A Beauty Editor’s Honest Review of Rhode’s New Pocket Blush

There’s no denying the hold that Hailey Bieber has on the beauty world right now. From her “strawberry girl makeup” tutorial that sparked a TikTok craze to her skincare brand, Rhode, which often sells out of its lip glazes and companion phone cases, everything Hailey touches seemingly turns to gold. Even so, as a longtime beauty editor, I’m not typically swayed by fanfare, but when I got wind of Rhode’s latest launch, I knew I had to at least give it a try.

The blush costs $24 a pop, which is on par with most non-drugstore options. (For context, my all-time favorite Haus Labs blush goes for $32.) Pocket Blush is a creamy stick formula that comes in a streamlined shade range of just six hues, from a hot pink to a bright coral and a bronze terracotta. I tend to gravitate towards softer pinks and peaches, so I decided to try “Piggy,” a cool baby pink and “Freckle,” a neutral peach.

Honestly, my first thought when I received the blush was that it was bulkier than it needed to be, especially considering the name. You’ll see what I mean when the cap is open.

I suppose the thicker tube is more ergonomic to hold in your palm, but if Rhode really wants to make the blush “pocket”-friendly, they’ll need to downsize the packaging a skosh.

Looks aside, my second impression of Pocket Blush was that it glided on nicely. Seriously, this blush has more glide than an Olympic figure skater on a freshly Zambonied rink. This makes the application a downright breeze, as it practically blends itself with a few fingertaps.

Now the color payoff: It’s pretty pigmented on first swipe, which surprised me at first, but it sheers out nicely, leaving behind a softer veil of color. My colleague and commerce editor Olivia Kappler had a similar experience using the Pocket Blush. "As soon as I applied a full swipe of this blush across my cheek, I knew it was way too much because the pigmentation is that good. It turns out I only need a dot on each cheek to give me the pink flush I'm looking for," she says.

While writing this review, I came across an interview Hailey did with Byrdie just before the blush launched, and she said she wanted “the texture and the way [the blush] melted into the skin to be pleasant,” so it didn’t look patchy or drag on your skin when you apply it. I’d say she accomplished that goal—and then some. For this reason alone, I think Pocket Blush is a worthy buy. It has the smoothest application of any stick blush I’ve tried recently, and it leaves an equally seamless flush of color that's so flattering.