Rhode's first blush might have been the worst-kept secret in beauty. Before the Hailey Bieber-founded brand officially revealed that the wait list for Rhode's Pocket Blush, a six-shade lineup of Polly Pocket-sized cream sticks, was opening on June 10, it had not-so-subtly flooded TikTok and Instagram. Mega-influencers like Matilda Djerf and Alix Earle doused their cheeks with baby pink tubes in videos reposted by Rhode's official account; so did estheticians and casual Rhode fans anointed with early samples.
Even Bieber was sharing "cheek peeks" of Rhode's blush online weeks in advance. (The product was in development for even longer than that: Bieber told Vogue it took two years to land on the final formula.) First she dropped a tube into the mise-en-scene of a casual maternity outfit roundup on Instagram, then she tapped a coral-pink shade across her cheekbones in a "Get Ready With Me" relatably filmed from the front seat of her car. The more videos I watched, the more I found myself fantasizing about using Rhode blush before I got my hands on it myself. Bieber and her cadre of testers made the application process look fun and the shades look naturally flushed—a combination I was sure it wouldn't be as easy to achieve IRL as it looked online. I wasn't the only one eager to try them out: "My bank account is ready," more than one commenter wrote on Bieber's posts.
@haileybieber ♬ BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish
@rhode ♬ kiss of life - Jaidens.audios
To be fair, Rhode Blush is the sort of announcement I'd struggle to keep quiet if I were a beauty founder. After starting in skincare-oriented products like peptide lip treatments—plus a viral phone case to display them in—Pocket Blush marks Rhode's official entry into the vast (and crowded) world of cosmetics. There's a lot for Bieber's six buildable shades to compete with, from the recently reformulated NARS blush to the crowd-favorite Cloud Paint blushes at Glossier. But with rosy, sun-kissed, and just-off-the-soccer-pitch-flushed blush trends already ruling summer, her timing couldn't be better.
Rhode's Pocket Blush is finally available to order as of Thursday, June 20, for $24 each. Now that the word is officially out, the wait list is over, and the pigmented cheek colors are here, I can reveal that Marie Claire editors tested all six shades before anyone else. Ahead, we explain exactly what to expect from each Rhode Pocket Blush, our first impressions after test-driving the full range, and whether they'll earn a "best blush" rating worth the inevitably crowded waiting list. Short answer: absolutely, yes.
@marieclairemagazine ♬ original sound - Marie Claire Magazine
What Sets Rhode's Pocket Blush Apart?
The name tells you almost everything you need to know. Rhode's Pocket Blush is a miniature cream stick ideal for keeping up with summer blush trends on-the-go, whether you're headed to a beachside bar or a 3-hour concert at an outdoor arena. Six shades are available to preorder, ranging from a bubblegum, coquette pink (Piggy) to a deep terracotta (Toasted Teddy). Each one is housed in a teeny-tiny, cylindrical applicator—you know, that can fit in your pocket.
Like Rhode's best-selling peptide lip treatment and glazing milk, the blush's formula is vegan and dermatologist-tested. It's also cruelty- and fragrance-free. Rhode claims your flush will go on in the morning and stay there throughout the day, with "long-wear" and "buildable coverage" call-outs. (It's also supposedly able to soften skin while providing a flirtatious blush.)
Those are a lot of promises for a Tinkerbell-sized product—so of course, Marie Claire editors wanted to put each claim to work.
@rhode ♬ face without eyes - 🦆
@rhode ♬ оригинальный звук - dina | influencer
Editors' Honest Rhode Blush Reviews
Samantha Holender, beauty editor
Which Rhode blush Samantha tested: Juice Box, a deep pink blush
Samantha's honest review: "I'm a big blush girl—always have been. I have pink undertones and I choose to lean into them, wearing pink-toned blushes, eyeshadows, and lipsticks on the regular. When the samples for Rhode's new blush landed at the Marie Claire office, I couldn't wait to dig through the bag and select the rosiest hue I could find. Juice Box, a hot pink hue, was my pick. The pigment payoff was incredibly impressive. A small swipe on my cheeks provides a pink flush reminiscent of hours spend out in the cold. I use a small dot on my eyelids and a swipe across my lips too for a full Rhode face. The finish isn't too shiny; it's more of a soft, dewy glow. I will say that product's intensity fades a bit during the day, so I choose to go heavier on application in the morning."
