A few years ago, I was convinced I had my makeup routine down pat. I had my favorite products I used on repeat in almost the exact same way every time. All of that changed after I discovered the plethora of beauty hacks [1] at my fingertips thanks to TikTok. I recently switched up the way I do my contour after watching a very believable video [2] and finally learned the correct way to fill in my eyebrows [3]. So when I saw tons of TikTok users and beauty influencers mixing blush with their concealer to cancel out dark circles [4] and give their faces a lifted look, I knew I wanted to test it out and see if it was worth the hype.
In a TikTok video [5] demonstrating the technique, makeup artist Painted by Spencer [6] says, "Bringing your blush up to your undereye area, if you do have dark circles or undereyes, can be life-changing." Spencer adds that the process should be thought of as similar to color correcting. "By lightly sweeping up the blush to the undereye area, it helps cancel out those bluish-gray tones."
Spencer also notes that the best blush colors to use are pink, coral, or peachy in tone. The blush should not have any shimmer in it and should instead be a matte formula because the addition of shimmer would accentuate pores.
To test the hack, I grabbed my favorite liquid blush in a coral tone, the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Joy [7] ($20), and my all-time favorite concealer, the Lawless Conseal the Deal Concealer [8] ($26). I started by applying my foundation to even out my skin tone. From there, I dabbed a few spots of blush underneath each eye, followed by a few dots of concealer. I then took a damp beauty sponge and blended everything out. Next I set everything using a translucent powder. To finish, I completed my contour as well as my eyeshadow and mascara. I really wanted to make sure I got the full effect, so I ended up powdering a small amount of the One/Size Cheek Clapper [9] ($36) underneath my eyes as well.
When it was time to survey the results, I was more than pleased with what I saw. Although I don't consider myself someone who experiences dark circles often, after looking at my before-and-after photos, I was pretty shocked to see what a difference this hack made. It canceled out any shadows under my eyes, and it also gave my face the ultimate sun-kissed look. For the last few months, I've been using this hack pretty much every time I do my makeup, and it's been a total game changer.