Fenty Beauty’s newest launch, Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush, is available in 10 shades that are supposedly “impossible to overdo” with sheer, buildable color. Both “non-greasy” and “light-as-air”, this cream blush is designed to melt into the skin, even on top of foundations and powders. The shade selection is really unique (there’s even a violet-purple), and Liz snatched up Rosé Latte, a soft, bronzed nude, on the day it released in order to put this new formula to the test.
Price: $20
Find it HERE
Tested April 2020
I picked up the new Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Rosé Latte because it was a blush shade very different from anything else I already own (which is mostly all the shades of pink). There was a model photo on the website that showed a red-head with really fair skin looking gorgeous and a little bronzed in Rosé Latte, so I took the risk that it might work for me too even though, in the pan, the color is a terracotta that I would normally never choose for my skin tone.
True to Fenty’s word, this shade is sheer once it’s blended out on the cheeks. All of the shades look shockingly bright online, which might deter some people from trying them. Rosé Latte, at least, is way more intimidating in the pan (and even the swatch) than it is applied to the face.
In fact, the first time I used it, I tapped this blush on with my fingertips as recommended and thought most of it just disappeared. I’m wearing the blush applied this way in the photo below and I think it barely picks up when photographed. Strangely, I had this problem every day I tried to get a picture of myself wearing it. In person, I found the blush really vibrant, and actually thought I was overdoing it, but I had to build it up a little more than I normally would to make it visible on camera. Just something to note if you plan to wear this product in photographs.
The second time I wore this, I applied it with a smaller, somewhat dense IT Cosmetics brush (mine is no longer available, but very similar to this). Applying with a brush is definitely the way to go, in my opinion. I had less patchiness, more placement control and much more vibrant color using a brush instead of my fingertips. The color blended out evenly and I could easily build it up in areas where I wanted more (for me, this is the sides of the cheeks blending up onto the cheekbones in an attempt to elongate my round face shape).
I love for my beauty products to multi-task, so I gave this a whirl on both my eyes and lips. I LOVE this as a lipcolor. I tapped my index finger into the pan, dabbed it on my lips sans lip liner and was really happy with the results: a semi-matte, natural reddish brown that felt like I was wearing absolutely nothing.
On the eyes, I went in with a fluffy crease brush to create a light wash of color all over the lid, with a little extra in the crease. This took all of two seconds and provided subtle definition of the eye without any other shadow. I did prime the lids before applying, and this product didn’t crease at all, which is surprising for a cream brush.
I even used this as eyeliner! On the bottom lashline, with a tiny bit of taupe-brown shadow on top to set it in place and tone down the red tones, this made my blue eyes look brighter. I have to give this product a big shout out for working so well outside of its intended use on the cheeks.
In terms of finish on the skin, I would describe Cheeks Out like that of a cream lipstick. Rosé Latte has a very slight sheen, especially when it catches the light, but it’s not glittery. It has the color vibrance of a matte blush, but a soft finish. It applied well on top of my other complexion products (concealer and foundation; I rarely powder my cheeks because my skin is very dry), and has remarkable wear time. For reference, I applied my blush nine hours ago, and as I write this it is still very present on my cheeks.
Although this blush compact is somewhat small (it’s more like a large single eyeshadow and is tiny compared to Fenty’s bronzer compacts), it seems like plenty of product for the mid-range price point and the small amount used per application.
To wrap up, I’m impressed with how much I like the Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush as, well, not a blush. I will be wearing this as lipcolor again and again. I was disappointed at the color payoff on the cheeks when applying with fingertips, and bummed that it looks so different in person versus in photos. It’s not the most natural looking blush I’ve ever used, but it lasts longer than most cream blushes I’ve tried. I’m not running out to buy more shades, but I’m still satisfied with Rosé Latte and happy to have it join my collection.
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