Ashlyn Delaney, associate social media editor
Which Rhode blush Ashlyn tested: Toasted Teddy, a terracotta blush
Ashlyn's honest review: "Another day, another Rhode product that I’m completely obsessed with. First, let’s talk about the packaging: extremely sleek, simplistic, and so easy to travel with—something I always look for as a no-makeup makeup enthusiast. The applicator made the product application glide on with no messiness. In regards to the blush itself, it’s creamy. Creamier than what I expected. The color I swatched was Toasted Teddy. Now, I was a bit skeptical due to it being a darker blush on my medium brown skin tone, but to my surprise, it worked for my cheese and my lips. This terracotta is perfect for a sunburn effect—which is my favorite. It gives me that sun-kissed glow that I think every brown girl would enjoy—especially for a no-makeup look. Mrs. Hailey, you did it again."
Emma Childs, fashion features editor
Which Rhode blush Emma tested: Spicy Marg, a bright coral blush
Emma's honest review: "As someone with naturally redness-prone skin, I've always approached blushes with hesitation. (My fears were heightened after a too-pigmented rosy powder turned me into a lobster). So, as I always do, I looked at Rhode's Pocket Blush in Spicy Marg with trepidation. Would Hailey Bieber's newest product make my cheeks furiously flushed, as if I had too many of the cocktails the product is named after?
"I began by applying the product on my finger and dabbing it carefully on my cheekbones and temples. Despite how saturated the blush looks in its applicator, I was pleasantly surprised by the muted color payoff on my skin, which gave me the control to build up the blush to my satisfaction. The formula's texture is buttery and blendable without leaving an uncomfortable, tacky residue on my cheeks. I noticed, too, that eight hours after application, the blush hadn't budged or faded, meaning my complexion remained thoroughly rosy all day. I was thoroughly impressed.
"I didn't expect this outcome, yet here we are: Miss Bieber, you've turned me into a blush girl. This summer, expect to see me wearing the Spicy Marg blush while sipping on one, too."
Lauren Tappan, fashion editor
Which Rhode blush Lauren tested: Freckle, a neutral peach blush
Lauren's honest review: "I’m a Rhode devotee (my daily skincare routine isn’t complete without the brand’s Glazing Fluid Milk and Peptide Lip Treatment), so I was beyond excited to get my hands on the new Pocket Blush. Warm pink hues tend to complement my skin tone, so I sampled the Freckle shade which gave me a nice, sun-kissed look. While lightly rubbing the product onto my cheeks, I noticed that the smooth (and slightly creamy) consistency allowed for a seamless application process. Also, this blush is pleasantly lightweight, which is ideal for me because I can’t stand the feeling of cakey makeup on my face. Above all though, I loved the fact that the pigment held up the entire day (no reapplying necessary)."
Halie LeSavage, senior fashion & beauty news editor
Which Rhode blush Halie tested: Piggy, a baby pink blush (above), and Sleepy Girl, a soft mauve blush (below)
Halie's honest review: "Rhode's Pocket Blush sounded perfect for my pale, sensitive, breakout-prone skin to get some much-needed color—without the skin damage of a sunburn. It's free of irritating fragrances, and it's laced with peptides that left my cheeks feeling softer after a few back-to-back days of use.
"I started my blush test with Piggy: a bubblegum pink shade belonging on a coquette-core mood board. It is capital-P Pink and looked highly pigmented when I swatched it on my hand. I was able to blend it out on my cheeks after a few taps on either side, but it still felt slightly too bright for everyday use, personally. Packing it for an outdoor weekend wedding was a better fit: The shade felt just right with my garden party-esque floral dress and the tube barely took up space in my (already cramped) evening clutch."
"Sleepy Girl's soft mauve was much more my speed. The shade reminded me of Charlotte Tilbury's PillowTalk line—another of my longtime favorites—but with a more flexible, buildable pigment. I wore it both on the apples of my cheeks and on my lips for a full week at the office. While I had to reapply the lip portion after a few rounds of coffee, my complexion stayed subtly rosy from the time I sat down at my desk to the moment I commuted home.
"I might already have a tube, but I'm signing up for the waitlist anyway. This blush made such a strong impression, I have a feeling I'm going to run out soon."
