Glow, girls! Get your blush on

It was the eyes, then the lips. Now, the beauty world is homing in on the cheeks.

"I think this look is a big drink of water," says Benefit Cosmetics' co-founder Jean Ford. After so many seasons of smoky eyes and bright lips, this is a refreshing change that really embraces a warm-weather spirit," she says.

Color is the spring buzzword, says Pati Dubroff, celebrity beauty artist for Clarins, so no more playing it safe on the cheeks.

A little blush goes a long way, however, so makeup experts note that women might need a refresher course in application, color choices and what to do with the rest of their face. "A pop of bright blush is totally doable and can look very pretty when done right," says Dubroff. She applies that pop right on the apples of cheeks.

Where is the apple? It's the highest point of your cheek, which is easiest to find if you smile with a closed mouth, explains Matin Maulawizada of Laura Mercier. Concentrate the color there. "Look at a baby's face. You can see their apple very easily, mimic that," Maulawizada says.

Nars national makeup artist Francelle Daly found a spot between the apple and the hollow for the models walking in the spring Marc Jacobs show. She liked the result. "It looked like the models were blushing," she says -- but that took some trial and error. "As you experiment with color on your cheeks, it becomes easier."

To choose a color that works for your skin tone, work in the palette that you already use -- maybe you prefer pinks, corals or peaches -- and then choose a shade or two brighter for blush.

With your rosy cheeks, tone down the colors on your lips and eyes. Maulawizada suggests just something to even out the skin tone, then fringe the lashes with mascara, put on a little lipstick. "Dare to go bare everywhere else," says Ford. "It's the Summer of Love right on your face."

Some tips from the pros

* If using a powder blush, fill your brush with color -- dipping both sides in -- and then blow off any excess, says Benefit's Jean Ford. Apply it moving in gentle strokes upward and outward toward the hairline.

* Women who pull out their brushes and drag them back and forth under their cheekbones end up with a very '80s look -- too '80s, says Matin Maulawizada of Laura Mercier. (It's a pet peeve of his, and, he notes, it tends to happen a lot while traveling, as soon as an airplane touches the ground.)

* Francelle Daly of Nars prefers working with creams because they blend well, especially as they warm up next to the skin. She finds them an easy building block, too, if you also wear foundation or tinted moisturizer. You can even mix the cheek color with foundation or moisturizer. If you have oily skin, though, Daly suggests a powder blush.

* Before applying blush, take the time to even out your skin tone, advises Ford, which creates a smooth canvas.