How Painted By Esther Turned Olandria Into MACZine’s New Blush Icon
Blush. Then more blush. Then even more blush. For Ngozi Esther Edeme, also known as Painted By Esther, too much blush is still never enough. So, naturally, she was the […] The post How Painted By Esther Turned Olandria Into MACZine’s New Blush Icon appeared first on Essence.
Black News 
By India Espy-Jones ·Updated May 28, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Blush. Then more blush. Then even more blush. For Ngozi Esther Edeme, also known as Painted By Esther, too much blush is still never enough. So, naturally, she was the obvious makeup artist to tap for MAC’s third iteration of MACZine: the Blush Issue. And, of course, every artist needs their beauty muse.
“I love blush,” cover star Olandria Carthen told MACZine. “I truly feel like it brings out my features and I really want a lot of women with deep, dark skin tones to not be scared to put blush on.” With MAC’s new Skinfinish Colorstruck Blush held between her jet black stiletto manicure, her cheekbones and under-eyes were brushed in a transitional >gradient blush.”
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She achieved Olandria’s cover look using three different blush shades. “Never ever just one,” Edeme warned. “That’s boring!” Instead, she layered two matte shades, the neon pink “Candy Yum Yum” and the light neutral “Snob,” with a radiant pastel lavender pink, “Lalalavender.”
“My tip for beginners is to use at least three blushes: one that’s a transition colour, one that’s your main colour, and one that’s darker to blend the main colour and the other side of your face,” she says. “So, main, middle, end.” Applying either light-to-dark or dark-to-light to achieve the gradient or transition blush effect, her rule with blending is to go from the outside in.
“If I want a vibrant berry, for example, on Olandria, I will use a magenta-pink to get the colour on her face first, and then blend each side with its corresponding tone,” she explains in the zine. “The closer you are to the middle of the face, the lighter it gets.”
To complete the look, Edeme used a spiky lash coated in mascara, two different brown eyeshadows, and the classic Lip Pencil in “Chestnut” paired with MACximal Sleek Satin Lipstick in “Peachstock.” With everything, “my goal is always to bring out the glow from within and never let makeup mask the person underneath,” she says. “I want inner beauty to shine through in its most elevated form while celebrating every shade, feature and expression of Black women.”
TOPICS: mac cosmetics MACZine Olandria Carthen Painted By EstherThe post How Painted By Esther Turned Olandria Into MACZine’s New Blush Icon appeared first on Essence.
