This Under-$8 Faux Freckle Hack Had Our Editors Looking Sun-Kissed

If you’ve always admired the look of freckles but weren’t naturally blessed with them, you’re not alone. Those with freckle clusters across their faces always look youthful, fresh-faced, and well, just plain cute. So it's understandable why the faux freckle trend has popped up in the last couple of years and why so many beauty brands have also jumped on board. And Lottie London is one of those brands.

Lottie London creates 100% cruelty-free and vegan beauty products that are super-affordable but never boring. The unique products range from best-selling stamp wing eyeliners to velvet skin tints to liquid foil eyeshadows, and more. Beyond the quality, the brand’s Walmart debut in 2021 and a multitude of TikTok reviews have made several of its products go viral. One of those is the best-selling Freckle Tint.

Lottie London’s Freckle Tint, available at Walmart, helps you achieve a natural sun-kissed look in just seconds. The under-$8 temporary faux freckle product has a liquid formula and an ultra-thin applicator brush that can be applied on its own or with makeup. It’s available in Light and Deep shades for a natural look, but the brand also just released new metallic gold and silver options that would be perfect for any summer festival-goer. 

With most of us on the Shopping team craving the summer sun and that just-back-from-the-beach complexion, we decided to test out Lottie London's Freckle Tint to get the sun-kissed look the quick and easy way.

"Full disclosure: Going into this review, I was 100% ready to hate Lottie London’s freckle pen. (Spoiler alert: I love it.) It’s not that I dislike freckles — on the contrary, I find them positively adorable and am devastated that I don’t have as much as a single one on my body. I just have never found a freckle beauty product that actually works. Some are so sheer and light that they instantly disappear into my medium olive skin; others simply don’t come off unless I scrub my skin — which, no thanks. Lottie London’s has managed to be not only visible but also easy to apply and remove, and lastly, affordable at a mere $8.

"I tried the Light shade and was surprised at how well it showed up on my complexion. Per the instructions, I dotted a smattering of faux freckles underneath my eyes and across my nose. (Resist the urge to make them uniform and evenly spaced out; real freckles do their own thing!) After dotting, I pressed (don’t blend, this will make things muddy fast) each dot with my ring finger for a natural finish. The result was subtle but definitely noticeable, and I won’t lie: I felt pretty damn cute all day."

"I actually really liked the Lottie London freckle pen! I’ve never used a freckle product before so I have no point of reference to compare, but this made me really excited to try more products like it. The pen has a brush point rather than an actual pen, and I honestly wish it were a pen instead. I feel like that way you could get smaller dots, or maybe I just need to practice more with Lottie London’s brush tip.

"Blending the Light shade in with my finger was really easy and it looked flawless — I was actually very surprised by how well it blended into my skin! With this shade, it looks like I have a slight tan. I already have a few freckles from my time in the sun, so I think this just made it more noticeable. The look itself is pretty natural — I definitely left the house with it on, at least, and I didn’t feel like a freak haha — and with my glasses on, it became even more subtle."

"I was excited to try this product since I’ve never tried one like this before and think freckles would complement my new auburn-dyed hair. I actually tried the Deep shade — which looks more auburn than dark brown — applying it over my cheeks and the bridge of my nose after adding a full face of makeup. As I took photos during the process, I learned that you actually have to work quickly with the tint, patting it in with your fingertips sooner than later, or else it’ll set into perfectly round, dark spots that do look fake. I’m also a bit of a symmetrical maniac, so the freckle placement didn’t look the most natural. However, after setting them with loose powder, I think they still looked cute.

"I attempted using the tint a second time, applying it underneath my makeup instead in a more sporadic pattern and patting in the spots quicker. This resulted in some smudging…but in a good way — it made some spots look larger than others like real freckles. After my makeup was on, some of the spots faded, so I went in again to add in a few more freckles and I think it wound up looking so much more natural!"