TikTok Is Begging Millennials to Stop Doing *This* When Applying Their Makeup

If you, like me (hi), are still applying blush like it’s 2004, the TikTik beauty calvary is politely asking us to stop. And it's not just because our early-aught inclinations are out of favor, but also because as we get older, the coveted techniques we learned at the MAC counter before prom are actually aging us. So millennials, and anyone else who needs a refresher, here's the blush technique you need un-learn—and what to do instead.

Smile, locate the round "apple" of your cheek, and apply, right? For those of us who spent our formative years blending blush straight onto the roundest part of our cheeks, this may come as a shock. But as makeup artist Erica Taylor demonstrates in the TikTok above, this technique drags the face downward—especially since our cheeks lower as we age!!!—making it look rounder and less sculpted. Even though Britney Spears looked sweet as can be with said blush placement as pictured above in 1999, we're not so innocent anymore...

Another tip? Try a cream or liquid blush instead of a powder blush. A powder blush can more easily look cakey and drying on any skin, but especially that of women who are 40+. To retain moisture—which keeps skin looking and feeling fresh and youthful—a balmy cream or liquid blush like Rare Beauty or Rhode Pocket Blush could be a game changer.