Underglow Blush by Color Season: Where to Place the Under-Eye Flush for All 12 Seasons

Underglow blush is placed high — under the eyes and across the nose bridge, blended up toward the temple — instead of on the apples of the cheeks. The soft, low-contrast flush is a Summer's look by default. Springs keep it sheer and warm, Autumns drop it lower and warm the shade to apricot, and Winters place it cleaner and more saturated so the soft wash doesn't fight their contrast. Placement is the trend; your season sets how high, how warm, and how much.

Blush moved up in 2026. Instead of the apples of the cheeks, the flush now sits under the eyes and drifts across the top of the nose, blended upward like you caught a little sun or a little embarrassment. Korea calls the youthful, puffy under-eye area aegyo-sal, and underglow blush leans right into it: a soft, high, lit-from-under wash that lifts the face. The placement is the whole trend. What the tutorials skip is that a high, diffused flush reads differently on every season, because it's a low-contrast, soft-focus effect, and not every face is low-contrast.

Get the placement right and the shade still has to match your undertone, or a fresh flush turns into what reads as a rash or a sunburn. If you don't know your season, find it free in about 60 seconds, then use the map below. For the full shade breakdown by season, the best blush by season guide goes deeper than we will here; this one is about where it goes.

PersonalColorAI participates in affiliate programs. We earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. All product picks are based on color season compatibility.

Where do you put underglow blush, and does it change by season?

The base placement is the same for everyone: product high on the face, right under the eyes where concealer usually goes, carried up and out toward the top of the cheekbone, with a light pass across the bridge of the nose to tie the two sides together. What changes by season is how high you take it, how far you diffuse it, and how much pigment you leave behind. Soft, low-contrast seasons wear it airy and blended into nothing; bright, high-contrast seasons need it cleaner and more deliberate, or the soft wash looks like it belongs on a different face. Then temperature sets the shade on top.

1. Start under the eye: Tap a small amount of blush right beneath the lower lash line, where you'd normally place concealer, not down on the apple of the cheek.
2. Blend up and out: Diffuse the color upward toward the top of the cheekbone and out toward the temple so it fades with no hard edge.
3. Bridge the nose: Sweep a whisper of the same shade lightly across the top of the nose to connect the two sides — the soft sunburn-flush effect.
4. Set it to your season: Match the shade to your undertone and the amount to your contrast: warm and sheer for Springs, cool and soft for Summers, warm and lower for Autumns, cool and cleaner for Winters.

Summers: the flush is already your face

Underglow was built for Summer coloring. It's cool, soft, and low-contrast, so a diffused high flush blends into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. True Summers get the cleanest result from a cool rose placed high and blended airy; Soft Summers can go the most diffused of anyone, since their low contrast wants a wash with no edge; Light Summers should keep it to a single sheer tap under each eye so it doesn't tip into looking teary. Cool pink and rose only — a warm peach turns muddy on Summer skin the moment it's this high on the face. This is the family that can wear the trend exactly as demonstrated.

Springs: warm, sheer, and lifted

Springs are warm and bright, so a high flush reads fresh and healthy on them, the youthful lift the trend is chasing. The catch is depth: a heavy under-eye flush on light, clear coloring can look less like a glow and more like they've been crying. True and Light Springs want a warm coral or peach cream blush kept sheer and built slowly; Bright Springs have the contrast to carry a touch more saturation without it reading as a mistake. Keep the shade clear and warm — a dusty or cool blush drains the clarity that is Spring's whole signature.

Autumns: drop it lower, warm it up

Autumns are the family that should adjust the placement, not just the shade. The very-high, juicy, cutesy under-eye flush fights Autumn's richer, earthier coloring, so it looks pasted on rather than lit from within. The fix is to bring the placement down slightly, onto the top of the cheekbone rather than right under the lash line, and warm the shade to an apricot or terracotta blush in a muted cream rather than a bright jelly. Soft Autumns can go closest to the true high placement since they're the softest; Warm and Deep Autumns should keep it low and warm so it reads as sun, not sticker.

Winters: cleaner placement, more color

Winters have the hardest time with underglow, because the trend is soft and low-contrast and Winter coloring runs on contrast and clarity. A pale, over-diffused flush disappears against a high-contrast face or, worse, makes it look mismatched. The move is to keep the high placement but make it deliberate: a cool berry or cool-pink blush with enough saturation to register, placed cleanly under the eye and blended just enough to lose the edge, not melted into nothing. Deep Winters can take a richer plum-berry. Skip the barely-there wash the soft seasons wear; on a Winter it reads as unfinished, not soft.

Find your color season — free analysis

Placement is the trend, your season sets the dose

Underglow is one placement worn four ways: airy and cool on a Summer, sheer and warm on a Spring, lower and earthier on an Autumn, cleaner and more saturated on a Winter. The high flush is the constant; how high, how warm, and how much are yours to set. A free AI color analysis reads your undertone from a selfie and sorts you into one of the 12 seasons, and the full reading names your exact blush range. For shade depth, see the best blush by season and jelly blush by season guides; for the rest of the low-contrast face, the makeup guides cover lip, eye, and skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is underglow blush?

Underglow blush is 2026's high-placement flush: color set under the eyes and across the top of the nose, blended upward toward the cheekbone, instead of on the apples of the cheeks. Inspired by the Korean aegyo-sal look, it gives a soft, youthful, lit-from-under glow.

Where exactly do you put under-eye blush?

Right beneath the lower lash line, where concealer normally goes, then blended up and out toward the top of the cheekbone, with a light pass across the bridge of the nose. It sits noticeably higher than traditional blush on the apples of the cheeks.

Which color season does underglow blush suit best?

Summers. Their cool, soft, low-contrast coloring matches the diffused high flush exactly, so they can wear it as demonstrated with a cool rose or pink. Soft Summers get the most blended version; Light Summers keep it to a single sheer tap under each eye.

How do Winters wear underglow blush without looking washed out?

Keep the high placement but make it deliberate: a cool berry or pink with enough saturation to register, placed cleanly and blended just enough to lose the edge, not melted to nothing. The pale, airy wash soft seasons wear reads as unfinished on a high-contrast Winter.

Does underglow blush placement change by season?

Yes. The base placement is the same, but Summers wear it airy and cool, Springs sheer and warm, Autumns slightly lower and warmer so it reads as sun not a patch, and Winters cleaner and more saturated. Placement is the trend; your season sets how high, how warm, and how much.