Love Island's resident dancer, Tasha Ghouri provided us with tons of gorj looks during Love Island 2022, especially when she rocked her natural freckles during her stint in the villa - it's giving us all the summer vibes. One way we're seeing freckles come out this summer? Well only with a nifty fake tan trick, duh.
So, it's not just her bikinis and clothes we're ob-sessed with after all. The sunshine is finally peeping through, and we're seeing the facial freckle trend come back and it's even more popular for this year. Creating natural-looking freckles is one of the best ways to achieve that sun-kissed look we all crave in warmer weather.
A scattering of sun-kissed dots signifies summer for so many of us. But what if you're not blessed with an au naturel set like Love Island's Tasha?
Luckily for all, social media has seen the faux freckle trend go full throttle, with 141k #fauxfreckles posts on Instagram, a wave of new product launches and TikTok hacks set to make achieving the fake freckle look easier than ever before.
Heat is here to help, with the best fake freckles products to buy, tried and tested by our, lifestyle writer Ruby Barry, and the general public. If you'd rather use what you've got at home to create the look- no problem; we've got hacks for days, and a little advice from pro-make-up artist and Instagram sensation, Nikki Wolfe of @nikki_makeup fame (with a casual 1.8 million followers following her every word – us included). Ruby made sure to test out all the hacks the internet recommended to see if they truly worked.
First, what faux freckles products are out there, and do they work?
asos
Introducing the Barry M Freckle Tint which comes in two shades – Light/Medium and Medium/Dark – and delivers a soft-focus freckle effect. Simply dot the tint onto the area you want to target (remember the bridge of the nose and down onto the inner section of your cheeks is winning placement) and dab in with your fingertips.
Reviews state "I love love love this, it lasts the whole day and does not rub off at all, another great thing is that it will not stain once you remove it with makeup remover. I would recommend this to anyone who wants some cute believable freckles that will last all day long and make you look sun-kissed". Some reviews do complain about the freckles wiping off, but Barry M make-up artists suggest setting the look with a translucent powder to improve longevity.
Beauty Bay
Another tint worth trying – the Freck pen. Back in stock after selling out on Beauty Bay (we told you faux freckles were big business), this savvy formula has racked up its fair share of five-star reviews. One says, "Best product. Natural results. Will definitely keep buying this. The bottle is tiny but you don't need much so it's gonna last a while." 🙌
Freck receives the ultimate beauty accolade: "I've used loads of fake freckle make-up but this is the best one BY FAR."
Lottie Londonlottie.london
Tried and tested by Ruby Barry: "I was excited to try out the Lottie Freckle Tint, both the light and dark tint. Similarly to the other products, it comes with a fine point tip to dot the product on. At first, I couldn't get the product to work just using the fine tip, as I would dot it on, and the product would disperse too much as I blended.
However, I tried a different method of first dotting the product onto my finger and then using it like a stamp to press the product into my cheeks. This worked far better and I got a really cute result. I preferred the dark tint over the light one as it dried slightly better. "
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utanutan.co.uk
Tried and tested by Ruby Barry: "I was intrigued by this product as it not only claimed to have 48-hour waterproof freckles, but you can also use it to contour your lips and cupids bow- and any other part of your face for that matter. If I have an evening alone watching Netflix, I use this pen to dot some freckles and outline my lips and leave it to set for four hours. Yes, you do look a little insane during the process with pen marks all over your face, but after waiting and washing off, it's a very subtle natural freckle finish which I like. I also contour my lips too which accentuates them by adding shadow around them. I am using this every couple of weeks now."
Faux freckle TikTok hacks
Now we've gone through products that are designed especially for freckle creation, let's talk about how you can use stuff you already have at home to try out the freckled look. Plus, we've got special advice from the one and only @nikki_makeup herself to help you on your freck-tastic journey.
Eyeliner/brow pencil freckles
First up in the art of faking it, the age-old make-up artists’ trick of using a brow pencil or a brown eyeliner the same tone as your eyebrows to create freckles.
‘Whatever you use on your brows is usually a good tone for creating your own faux freckles. So, take your brow pencil or gel and eyeliner brush and dot softly across the nose and upper cheeks.
Next, tap over the dots with your finger and continue tapping along where the sun hits. As well as blending, this technique picks up a little of the product and redistributes it, resulting in an imprint of a freckle that ends up looking far softer,’ advises Nikki.
Tried and tested by Ruby Barry: "I tested this hack out and it gave me nice results. It was simple to do and took about 30 seconds. Although not as natural looking as the other options (as my pen point on my brow pen is a bit big), it still gave me nice coverage".
Charlotte Tilburywww.cultbeauty.co.uk
Tried and tested by Ruby Barry: "Halfway through I switched from my brow pencil to the Charlotte Tilbury Eyeliner in Classic Brown and got much better results, as it has a nice small tip."
ABHwww.cultbeauty.co.uk
Or try out the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pen, like Eva uses in her TikTok above.
Brow stain hack
TikTokers are serving up beauty hacks aplenty, including one that offers up a smart way to make your faux freckles last that bit longer. The key? Maybelline Tattoo Brow. You can use the semi-permanent gel to dot a smattering of faux freckles for a two-week-in-St-Tropez vibe.
Available in seven shades, the formula is meant as a brow tint that can last up to a few days at a time, depending on how long you leave it on. The website guidelines state: ‘For one day of wear, leave to set for 20 minutes. If you’re after super long-lasting results (up to 3 days), leave Tattoo Brow 3-Day Peel-Off Tint on for 2 hours.’
amazonSelf-tanner faux freckle glow
If you’re looking to get experimental, do a double whammy faux glow with a self-tanner.
The key to making this look natural is to use the right brush - a stippling brush is best. It’s also crucial to use a fake tanning formula with a tinted guide colour.
Simply spray one pump of tan onto a plate and then dip the top of the brush into the solution. Next, press the brush lightly over the bridge of the nose and cheeks for the desired freckle effect and leave it to set for a good 2/3 hours.
Finally, gently cleanse and there’s a natural-looking freckle effect left in place.
So, if you’re in the market for a faux freckle formula that truly won’t budge, this hack could well be worth a whirl and could last up to three days.
Crazy Angelwww.crazy-angel.co.uk
Tried and tested by Ruby Barry: "To test out this hack, I used the Crazy Angel Express Tan and, because I didn't have a stippling brush on me, used a fan brush which worked perfectly. I sprayed the tanner on a tray, evenly dipped the brush into the liquid, and then lightly dabbed it over the freckle points of my face, washing it off two hours later. The first day was very subtle, but by day two it had developed into this wonderfully au naturel look, and defo was my favourite hack to do. It just looked so natural and added a sun-kissed glow to my face. I will be doing this again, for sure."
Root concealer spray hack
Ok, we know we said the last hack was experimental - but...using root spray?!
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Look Fantasticwww.lookfantastic.com
Hear us out: another TikTok trend that has been making the rounds has been to use the L’Oréal Magic Retouch Root Concealer as a spray-on freckle look. The tip is to, from very far away, spray out the root concealer in very short bursts far away, blotting it into your skin afterwards. It sounds a little batty, but...wow does it look good.
And that's our faux freckle guide done: let the freckle-mania begin...