You can get freckles by just using a freckle pen. Photo: Freepik.
You may have freckles, you may not – but you can easily make your own. Just grab a pencil that’s a similar colour to your natural freckles to rock this summery trend all year long.
Now, they are a beauty trend and many people are covered with them.
Social media influencers and fashion experts are busy weighing the best methods for creating a sun-kissed look.
Vogue spelled out all the simple methods to make the perfect freckles.
Then Elle described how model Hailey Bieber makes her natural freckles so eye-catching – and how to imitate her style using a freckle pen.
Is this just a short-lived summer trend?
No, says makeup artist Patrick Maldinger. Just the opposite.
“This is really a look that you can apply all year round and that will always look good,” he says.
Why do some people have freckles and others not?
Freckles are nothing more than accumulations of cells that contain melanin, or dark pigments.
Whether an overproduction of melanin occurs to let freckles develop naturally depends on the individual’s predisposition.
This is because there is a – harmless – genetic mutation behind it, which mainly occurs in very light skin types, says Cologne medical doctor Uta Schlossberger.
And conversely, this also means that you can only help by holding your nose in the sun if you also have the right predisposition for freckles.
“If you don’t have this mutation in the MC1R gene locus, then you can’t create freckles,” she says.
Read more: Ask The Expert: Tips and tricks to make your makeup work for you
So how can you get freckles if you don’t actually have any?
Fake freckles can be painted on the skin deceptively realistically using makeup.
You can get special freckle pencils in drugstores and they resemble liquid eyeliner.
But you can also use a few other beauty aids for other purposes, makeup artist Maldinger notes.
If you simply want to try out whether these are for you, use eyeshadow, he says.
All you need for this look is a pointed brush and a matte, light brown to medium brown eyeshadow.
First, use the brush to place small dots of eyeshadow on your nose and from there, move outwards towards your cheekbones.
Maldinger recommends working a little “messily” – placing freckles in different sizes for the most natural look possible.
You can then blend the dots lightly with your finger.
What’s the advantage of this method?
“You have good control with the small brush and you can really dot the freckles,” says Maldinger. “The disadvantage is that it doesn’t last that long.”
Not even if you touch it up with fixing spray – and you don’t keep touching your face.
But the actual advantage of the method, the precision with which you can work, is also a disadvantage.
The freckles then look too precisely placed – unlike real freckles, which rarely look even.
Which methods last longer?
For better results, Maldinger says, use a toothbrush to splash on the fake freckles.
You will need water make-up for this, such as the kind you might use to paint your face for a party, or what makeup artists use. Also, a brush.
Take this and mix the light-brown make-up with water and then put some of it on the tips of the bristles.
“Then rub your thumb over the bristle tips to make them spray the colour onto your face,” he says.
The brushing method is quick, but requires some practice and skill, as the brown splashes must land on your nose and cheeks.
It is therefore best to apply just a little watered-down colour to the bristles at first, says Maldinger.
“The advantage is that it looks ultra-natural.”
What’s more, the fake freckles made from water make-up last much longer than the eyeshadow version, namely until you remove your makeup.
Makeup artist Ricarda Zill from the Industrial Association for Body Care and Detergents (IKW) has another tip: Use coloured eyebrow gels.
These are available in dark blonde, brown or dark brown – and they have a small brush or thin applicator with which you can easily place the fake freckles on your face.
For very small freckles, the dots can also be placed with a toothpick, she notes.
Simply apply the colour to the tip and create small dots.
Here’s the advantage: By using long-lasting products, the fake freckles can also survive hot summer days and sweat.
“And if you’re tired of your new look, a scrub will help you get rid of the freckles again quickly,” says Zill.
“You can also apply summer makeup over your freckles so that the fake freckles still shine through.”
Read more: Vanity Fare: Soak up the sun safely with these beauty products
What else can I try?
You can also work with coloured root hairspray.
Maldinger says this is a quick method that promises long- lasting results, but can also result in slightly larger freckles.
It may be easier if you hold a sieve in front of the spray head.
In any case, spray very carefully and use your finger to wipe away any freckles that turn out to be too big.
Whatever you do, be especially careful when using products such as hair sprays which are not explicitly created for facial skin.
“Facial skin is a different kind of your skin to your scalp,” says Schlossberger.
“It is not quite as resistant, is much thinner and the barrier can be damaged much more quickly.”
Her advice for recognising a possible contact allergy is to apply the spray to a small area first then wait 72 hours.
“If nothing happens, then you can go ahead and use it.” – dpa
