Everyone's Using Lipstick As Blush This NYFW

If you spend enough time backstage during New York Fashion Week — or, of course, studying the runway images — certain beauty trends begin to emerge. Although there are still a few days left of the Fall/Winter 2022 shows, some of these are already evident. One such example? Using lipstick as blush.

Multiple runways of NYFW F/W ‘22 featured big blush — but, rather than turn to a traditional palette or cream formula, makeup artists used lipstick on models’ cheeks to create a face-sculpting pop of color. This was seen at Christian Cowan, Altuzarra, and Kim Shui, proving the technique is something to keep your eye on in the beauty world (and perhaps try for yourself).

Over at Christian Cowan, Lori Taylor Davis, global pro lead artist for Smashbox, was inspired by the ’80s when she created the bold makeup look for the show. And that meant two things: extra blush and a smudged and smoky eye. “I wanted to focus on blush,” she told Bustle backstage. “You can see it’s very pink and grungy, and it goes all the way to the temple in a perfect swoop. There’s also a smoky eye and cat eye combined for high drama.”

To achieve the eye-catching blush, Davis and the rest of the team used Smashbox’s Be Legendary Prime & Plush Lipstick in Poolside, a vivid Barbie-esque pink shade. “It was swooped up into the temples, and we used a brush to puff it out — it’s an old Smashbox trick,” makeup artist Caleigh Roselle told Bustle backstage.

Over at Altuzarra’s F/W ‘22 show, artists used M.A.C. lipstick as blush. “We used a little bit of lipstick high on the cheeks, and a little bit of strobe cream on the nose and lip,” Dick Page, makeup lead, told Bustle backstage. Then, at Kim Shui, head makeup artist Charlie Riddle, global beauty director at Stila Cosmetics, relied on a creamy Stila lip product for a touch of pigment on models’ lips and cheeks.

Moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to get creative with your makeup products. There are no rules.