On TikTok, one blush trend follows another: there‘s the Blurred Blush, focusing on intense color and a fresh, blurred effect, the Glazed Blush, using a creamy, shimmering blush tone, and the Strawberry Girl makeup with fruity pink tones on the cheeks.

I‘m fascinated by the art of blush application in tutorials where influencers use a variety of colors and consistencies, from powder to stick to gel or cream, to create the perfect face. Personally, I‘m glad to have found my personal blush balance after decades of practice. It took a while: sometimes I looked in a department store mirror and felt reminiscent of Queen Marie Antoinette, who in the 18th century from France made 'rouging' socially acceptable; sometimes I looked pale – not enough blush. Today, I follow the simple rule: a bit less during the day and a more bronzed tone, a bit more strawberry in the evening, as the effect depends on the lighting conditions.

Rouge has been in use and under discussion for millennia. In ancient Egypt, men and women of the upper classes brightened their skin with white powder and then added a rose contrast, symbolising that they were favored with health by the gods. The trend spread to Rome but it was less favourable. The influential philosopher Seneca praised his mother for "never defiling her face with colors or cosmetics.“ Overall, Stoics believed that beauty can only come from within. Opinions about external values have always varied.

In the Middle Ages, rosy cheeks were so desired that people didn‘t shy away from using toxic plants. After the rouge boom through Marie Antoinette, rosy cheeks fell out of favor in the 19th century; Queen Victoria of England condemned makeup as vulgar. Then role models like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe showed how to effectively use the red – sometimes dramatically, sometimes sweetly. For me, blush is the best first aid on gray everyday days. And fortunately, it‘s not a political faux pas even for feminists: Simone de Beauvoir is said to have bought powder and blush with her first salary. "When I was young, I tried everything: big blush spots on my cheeks and I don‘t know what!“ she said in a 1960 Observer home story at the age of 52. I know exactly what she means...