Halsey launches Cheek Freak blush balms to mimic romantic flushes

12 Aug 2022 --- Singer-songwriter Ashely Frangipane, better known as Halsey, is introducing a range of cream blush balm products called Cheek Freak and is part of the celebrity’s vegan cosmetic line, About-Face. Touted to give “an enviable rush of color to the skin,” the products are all inspired by what Halsey calls the “flushed glow” of infatuation.

Speaking on the launch, Halsey explains that it is the brand’s most “tempting” product range yet. “Proving that both makeup and love don’t have to be so serious. It’s okay to have a little bit of fun and let your inner freak shine.”

She says that Cheek Freak is “a romantic blush with a velvety touch and a gorgeous sheen,” and is available in ten shades. The color range is designed with all skin tones in mind, ranging from peachy nudes to deep reds and berries.

The buttery blushes are promoted as having pigment-saturated, long-wearing, buildable formulas that are suitable for self-expression and are 100% vegan and cleanly formulated.

Building up a bloom
The watercolor, matte pigment delivers a soft-focus effect that can “effortlessly flex” from subtle to intense. Because of the product’s alleged “buildable nature,” the application is said to be easy to use, enabling the user to play with color potency.

As the cosmetic industry is increasingly shifting toward the prioritization of looking “real,” this product is said to leave the complexion with a “radiant sheen” and a long-lasting, lit-from-within blush as the product melts onto the skin, resulting in a more natural-looking flush.

The color range is designed with all skin tones in mind, ranging from peachy nudes to deep reds and berries.“Whether it’s the afterglow of a first encounter, the red hot crimson of ‘oh my gosh did they just text me that?!’, or the fuchsia flush of a midday frisk, the color delivers and takes you all the way in just one swipe,” Halsey says, elucidating the infatuation marketing behind these products.

Hydrators like hyaluronic acid and meadowfoam seeds are used in her product range’s formula to seal in moisture and provide non-sticky nourishment, which helps to smooth skin.

Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit US-based medical center, explains that hyaluronic acid is a sticky material produced naturally by the body, but it is frequently produced scientifically by fermenting specific types of bacteria.

Hyaluronic acid has several advantages, but it is most recognized for its hydration properties since it is good at holding water. A quarter-teaspoon of hyaluronic acid contains approximately one and a half liters of water or 1,000 times its weight in water.

Self-expression ethos 
Exerting an influence beyond music, Halsey speaks up for causes such as disenfranchised youth, women’s rights, mental health and the LGBTQ community and says that “About-Face has always been about exploration and playfulness.”

Cheek Freak’s campaign places focus on letting go of restrictions, allowing oneself permission to play, experiment and explore beyond cosmetics. Halsey believes that makeup should not have rules. 

“No one is just one thing and all humans are weird, complex and imperfectly beautiful beings,” is the brand’s motto.

By Mieke Meintjes