Our Beauty P.I. series is where Makeup.com editor Alanna delves into the history of various makeup products — where they originated and how they’ve evolved. Next up on the list is the conception of rouge and a peek into the development of the Maybelline Fit Me! Blush.

Blush — or rouge as it was called as recently our grandma’s generation — is an OG makeup product just like foundation and lipstick. But this must-have has been overlooked for the past decade or so while bronzer and highlighter have totally stolen the makeup scene. And we get it — we love to be sparkly and bronzy, too.

In order to give blush its moment, we decided to investigate where this pretty little colored powder came from and how it became popular. Plus, we have an inkling that blush is on the verge of a resurrection — and developers of the Maybelline Fit Me! Blush seem to agree (keep reading to find out why). Here’s a look back at when and where blush first revealed itself.

An (Archaic) Effort to Look Healthy

There are a lot of things we know about ancient times. One, people were very creative (necessity is the mother of invention, after all), and two, they weren’t as healthy as modern standards. Modern medicine wasn’t a thing 3000 years ago, and that’s where blush comes in — it was created as a makeup product to hide pale appearances when someone was sickly. A rosy, youthful glow was enviable, which was why “red ochre [was] used for rouge and lip color for the common Egyptian woman,” Gabriella Hernandez’s Classic Beauty: The History of Makeup reports. While Egyptians used crushed up beetles and ants to get their Cleopatra glow, the ancient Greeks and Romans opted for vegetable and mineral reds to make them look a little less ill.

By the Middle Ages, rouge had declined in popularity (a pale complexion was where it was at — appearing diseased was in vogue, we suppose) but became popular once again during the Renaissance — where no baby cherub was complete without blushing cheeks, because after all, they were just about as youthful and healthy as you could get.

That Eighteenth Century Blush

By 1720, well after Queen Liz made cosmetics okay once again (TG!), blush became a status symbol for courtesans and debutantes. “Enamel, rouge, white powder and masks were used in England to distinguish the upper class in court society,” Classic Beauty notes. What made rouge so different in this day and age, however, was the fact that it was finally seen as a makeup trend, and not just a way to lowkey hide poor health. Finally, at this time, “rouge was a main facial focal point, and shades varied from pale pink to bright orange according to the changes in fashion,” according to Hernandez’s text.

It is also interesting to note that different shades of red came with different reddish ingredients during this decade — carmine, made from insects had blue undertones, mineral reds created a more orangey-toned blush, and vegetable-reds had a more natural, transparent red finish. Granted, these gave the color payoff our ancient beauty ancestors wanted, but were sometimes deadly.

Even by the 19th century, most blush ingredients continued to be unsafe. “Liquid and cream rouge contained metallic ingredients that were harmful to the skin,” Hernandez’s text reports. “Some powders contained non-harmful rice starch or bismuth, but the minerals in these powder turned black when exposed to sulfur from the coal fires that burned throughout homes.”

In short, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that safer rouges were created — one of the first being by the Guerlain Company, which was formulated with grapefruit and butter. Other rouge ingredients finally included non-toxic additives, from substances like alkanet and oil of roses.

Roaring Rouge and Beyond

Blush had another wave during the 1920s when the pursuit of youth became a major trend. “Women strived to look young, for youth was now synonymous with beauty,” notes Hernandez’s text, and this not only required a new fascination with skin care products, but makeup as well. Rouge highlighted the cheeks in a way no other makeup products could — and now, not only was the colored powder a “healthy,” choice, it became a “youth-ifying” one, too.

A rosy complexion was created with all different types of rouge mediums — from cream to liquid to powder and everything in between. By the 1960s, blush became popular in neutral warm browns and was applied to almost hollow out the face (like today’s contour). The 80s saw a rebirth of bright red and pink blush. And the 90s encouraged everything from light, subtle pinks to deep berries. Indeed, blush was a makeup product for all, but there was still something missing altogether: blush customization.

Personal Blush is the Key

With the millenia’s dawn came the answer: the Maybelline Fit Me! Blush, a 10-shade collection of blushes *fit* for literally every skin tone and type. “The Fit Me collection stands for diversity and inclusivity, offering a wide variety of products that fit all skin tones and textures — when Fit Me Blush was developed, it was essential for it to follow that same framework,” said members of the development team at Maybelline. “Blush is an under-utilized piece of the makeup routine due to consumers struggling to find their shade.” And that’s where Fit Me! comes in: There is a perfect blush for everyone.

