Make Beauty Cheek Tint

VIOLET STAFFERS are about as intimately familiar with the clean, technologically-advanced brand MAKE Beauty as one can be. After all, brand founder Carrie Barber was once a beloved VIOLET GREY employee and we still consider her to be a member of the team. We’ve proudly watched the brand blossom from an idea, to reality, to a best seller.

If there is one thing Barber and MAKE seem to have a uncanny knack for, it is keeping their fingers on the pulse of what is happening in beauty and releasing products that slide in at exactly the right moment to give us an easy, foolproof way to accomplish that of-the-moment look we saw on TikTok (or Carrie’s Instagram, if we’re being honest) and now simply must attempt to recreate.  

See, for example, the moment blush is having. From draping, to temple blush, to sculpting and beyond, there seem to be countless fresh new ways to apply cheek color, and MAKE, as usual, is well on top of this trend. The instant STAFFERS saw Carrie’s tutorials using this cheek stain, we shot her a casual email, friend to friend, asking for samples.

Upon opening the package, we could tell that this was not our grandmother’s rouge. Removing the lids of the sleek sticks, we were greeted with a bold bullet of vibrant color. Tentatively, we swirled our fingers over the pleasantly-slippy gel, and dabbed the product onto our cheeks. Expecting a seriously high-impact look due to the highly-pigmented color, we were pleasantly surprised with the sheer, almost translucent finish that made the skin appear plump and hydrated with a natural flush. 

The more STAFFERS experimented with the application styles and shades of Heat Stroke, the more we became convinced it is the blush for summer: we layered different colors, lightly tapped on single shades on for a barely-there look, applied it directly to the skin for a pigmented statement cheek, and, applied it across the bridges of our noses for a sun-kissed flush per TikTok. Thrilled with the formula, hues, and the staying power (eight hours of heat, humidity, subway rides, and mask-wearing) we were anxious to send this petite powerhouse off to the Committee of Industry Experts for their seal of approval. 

“This beautiful gel blush stick glides on super easily and melts right into the skin, giving your cheeks a fresh healthy look. I love how sheer it is, but you can also keep building for more color.”
—SIMONE SIEGL, Makeup Artist

“Vivid-but-sheer pigments make this product really user-friendly but still bold and exciting.”
—VITTORIO MASECCHIA, Makeup Artist

“This perfect, super-blendable gel blush keeps my skin dewy as if I just stepped out of the sauna in the best way!”
—JACQUELINE LOZANO, Aesthetician

From testers who prefer barely a whisper of color to those who are really embracing that “sun burned” trend, 100% of Committee Members and STAFFERS who tried MAKE Beauty’s silky blush fell hard for the easy-to-use formula and satisfyingly-chunky application stick. Consequently, Heat Stroke is (unanimously!!) VIOLET CODE APPROVED and has earned a place on THE SHELVES.