If you’ve spent any time on BeautyTok lately, chances are you’ve seen the transition blush debate taking over everyone’s feeds. What started as a makeup technique quickly evolved into a larger conversation around viral influence, originality and who gets recognised — and paid — when beauty trends explode online.
The transition blush war has become one of BeautyTok’s biggest beauty debates lately, largely because of how closely the look became tied to celebrity makeup artist Painted by Esther online. Through her videos, many people were introduced to a blush style that felt softer, brighter and far more sculpted than traditional blush placement. Her makeup looks — especially on darker skin tones — quickly stood out for their diffused finish and dramatic colour transitions that seemed to melt seamlessly from the under-eye area into the cheeks.
Instead of blush sitting in one concentrated area, transition blush focuses on creating movement and dimension across the face using layered tones. The placement feels more intentional and almost sculptural, giving the skin that lifted, softly blurred effect currently dominating beauty trends. The look sits somewhere between blush, under-eye brightening and soft contouring, which is probably why beauty lovers became obsessed with it so quickly.
Of course, like many viral beauty techniques, the look itself didn’t suddenly appear overnight. Makeup artists have been experimenting with gradient blush placement for decades, particularly within editorial beauty spaces and Asian beauty trends where softer colour transitions have long been popular. Variations of the technique have also existed under names like blush draping and ombré blush for years. Legendary artists like Kevyn Aucoin were known for using similar colour placement techniques to add shape and warmth to the face long before TikTok existed.
The discourse surrounding the trend sparked after celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta teased a new blush launch inspired by the transition blush effect. Online reactions quickly became divided. Some came to Painted by Esther's defense — calling Patrick Ta out — stating creators who help make beauty trends go viral deserve credit where it's due, while others argued that makeup techniques naturally evolve through inspiration and reinterpretation over time.
However, Esther herself never claimed ownership over the technique. She openly referenced artists like Danessa Myricks, Pat McGrath and Kevyn Aucoin as inspirations behind her work, emphasising that her passion lies in sharing artistry and education rather than gatekeeping beauty trends.
@paintedbyesther I’ll only speak about this once.
Patrick Ta later addressed the conversation too in a TikTok video caption, explaining that he had been developing the product for some time and expressing admiration for Esther’s artistry.
@patrickta I started working on transition blush 1 and half years ago. I wanted to create a product that was specifically made for this blush look. I do not own this look @Paintedbyesther ♬ original sound - patrick ta
Despite his explanantion, many social media users questioned whether new products were even necessary for a technique that can already be recreated using products most of us already have in our makeup bags.
@adityamadiraju Love @Patrick Ta Beauty but we don’t need soo many products to create smooth flow of blush. The blending of concealer into blush and using a setting powder along with a wash of powder blush does the trick!! @Paintedbyesther normalized blush boldness and the transition of blush in the makeup world. I think she deserves the flowers for that!! 💕 #patrickta #patricktablush #paintedbyesther #blushtransition ♬ original sound - adi
Honestly? You have transition blush at home.
The secret to transition blush is technique rather than buying entirely new products:
What you'll need:
- Lighter concealer for brightening
- Cream or liquid blush
- Translucent powder
- Powder puff
Steps
- To achieve the look, start by applying a deeper cream or liquid blush shade higher up on the cheekbones or towards the outer cheek area. This creates depth and gives the face that lifted effect.
- Next, mix a small amount of concealer into your blush on the back of your hand to create a softer, lighter version of the shade. Apply this lighter tone closer to the centre of the face and slightly underneath the under-eye area to create that signature gradient effect.
- Once both shades are placed, blending becomes the most important step. Start with the lighter shade first, softly diffusing it underneath the eye area before gradually blending the deeper blush into it. The goal is to create a seamless transition between both colours without harsh lines separating them.
- After blending, apply a small amount of brightening concealer underneath the eyes and blend as usual. Then, using a powder puff and translucent powder, lightly set the lighter blush area to maintain brightness while softly setting the rest of the face.
@nadeenghazal how to achieve the @Paintedbyesther transition blush look with products you already have! #BeautyTok #transitionblush #paintedbyesther #blushhack #makeuptrend ♬ original sound - nadeen🧚🏼♀️
For an extra lifted effect, many people also layer powder blush on top to intensify the gradient and lock everything in place.
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