Red or pink makeup to add colour to the cheeks; blusher.
"She applied a dusting of rouge to her cheeks before stepping out into the evening air."
In plain English: Rouge is red powder used as makeup to color cheeks and lips.
"She applied some rouge to her cheeks for color."
To apply rouge (makeup).
"She carefully applied rouge to her cheeks before stepping out into the evening air."
Of a reddish pink colour.
"The sunset painted her cheeks in a soft rouge hue."
Usage: Use rouge as an adjective before a noun, such as in "a rouge complexion," rather than after it like some other color terms. This word specifically describes a natural or healthy redness on the skin that resembles makeup, distinguishing it from general shades of pink or crimson.
The word "rouge" comes from French rouge, which originally meant red in Latin and Middle English before falling out of use in England around the mid-18th century when it was borrowed again into modern English. While its primary meaning refers to a red pigment or blush, the specific sense used for playing cards has an unknown origin according to historical records.