Why use blush? It's like a mini face-lift with the sweep of a brush! Applied properly, blush can give you a rosy glow and better define your cheekbones. "We get more plump and heavy towards the bottom of the face as we age," says makeup artist Laura Mercier. "Think of blush as something that makes you look healthy, youthful, happy."

Forget about the blush techniques you learned in the 1980s, when women brushed blush straight from their cheek to their temple like a racing stripe, cautions Laura. Follow these three simple steps to apply blush perfectly:

1. After applying the color to your blush brush, place the brush at the center of your cheekbone.
2. Gracefully move the brush in a round circle, focusing on the apple of the cheek and gradually evolving away.
3. Blend the color so it looks natural, and you'll have mastered the basics of beautiful blush!

Now discover which blush colors would look best on you!