Thayers pH Balancing Daily Cleanser, £11.99 -
Editor’s Pick
- Winner: Elizabeth Arden Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules Rapid Skin Renewing Serum, £51 -
- Runner-up: Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick, £35 -
- Highly commended: Eylure Underlash Salon Lash Extension Kit, £20 -
Best Celebrity Brand
- Winner: Rare Beauty
- Runner-up: Cosmoss
- Highly commended: Fenty Beauty
Best Independent Brand
- Winner: Arkive
- Runner-up: Floral Street
- Highly commended: Mantle
Best New Brand
- Winner: Relevant
- Runner-up: Clean Curls
- Highly commended: Joonbyrd
Best Premium Brand
- Winner: Lancôme
- Runner-up: Charlotte Tilbury
- Highly commended: Elemis
Best Sustainable Brand
- Winner: Origins
- Runner-up: L’Occitane
- Highly commended: Davines
Best Teen-Friendly Brand
- Winner: Indu
- Runner-up: ELF Cosmetics
- Highly commended: Bubble Skincare
Best Retailer
- Winner: Boots
- Runner-up: Space NK
- Highly commended: Superdrug
Best Online Retailer
- Winner: Look Fantastic
- Runner-up: Sephora
- Highly commended: Marks & Spencer
Fragrance
Perfume is deeply personal and subjective, meaning crowning the best is no mean feat.
However, we’ve called on our expert panel to pick out the EDPs with the best staying power, complexity and value for money - these are the perfumes we’ll be spritzing on repeat this year.
Best Female Fragrance
- Winner: Narciso Rodriguez For Her, £92 for 50ml EDP -
- Runner-up: Prada Paradoxe Intense, £97 for 50ml EDP -
- Highly commended: Coach Love, £56 for 50ml EDP -
Best Male Fragrance
- Winner: Givenchy Beauty Gentleman Society Extreme, £85 for 60ml EDP -
- Runner-up: Rabanne Phantom Parfum, £76 for 50ml EDP -
- Highly commended: Montblanc Explorer Platinum, £38 for 30ml EDP -
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