Hailey Bieber Has the Best Tip for the Sunburnt Blush Look

Hailey Bieber has been teasing Rhode’s new blushes for so long it almost feels rude. It started last summer, when she applied an unnamed blush to her cheeks and lips in her infamous “strawberry makeup” tutorial, winking at the camera while doing so. In March, she posted from a tropical vacation, wearing a glowy, baby-pink blush I haven’t been able to get off my mind. Then came her “sunshine and salty tan” look featuring a sunburnt shade. And, in a slideshow showing off the first glimpse of her maternity style, she finally revealed the blush’s packaging.

Now, we finally have more information on the product living in my (and the rest of the internet’s) brain rent-free. On June 20, Pocket Blush, a dewy, easy-to-use blush stick, officially joins Rhode’s lineup of curated essentials. The blush comes in six pretty shades ranging from baby-pink Piggy to deep-berry Toasted Teddy, and is housed in a lightweight plastic stick meant for those on the go.

In honor of the new launch, we caught up with Hailey Bieber herself for all the details.

Byrdie: Pocket Blush marks your first move into makeup products. Why did you want to start with a blush?

Hailey Bieber: “For us, stepping into the world of color, everything’s quite hybrid. Hybrid skincare, hybrid color—we’re always going to be a skincare-first brand, that’s always going to be the priority. But for me, [the brand is about] building off of essentials. The things I can’t live without are really good skincare and a really good flush to the cheek.

“I really wanted us to develop our version of that. I don’t think we’re ever going to give you a liquid eyeliner or an eyeshadow palette. It’s just not authentic to my story and the story of the brand. But I really wanted to continue building off what I find to be those essentials: the few things I really can’t live, travel, or leave the house without. It’s a great brow product, a great cheek product, a good concealer, a lip liner. Those for me are the base of what I find to be that everyday essential makeup vibe.”

Byrdie: What was most important to you while formulating?

Bieber: “The standards I set for the blush were: the color had to last long and the experience applying it had to be pleasant. I really wanted the texture and the the way it melted into the skin to be pleasant. Sometimes, I find blushes can [look] patchy, or they have drag, or they’re not easy to apply. I knew I wanted it to be a cream blush in a portable, on-the-go situation, and, I really wanted it to give you that skin-like flush, second skin, beautiful, dewy-glowy finish. To find a way to make all those things work together in one has been a journey.”

Byrdie: What was the hardest thing about getting it right?

Bieber: “We’ve been developing this blush for two years. The hardest thing was so many things would be right, and then one thing would be [off]. It would be like every part of it from the glowy-ness to the color would be right, but then the texture would be off or the way that it would apply would be off, or it was patchy. So to get all those standards nailed took us a long time. We had a whole other blush with a whole other formula confirmed. It was done. But the more I used it, it just didn’t feel right to me, and I needed it to feel authentic and perfect. So, we scrapped it and we started over and I’m so glad that we did.

“I would rather take my time and have it be the thing I want. Every product we make at Rhode should be the thing that replaces everything else. I know that’s not possible with every single thing—I still use other holy grail skincare products and I’ve always been really vocal about that. But I want them to be the thing I reach for the most. Until it becomes the thing that I can’t live without, it’s not ready yet.”

Byrdie: What’s your favorite thing about the blushes?

Bieber: “It’s the thing I’m going to throw in my pocket and take everywhere; it’s what I’m going to travel with. It’s what I’m going to throw in my bag. They are the thing you’re going to apply when you’re out at dinner, bring with you to a concert, it’s the on-the-go touch-up. Apply it in the car, apply it when you’re on the airplane and you’re landing and you need a pop. That’s very authentic to me and the way that I live my life, always kind of go, go, go. She’s a gal on the go!”

Byrdie: Is there one shade you’re really into right now?

Bieber: “There are colors that I find to be a little bit more applicable to everyday life. I really love Piggy, I use that one a lot. Sleepy girl, I mix those two together. I love them all. But, I feel like Spicy Margarita (a hot red) or Juice Box (a vibrant warm pink), that’s more for if I really want a pop of color in that way.

“When we were developing Piggy, I was very adamant about having a perfect, really nice baby-pink color. I love a good baby-pink blush, and I felt like we were really able to nail that. If I’m on vacation, I’m probably going to reach for Freckle and Spicy Marg or Juicebox. The color selection really came from [wanting] to have all those different options. My environment dictates how I want my cheeks to look. If it’s summertime, I want more of like a summer vibe. If it’s winter, I’m probably going to go with a little bit more of a muted color. So it really depends.”

Byrdie: You’ve made that sunburnt blush look one of your signatures. Do you have any tips for people who might find it intimidating?

Bieber: “My advice: You can always start with less and see how it feels for you. And you can build on top of that. That’s what’s so nice about these blushes, they’re very buildable. You can start with just a little flush of color on the cheek, and the intensify it if you want to. Start off slow. See what works for you. Everyone has such different undertones to their skin. So what works for me may not work for somebody else and vice versa.”

Byrdie: What about placement?

Bieber: “My favorite thing is starting at the apples of the cheeks and bringing it up. I do like bringing blush up because [it helps lift the face]. I’ve learned so much on TikTok about makeup placement. I do think it really does change the whole face.”

Byrdie: You had a viral moment with “strawberry makeup” last year, are there any blush trends you’re excited about for this summer?

Bieber: “I feel like people are talking a lot about sunset blush, which I find fun and interesting. It’s supposed to look like it’s like fading out, like sun vibes. I have yet to try it but it’s a cool concept that I think is interesting and fun.”

Byrdie: It’s really pretty. Have you tried “boyfriend blush?” It goes a little lower and makes you look like you just went for a run.

Bieber: “No! I love [the sound of] it. Anything that makes you look like you are flushed; like you just did a workout or you just woke up—the way your cheeks look when you just woke up from a nap. I’m like how do embody that? That’s my favorite thing. That was the idea behind these blushes, that they could give you that very natural, real-skin flush, so that sounds very up my ally.”

Byrdie: What’s your go-to summer makeup look?

Bieber: “There very much is my ‘Haileycore’—what I know works for me—that I always keep going back to. At 27 years-old, I really know what works for me, and what doesn’t, and then I can explore and expand on top of that. I love for my skin to breathe in the summer, I don’t want to feel like there’s anything heavy on my skin.

“I definitely stay on the lighter side of things, but in the summertime, I am always wanting to look sun-kissed. I like to apply my blush in places that the sun would naturally hit, like across the bridge of my nose and maybe even higher up under my eyes. I love when blush looks very juicy, glowy, dewy, without looking sweaty or greasy. Like really just beautiful. bronzy vibes. Very natural.”

Byrdie: Do you have any Lip Tint and Pocket Blush combos you’ve been liking?

Bieber: “You know what has been working really, really nice? That Piggy shade, that’s a big go-to for me—and you can also put any of the blushes on your lips. I’ll put Piggy on the cheeks and then do a nude-y lip liner, and place Piggy in the center—which gives a nude vibe—and then Toast Lip Tint on top of that, which is really pretty.”

You can shop Pocket Blush for $24 at rhodeskin.com starting June 20. You can join the waitlist here.