There’s a lot of real estate on your cheeks, and you've probably noticed that the shades meant for the hollows have no business on the apples. The success of 'perfect' cheekbones or that flush that feigns coyness very much relies on placement. But since the system failed us by not making blush application part of the standard junior-high curriculum, we asked makeup artist Suzy Gerstein to help us make a hard-and-fast guide to where to put what colors—and why. Today we're talking shades of plum.

The Effect: One way I love to do plum blush is in a sort of 'seventies' fashion. It sculpts the face, adding structure that slims, in a sophisticated, chic way. It's not that ‘90s, fresh, apple-of-the-cheek placement. It’s more now—color in a modern, graphic way. We do the same thing in a lot of editorials using taupe sculpting powders, but that might make you look a little dead in real life. Plum is a much more flattering color.

The Placement: Start at the outer corner of your cheekbone and move in. You want the color to be the most concentrated on the outer part of your face, a little higher than the apple of your cheeks. A good rule of thumb is to draw a diagonal line from the outer corner of your eye, and follow the line of the cheeks down, bringing a hint of color into the hollows of the cheeks. It’s not quite a contour, it’s cuter and more disco. I apply it with a big powder brush, but pinch it with my fingers to create a thinner line. It’s also really modern to use a nice fan brush because it deposits less color and diffuses the blush to make it look lived-in.

_The Products: _Tor someone with oily skin, I recommend a powder like MAC Plum Foolery and Marc Jacobs Beauty Outspoken, which is a cool, lilac pink that is good for pale skin. Nars The Multiple in Na Pali Coast is sort of plum-y, and is good for older, drier skin because cream formulas make the skin look healthier.

—Suzy Gerstein

_Tou can follow Suzy on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Here's her website. Illustrations by Suzy Gerstein.

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