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This post was originally published in July 2024. It was last updated in January 2025.
Hailey Bieber is the queen of food-themed beauty trends on Tik Tok, like glazed donut skin, strawberry girl blush, and espresso makeup. She’s arguably the beauty trendsetter of this generation.
Her skincare brand, Rhode, has become an Internet sensation among Gen Z. At every Rhode pop-up, many girls seem to model Hailey’s style: crop tops, oversized jeans, slicked-back hair, Y2K sunglasses, and Rhode’s phone cases. The Hailey Bieber’s Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie was released in 2022 at the highly coveted supermarket chain, Erewhon. Two years later, it continues to be their best-selling smoothie. Everything she touches turns to gold!
After the success of Rhode skincare, the brand has made its foray into the makeup world by releasing the Pocket Blush. These cream blushes come in six shades and are designed to be thrown in your purse. I wish they had created a packaging like this with the Peptide Lip treatment! The packaging gets dirty very easily, especially if you carry it in your purse like I do. But I digress…
To celebrate the release of the Pocket Blushes, Rhode did a pop-up in Soho, NY. Some fans arrived as early as 5 am. Due to the massive turnout, the brand closed the line after reaching maximum capacity.
I had a positive experience with Rhode’s skincare products, and I looked forward to the release of these blushes. Blush is my favorite makeup product that I can’t get enough of. If I could only take three beauty products with me to a desert island, blush would be on the top of the list.
The Pocket Blushes were released on June 20 at 10 am and sold out on the first day. I was on the website at 9:55, ready to snag my shade, Sleepy Girl. As someone with a medium complexion, mauve and berry colors complement my skin tone the best. Sleepy Girl and Toasted Teddy are the two darkest shades.
Once I added Sleepy Girl to my cart, the checkout process took about 5 minutes because there was a queue. Yes, an online queue!
Fast-forward to a few days later, the Pocket Blush promptly arrived at my doorstep.
First impressions
It’s very tiny! After I got the Pocket Blush, I read the description on the website: “DREAMY, CREAMY, teeny.” In the pictures, the models can be seen holding the tiny blush, but I thought it was an exaggerated visual effect for the photoshoot. I didn’t take it literally.
Formula
The Pocket Blushes are formulated with peptides and tamanu oil. This oil is very thick and rich in fatty acids. It’s also anti-inflammatory and supports collagen production. The formula of this blush is very lightweight, but the oil makes it very greasy.
Application
At first sight, it looks like the blushes are going to be very pigmented, but they’re not! They are very dewy, with a sheer wash of color that mutes once you blend it on your cheeks.
Instead of applying the product directly onto my cheeks, I rubbed it with my finger and swatched it on the back of my hand.
Rhode says the blushes are buildable. However, after a few tries of rubbing my finger into the product and patting it onto my skin, I was still not satisfied with the pigment. So, I applied the tube directly on my cheeks to see if it made any difference. It slightly did. This is the result after applying four layers. The Pocket Blushes have a satin finish.
I also tried applying the blush on my lips for the trendy monochromatic look, but it looked weird. So I applied the Peptide Lip Treatment, which I always have handy.
On the website, it says that the blushes will melt into your skin and give you baby soft cheeks with a natural glow. But in the pictures, the blush looks more pigmented. That’s why I carefully looked at all the photos before selecting my shade.
Here’s the blush in natural light. As you can see, the color is very muted compared to the pictures on the website.
Before blending / after blending on bare skin
Overall thoughts
When I got home at around 11 AM, the soft flush of color was still there, but it wasn’t too noticeable. When it comes to cream/liquid blushes, the Saie Dew Liquid Blush is my number one favorite, followed by the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush.
The Saie blush is very pigmented, but has a blurring effect that looks beautiful on the skin. Even if you overdo it, you’ll not look clownish! My favorite shade is Dreamy. I can’t tell you how many compliments I get when I wear it! The picture below was taken early in the morning of January 2 before I went to Palm Springs to spend the day. When I walked into a Sephora at 8pm, the first thing one employee asked me was what blush I was wearing! I didn’t even reapply it because a little bit goes a long way. I’m telling you, this blush never fails to make a lasting impression!
