TikTok’s “Blonzer” Trend Is the Shortcut to a Sun-kissed Flush

There are so many trends on TikTok that the latest trend is actually not engaging in trends, also known as underconsumption core. It’s an embrace of the simple life—not needing to buy into every new aesthetic and keeping to the tried and trues. When it comes to beauty, that means sticking to a few staple products in your routine. The newest staple? A little something called “blonzer.” 

Summer isn’t quite over yet, so we’re all still in our vacation makeup mode. In other words, we’re paring down our routines for a low maintenance, just-got-back-from-vacation glow, and blonzer—the lovechild of blush and bronzer—is perfect for that. I’m all for beauty minimalism (although my skincare routine says otherwise,) but I’m also skeptical of the beauty hacks that bombard my For You Page. Ahead, find out more about the buzzy TikTok trend, and my honest review.

The Hack

Blonzing isn’t necessarily a groundbreaking makeup innovation; it’s more about using specific shades of blush with a specific placement on the face. Blonzer is exactly what it sounds like: the rosy glow of blush and the sunkissed halo of bronzer fused into one product. “It’s that almost sunburnt, but in a beautiful way type of shade,” celebrity makeup artist Melissa Murdick explained in a TikTok. 

Shade-wise, the most popular recommendations include bronze-y nude tones for lighter complexions, copper tones for medium complexions, and terracotta tones for darker complexions. The goal is sunlit radiance with a soft rosy flush, almost like you spent the entire day on a yacht in Croatia. Murdick used the Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer in Captivate, a shimmery copper shade, on none other than Selena Gomez. 

As for the placement, the outline of a ski goggle or sunglasses—around the forehead, on the apples of the cheeks, and across the nose bridge—seems to be a popular choice among many content creators. For a more subtle halo, place blonzer where you’d normally place your bronzer and your blush: on your cheekbone, temples, the apples of your cheeks, and the top of your forehead. The end result is a cohesive, sun-drenched base that’s as radiant as it is convenient. A few swipes and you’re done with blush and bronzer. We love to see it! 

The Hype

It goes without saying that blonzer isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of product. Different complexions and facial structures require different products and techniques. Thankfully, TikTok is there to help us break down the trend and figure out how we can cater blonzer to our own features.

Blonzer “literally gives you that flush that you’ve been in the sun for hours, you just came back from a tropical vacation, you’re warm, you’re bronzy,” TikToker @beautybybanda said, citing MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone as their favorite.

“If you don’t have a blonzer in your collection, girl you need to go get you one,” content creator Kamille Gregory said. For deeper skin tones, Gregory recommends more mahogany-toned blushes like the Rhode Pocket Blush in Toasted Teddy. 

“I was today years old when I realized that what I do with my blush is called blonzing,” another TikToker said. She recommends applying the bronzer along the cheekbones and the nose bridge.

The Review

I learned the hard way that blonzer isn’t a one-size-fits-all. On my first go, I tried out a deep terracotta cream blush, applying it in that ski goggle shape. I looked in the mirror to find my face looking somewhat bruised—not sun-kissed, but the kind of sunburn that genuinely hurts. Lesson learned: blonze with caution.

On my second go, I tried blonzing with the Patrick Ta Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo in She’s so LA, a bronzey nude blush that’s significantly more suitable for my light-medium complexion, applying it in the same ski goggle shape. I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle halo of sun-drenched, just-got-back-from-St-Tropez goodness just one product gave me. It’s giving buy one get one free. I’m constantly on the look out for multitasking products that I can plop into my work bag—looks like there’s one new addition.