Beauty 101: "I Cannot Apply Blusher. I Always End Up Looking Like A Clown."

This week, our Beauty 101 series is focusing on the face—specifically, the art of applying bronzer and blush without looking like you’ve just left a clown convention:

As always, your fellow readers are counting on you to answer their beauty questions. Here are a few to start with:

Blush. As someone who’s extremely pasty, I could probably benefit from some, but I’ve never been able to find any/apply it in a manner that didn’t make me look like a clown.

I’d like to know how pale people like me can avoid looking so pasty/sickly. There are plenty of pale celebrities out there who look great – KStew, Cate Blanchet, Winona Ryder etc. If I put blusher on I look too made up. Natural but not sickly, what’s the deal?

what exactly is bronzer and how does one use it. i got it in my makeup caboodle along with blush and i dont think there’s enough room on my face for both. please advise. also can you use it if you are brown (as i am) and how?

Things I should probably work on: Blush? Highlighter? Concealer? Eh? If it goes on your face and is not a fun color like blue or bright pink or gold, I have no idea how to use it.

I cannot apply blusher. I always end up looking like a clown. A small round face wasn’t designed for the blush brush.

A roundup of questions:

1. What’s the difference between bronzer and blush? Do I need both?

2. How do I pick the right bronzer/blush for my skin tone? What’s the best way to test for color matches?

3. How can I apply blush/bronzer without it appearing streaky or too obvious? Are there certain types of brushes I should use?

4. How do I get blush/bronzer to last?

5. What’s the difference between liquid/powder blush/rouge?

Think you can help? Leave your tips and tricks in the comments below, or email them to me with “Blush” in the subject line. A roundup of tips will be posted tomorrow.