The Saie blush has a water-based formula that somehow dries into a dewy matte finish without feeling thick or oily at all. I don’t know how they did it. When I wore the Rhode Pocket blush, I could feel the oily texture on my face. I showed the Sephora employee my pictures wearing the Rhode Pocket blush, and she said that the pigment was so subtle that it looked like the cheek & lip tint from Benefit.
I love blushes where the pigment pops against my skin, providing a natural and blurring effect. Makeup is expensive, and I don’t want to have to apply a product multiple times to get pigment.
Although Rhode is still not available at Sephora, the employee told me that many Gen Z’ers come in asking for that blush because they saw it on TikTok. With this being said, it’s clear what Rhode’s target audience is.
It’s also important to remember that Hailey is partial to soft makeup looks. She loves to diffuse her blushes to achieve a very soft and healthy flush on her cheeks. She can pull it off beautifully! I, on the other hand, like my blushes to be more noticeable.
If you’re looking for a blush focused on skincare with a VERY natural finish, then the Pocket Blush might be the right choice for you. If, on the other hand, you’re used to highly pigmented blushes, I’d look into other brands. The greasy formula was also a big deterrent. I already use my oils and serums diligently at night, and I don’t want the thick texture of an oil in my makeup products.
I recently watched two makeup videos: one by gymnast Suni Lee for Allure and one by model Nara Smith for Vogue. Coincidentally, both used the Pocket Blush and funnily enough, they applied the same blush afterward, Patrick Ta’s Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo! It was interesting that they felt the need to layer a more pigmented blush on top.
I mean, would you use this much blush only to layer it with another one?
Suni about the Patrick Ta blush: “I literally use this every single day”.
Compared to the color payoff of the Patrick Ta blush, the Pocket blushes are like a toy. After Nara and Sunni apply it for that subtle flush of color, they bring out the big guns, figuratively speaking.
While I was writing this post, I read a review from Stylecaster.com. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought these blushes were a letdown! The author said:
“Since I’m so used to Cloud Paint (Glossier), I always apply the tiniest amount because of how pigmented it is. But in terms of color payoff, the Pocket Blush left a lot to be desired. To me, it seems a little excessive to have to apply the blush and blend it out multiple times to get a more saturated look.”
The beauty editors at Marie Claire magazine tried on different shades. The girl on the right is wearing Piggy, but it’s barely visible.
Here’s Tamison O’Connor, Elle’s UK Fashion Director wearing the darkest shade, Toasted Teddy. She said: “I’ll keep this blush at work when for when I need a little touch up before heading out for the evening — but it won’t be replacing Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in my main make-up bag anytime soon.”
Youtuber Tess Chung tried the six shades on her Youtube channel. Here’s what Sleepy Girl looks like on the back of her hand + blended on her cheeks.
The first time I tried the Pocket Blush I had to apply four layers. Imagine if I had to do that every time I use it! For a few more dollars, you can get a cream blush at Sephora that will meet your skincare and color payoff needs: Merit, Patrick Ta, Charlotte Tillbury, Nars, Fenty Beauty, Milk, Westman Atelier… there are so many brands that are coming out of left field with incredible cream/liquid blush formulas!
The Rhode team heavily focused on skincare and not enough on pigmentation. Peptide is an ingredient that is omnipresent in the Rhode skincare line. Why not venture into other ingredients? I only wore the blush with foundation, but given how subtle it is, I would not reach for this blush if I’m doing a full glam makeup look because it’ll disappear into thin air.
Had the Pocket Blush not been shipped all the way from the East Coast, I’d have returned it.
Update (October 2024): After I wrote this article, I wore the Pocket Blush one final time. Sadly, it’s been sitting in my makeup cabinet collecting dust. 🙁
What do you think?