Developed by L’Oréal color experts, the 10-shade blush range includes hints of nude, pink and rose chromas — formulated for those with lighter skin tones. The plum, berry and wine shades are specifically built for deeper skin tones, and each color is designed to melt flawlessly into the skin.

Fit Me! Blush is different because, well, there’s no other comparable product on the market with its innovation and accessible price point. “Fit Me! is a pressed powder formula with a stain finish. The lightweight formula blends seamlessly with foundation and powder,” the development team notes. “And this enhances skin tone with a radiant glow of natural, yet noticeable color.”

Blush has fallen in and out of favor over time, but when you want a healthy glow, it’s the product to turn to. And now that it’s become more inclusive than ever, it has the ability to serve anyone and everyone, celebrating what makeup is all about — even if it does fly under the radar in many makeup ‘grams.

Humans have been painting their faces for many many years - practically since the dawn of time! From displaying tribal allegiances & adopting paint as camouflage, to theatrical usage and flaunting social status, face painting is a topic that we could talk about for days.

Today we are going to be looking specifically at blush - or rouge - as it has also been known!

THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR BLUSH

Blushing is a reaction triggered by social interaction, with blush triggers including embarrassment or experiencing emotion - even just receiving an unexpected compliment can make you blush! Your blush is caused by the blood vessels in your face dilating. This causes an increase in the amount of blood flowing to the cheeks.

A flush of the cheeks is seen to be a sign of youth and freshness as well as a sign of sensuality and fertility. More on that later!

IN THE BEGINNING… THERE WAS BLUSH!

Rouge takes its name from the French for the colour red, which is arguably one of the most important colours when it comes to makeup! Early cosmetic ingredients that have been associated with scarlet hues include crushed berries and bugs (cochineal, carminc acids), ground red ochre, chalk, copper, manganese dioxide and even lead paint.

The Ancient Egyptians were probably one of the first groups in History to adopt the use of blush into their beauty regimes. We’ve used a picture of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra for illustrative purposes here, but back in the days of the pyramids, blush was used by both men and women. Fat would be mixed with ground ochre to add a pop of red to cheeks.

Greeks and Romans also used blush to define their social status - the Greeks used crushed mulberries whilst the Romans favoured red vermillion, a powder derivative of cinnabar. Want to know why Cinnabar wasn’t a wise option? It comes from the toxic ore of Mercury - not something you want to apply to your face or anywhere near your person, for that matter!

The middle ages saw blush fall out of favour, as workers who spent their days out in the sunshine tending to fields and ladies of the night were perceived to have red cheeks. The connotations of flushed cheeks were so unpopular that leeches were even used to remove blood from the face, whilst egg whites were used to lighten the skin… That is, until Elizabeth I brought it back into fashion. Elizabeth ruled from 1558 until her death in 1603. Whilst her beauty still focused on pale skin, it also featured the colour red - from her red hair, red lips to her dramatic blushed cheeks.

LE DERNIER CRI

During the Rococo era, blush was used by both men and women to mimic natural flushes. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson - also known as Madame de Pompadour - had even popularised a particular shade of blush during the 18th century - Pompadour Pink.

The last Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, was renowned for her extravagant tastes. Before she met her early demise at the guillotine, she was known for her sky high hair, penchant for cakes and elaborate beauty regime. Marie Antoinette got her extreme blush look by contrasting her rouge against very pale white skin paste. It’s important to bear in mind when looking back at portraits of the era that makeup had to be visible by candlelight, which explains why product application was so visible!

The first powder blush was created by French cosmetics brand Bourjois in 1863 as an alternative to theatrical greasepaint. The lightweight airy formulation was seen as a dramatic improvement and pots of Bourjois became le dernier cri amongst Parisian thespians and performers.

I’M GONNA ROUGE MY KNEES AND ROLL MY STOCKINGS DOWN

Ever wondered about the significance of the line above? Taken from Chicago’s All That Jazz, forget cheeks, one of the ultimate acts of saucy rebellion in the 1920’s was for Flappers to apply rouge to their knees to accentuate the fact that they were showing their legs!

With the introduction of cosmetics brands such as Revlon and Elizabeth Arden, the 1960s saw pastel tones come into vogue and the 90s rise of the Supermodel saw stripy washes of bright pink swish swish onto the catwalks.

21ST CENTURY BLUSH

Today, we prefer to stick to applying blush to the apples of our cheeks. Although you only have to look at NARS best selling blush Orgasm to work out that when it comes to blush, sensuality still sells!

Some of our favourite blushes come in gel, cream and even in a liquid tint formulation. From peach and coral to rose and crimson, the only limitation to your blush look is your imagination!

Shop all Blush at allbeauty