Freckles are having a big makeup moment in the UK, thanks to their ability to give us that youthful, sunkissed look all year round. Brands like Lime Crime, Freck and Lottie London are among the big hitters when it comes to faux freckle makeup, offering pens, stencils and wands, while there's also the option of temporary freckle tattoos for a long-lasting look.
Boots and Superdrug may stock affordable makeup for Lolita-style fake freckles, but if the high street is too much effort, click our links to Beauty Bay and Amazon to buy online. We'll compare the top sellers and the dupes so you can give your cheeks that just-back-from-holiday radiance. Moreover, we have partnered with Makeup Artist Marie Dancer for reviewing and fact-checking the article so that we can deliver the best information.
Quick List - Top Freckle Pens
As a professional make-up artist of ten years, Marie's job has taken her all over the UK working at top events, on TV shows and making up beautiful brides. For all her clients she loves emphasising their natural beauty by creating a flawless base that still looks like skin.
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As a professional makeup artist of ten years, Marie's job has taken her all over the UK, working at top events, on TV shows and making up beautiful brides. For all of her clients, she loves emphasising their natural beauty by creating a flawless base that still looks like skin.
Find out more about Marie and what are her favourite makeup products are through her Instagram! She even shares some industry tips on makeup application too. And if you're interested in getting your makeup done by Marie, you can contact her via her email found at the top of her page.
While a brown or bronze eye pencil could serve as an affordable stand-in for a more expensive freckle pen, the truth is that our nose and cheeks are some of the oiliest parts of our face, and the smudgy softness of a pencil often fades quickly off this area.
A highly pigmented freckle wand or felt pen will contain skin-friendly adhesive ingredients which allow the product to cling tightly to skin, providing a long-lasting look without irritation. The liquid formula and the sharp, pointed tip of a pen also guarantee extremely precise application.
A temporary freckle tattoo is another cool way to achieve a girl-next-door freckle-faced freshness that lasts through humidity, movement, stress and sweat. These stick-on, peel-off sheets are slightly tricky to apply, but once they're on, they're not budging, come rain or shine!
Carefully apply them at the correct angle and enjoy compliments on your complexion for twelve hours or more. One downside is that the freckles are set in a fixed position, so if you have existing freckles, they could look a bit odd.
Temporary tattoos also rob you of the creativity you can enjoy when dotting freckles on to your heart's content with a pen, as the pattern is already decided for you. For some though, this zero-effort approach might be all the more appealing!
To achieve a truly natural-looking bouquet of freckles across both cheeks, you may want to experiment with a freckle stencil that works with your favourite bronzer. The fact that you use your own makeup product alongside this clever tool guarantees a subtle, flattering look no one will question against your skin. As this will give the most natural look, it's perfect for beginners experimenting with the idea of freckles.
The colour will fade into the skin faster than other methods, so if you're not used to the look, it will be easy to blend in with little disruption to your makeup underneath. This product isn't for everyone, as, again, those with some natural freckles won't want to add a new layer, so this product is best for anyone not blessed with a facial dot-to-dot.
Another potential downside is the fact that your bronzer may not stay on your nose and cheeks as long as the pigmented liquid is in a pen, but at least, in this case, you already know the durability of the makeup you're using, so you can't be disappointed!
Enhance your features further by using contour
As freckle pens are a relatively new product, most only come in one or two shades – one for paler skin tones and one for slightly warmer. Unfortunately, the makeup industry still isn't as inclusive to dark and very dark skin tones, but some top brands offer dark brown freckle makeup for Hispanic, Latin, Black and darker-toned Middle Eastern skins.
If you're not sure which colour will suit you, look for a tone similar to your eyebrow pencil. This will be the most flattering as you already know it complements your skin and can be faded out for a softer look. Some pros also suggest combining two tones for a realistic, multidimensional look.
On a final note, if you are pale or light-skinned but want to support more diverse brands, consider only shopping from makeup ranges that have options for dark skin too, even if you don't need the products yourself. This encourages other brands to get their acts together and broaden the range of shades they develop.
Finish off your look with a red lipstick and false lashes!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lime Crime Freckle Pen | ![]() | The Cult Felt Pen for Realistic Freckles in Seconds | |
2 | Freck XL Faux Freckle Pen | ![]() | XL Frecks to Bless Cheeks and Turn Heads | |
3 | Lottie London Freckle Tint Freckle Pen | ![]() | Super Subtle for a 'No Makeup' Look | |
4 | NYX Professional Epic Ink Eyeliner | ![]() | Dot on Some Sunshine With Waterproof Precision | |
5 | Kim Chi Chic Beauty Candy Girl Freckle Pen | ![]() | A Gorgeous Red-Brown Wand by a Makeup Pro | |
6 | Freck OG Freck | ![]() | Mini Bottle of One of Freckle Makeup's Biggest Names | |
7 | Barry M Freckle Tint | ![]() | Silky Freckles From an Affordable, Cruelty-Free Brand | |
8 | Qpout Temporary Novelty Freckle Tattoo Kit | ![]() | Quirky Freckles Just Right for Festivals | |
9 | Bronzie Tan Your Own Freckle Stencil | ![]() | A Stencil You Can Use With Your Usual Tan or Bronzer | |
10 | XX Revolution Fake The Freckle Pen | ![]() | With Skin-Loving Ingredients and a Soft, Buildable Formula |
We can't wait for you to try Lime Crime's talked-about freckle pen, which the UK beauty industry is simply buzzing about. Applying freckles wherever you like could not be easier with this grabbable broad-tipped felt pen that produces uber natural-looking speckles.
