First Came the Viral Lip Liner Stain. Now, Sacheu Wants to Do the Same for Freckles

Sacheu is the pinnacle example of “TikTok viral”. Founded in 2020 by beauty creator Sarah Cheung, the brand first made waves with stainless-steel gua shas before pivoting into makeup built around its signature STAY-N technology—peel-off lip stains designed to last all day. The real breakthrough, however, came when Billie Eilish filmed a casual GRWM video for her TikTok channel, lining her lips with Sacheu’s Peel ’n’ Stay Lip Liner Stain in nOOHde, a rosy-brown nude. Within hours, TikTok had turned it into a must-have, and soon one liner was reportedly selling every six seconds on TikTok Shop.

With the lip stain cemented as a cult favourite, Sacheu has now turned its attention to another beauty obsession: faux freckles, courtesy of the new Brow & Freckle STAY-N Pen. As a steadfast fan of the lip liner stain (I panic-ordered four the day Billie posted), I had to try the Freckle Pen for myself and see if it lived up to the hype. After all, who doesn’t want freckles?

Sacheu Review: Brow & Freckle STAY-N Pen

For context, I don’t have freckles. Not a single one. Which, of course, means I’ve always longed for that light, sun-kissed smattering across the bridge of my nose and cheeks. I’ve seen people hack it with self-tan—dotting tiny specks with a q-tip or a brush—but the process has always felt too high-stakes for me to actually attempt. One wrong move and you’re left with a week-long polka dot tan, which isn’t quite the effortless, “I just spent the afternoon in Provence” vibe I’m going for.

The Sacheu STAY’N felt like the perfect middle ground: robust enough to promise all-day wear, but not so permanent that I couldn’t simply wash it away if things went sideways. That balance instantly made it feel less intimidating than the self-tan hacks, and much more approachable for someone freckle-curious but commitment-shy.

I immediately beelined for the darkest shade, Cold Brew. My logic was simple: my hair is dark brown, I always reach for dark brow pencils to match—so naturally, I assumed my would-be freckles should follow suit. I was wrong. Freckle shades, I quickly learned, have nothing to do with your hair colour and everything to do with your skin tone. Because I’m naturally pale, the most believable result came from a mix of the two middle shades—Caramel Latte and Cafe Mocha—which gave me that soft, sun-kissed finish without looking painted on Pippi Longstocking-style.

As for the application, a featherlight touch is essential. The formula is highly pigmented and the tip has a sponge-like consistency, which means even the slightest extra pressure can splodge colour onto the skin. Gentle taps are the way forward—scatter them across the nose and cheeks, then blur with a fingertip to mimic the way real freckles fade seamlessly into the skin. For extra realism, I dotted a few up into my hairline and across my forehead, the way the sun might naturally catch.

Next, I turned my attention to the brow end of the pen—and was surprised to find the formula completely different. Instead of a liquid stain, it’s a gel-cream paired with a spoolie applicator. The results, though, were impressive. It’s incredibly pigmented—more so than any other brow gel I’ve tried—and coats each hair with minimal effort. My only caveat is that it’s not the most precise: the spoolie wand is fairly flexible, so pressing down too firmly causes it to bend. And while it grips beautifully onto existing hairs, it couldn’t disguise the stubborn bald spot in one of my brows, so I had to call in back-up from my trusty pencil. I’d love to see a felt-tip version of the stain with a superfine nib, so you could paint on hair-like strokes that last all day.

Still, taken as a duo, the Freckle & Brow STAY’N delivers on its promise: believable freckles, fuller brows and the kind of longevity that TikTok obsessions are built on. It may not be perfect, but it proves Sacheu’s viral streak isn’t slowing down anytime soon.