What we like best about this user-friendly, cruelty-free freckle pen is the fact that the two warm colourways embrace both dark and light skin tones. Amber has a toasty red warmth just right for porcelain Asian and Caucasian skin, while Cocoa offers a cool, deep chocolate that will pop against darker complexions. A long-lasting freckle pen that won't disappoint!
If Freck's OG wand was a disappointment after all the hype, we can safely say they've redeemed themselves with this bulked-up bottle filled with almost three times the original quantity. Now you're getting oozy-smooth freckle colour that's deep enough for a broad range of skin tones, in a tube that feels much more worthwhile.
Plumped with skin-friendly acrylics plus cheek-safe acetate, you're getting hour upon hour of gorgeous sun-kissed skin with a galaxy of freckles that refuse to budge. Yes, it's a lot to spend, but don't just take our word for it – the thousands of effusive reviews online must surely sway your vote?
It's an open secret in the beauty world that the 'no makeup' look always involves at least seven products, so why not throw in a freckle pen for good measure? This pretty pen has a sheer quality that is super subtle on skin. The vegan formula is ethically sound and smells dreamy too.
Choose between the light and deep shades to accentuate your natural colouring, and speckle this highly hydrating formula across your whole face to draw attention to your best features. For the price, you can't get much more convincing freckles. You woke up like this, right?
OK, so this isn't an official freckle pen, but it'll still help you achieve gorgeous faux freckles and is considerably cheaper than a lot of products that promise the same thing! NYX's Epic eyeliner pen has a super-fine tip and is highly pigmented, making it ideal for dotting on tiny, delicate freckles.
NYX is an entirely cruelty-free brand, and while we're surprised the makeup experts haven't premiered their own freckle products yet, we think this eyeliner is a great shout given it promises twelve hours of waterproof wear. The deep brown shade will stand out against even dark skin tones, though in a subtle way.
Kim Chi, one of the most popular drag queens in the USA and a makeup artist like no other, knows what makes an effective freckle pen. Her offering is a gorgeous shade of red-brown which will show up on a great range of skin tones, though might not be as noticeable on extra-dark skin.
Winning it back some beauty points, however, is its elegant, fine-tipped wand which allows you to speckle barely-there dots with precise results. Reviewers rave about how long-lasting it is, plus we love the inclusion of rosa rugosa flower water at the top of the ingredients list, for liquid smoothness and a light floral scent.
One of the most popular faux freckle products in both the USA and the UK is this clever wand by LA makeup newbies, Freck, the brainchild of Remi Brixton, who started the brand to celebrate the once-maligned beauty marks. Freck OG is applied with an easy-control wand and is beautifully smooth against your skin.
The wand is really quite shockingly small given the price tag, which is why we have ranked it lower on our list. On the plus side, it does last absolutely ages, probably due to the presence of acrylic and polyacrylic acid – two skin-safe adhesive agents that help it cling carefully to skin while avoiding irritation and damage.
We honestly just love everything Barry M puts out there, and won't be taking questions. The brand didn't leap on the cruelty-free bandwagon, they were driving it! Plus, their products are always super effective and, importantly, affordable. A key perk to this product is the refined wand tip which tapers off to a barely-there point.
Some reviewers say the brush is a little too weak and flexible, which means that it requires a very gentle touch. Also, while we love the silky texture, this product isn't as refined as freckle makeup offered by other fancier brands. Once you've dotted your cheeks to perfection, though, Barry M freckles sit tight for up to 10 hours.
Off to a festival or rave in the woods? You may only convince the party guests who are truly away with the fairies that these colourful freckles are natural, but they sure do look cool. From tiny strawberries and pieces of melon to butterflies, bows and balloons, the designs take the quirky freckle trend to a colourful new high.
For just over five pounds, this temporary tattoo kit comes with fifteen stick-on styles that will fuse safely to skin, providing a carefree rainbow look for up to 12 hours. You may need to do some scrubbing to remove these babies; choose a cleansing balm and warm flannel to be gentlest on the skin.
One of our most budget-friendly options for DIY freckle speckles is this cute heart-shaped stencil from Bronzie. Use the bronzer or fake tan you love best through the stencil and you're guaranteed a skin tone match!
The biggest downside of this tool is that it won't be of any use to those who have freckles of their own and want to highlight them rather than create them from scratch. In addition, though sturdy, the thickness of the plastic stencil makes it quite tricky to bend around the contours of your face.
If you are wanting to create soft and natural looking freckles, then use this pen from XX Revolution. Comparable to a felt tip, this pen is not only easy-to-use but smudge-proof. You can use it to create either a natural or a more bold look!
It is worth noting this pen is both vegan and cruelty-free. Additionally, this product will provide your skin with some extra hydration thanks to the inclusion of biotin and urea. One downside is this pen only comes in one colour which is medium brown.
Ideally, you should start off by only dotting a few freckles on your cheekbone area, then blending the product in with either your finger or a beauty blender; this will help to ensure that your freckles look natural. If you feel like your freckles do not stand out enough, dot a few more on other areas of your face and repeat the process. If you want to add some dimension and depth, try using two different colours!
No. 1: Lime Crime|Freckle Pen
No. 2: Freck|XL Faux Freckle Pen
No. 3: Lottie London|Freckle Tint Freckle Pen
No. 4: NYX Professional|Epic Ink Eyeliner
No. 5: Kim Chi Chic Beauty |Candy Girl Freckle Pen
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