Toni Bravo didn’t start with the easy stuff. After years of wearing little to no makeup, the creator went straight for the category that intimidated her most. It worked. She’s since been dubbed the “CEO of Blush,” and she has a huge following and several successful collaborations to show for it.
Bravo was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Social Media and to Rolling Stone’s roster of 2024’s most influential creators. Her influence extends beyond vanity into fashion, lifestyle, and interiors, and her home has been featured in Architectural Digest. A UC Irvine film and media studies graduate, she got her start at Rare Beauty before going full-time as a creator.
We caught up with Bravo about how she built a signature look that reads as effortless, the one brand she thinks is truly innovating, the blush she keeps reaching for and what she’s watching for this holiday season.
You’re known as the ‘CEO of Blush.’ What drew you to blush specifically?
“For me, blush was the most terrifying. It’s an incredibly forgiving but equally unforgiving product category when you’re new to beauty. At that point, I wasn’t really wearing any makeup—for years, I actually took a break from it. I asked myself, ‘What is the most intimidating piece of makeup?’ For me, it was probably blush, so that’s where I went.
The color payoff was really fun for me in real life. Then I very quickly realized that digitally, people were also drawn to that immediate color payoff—or lack thereof, depending on what I was trying. It was what scared me the most, so I figured that’s where you start.”
You’ve had some major collaborations and partnerships. How do you make sure each one feels right for you?
“From the very beginning, it’s always been rooted in curiosity. If there’s genuine curiosity or admiration—or both—it’s an immediate yes. If I’m not curious, if I don’t have questions, if I’m not wondering, that’s a telltale sign it’s not lining up for me.
Thankfully, I feel that curiosity right off the bat. It’s either there or it isn’t. It’s very affirming knowing that every time I’ve listened to it, it’s made sense. It really comes down to how curious I am about a product or a brand, or the organic love that already exists for me.”
Your content does a nice job of balancing aspirational and accessible. What does it take behind the scenes to make something look effortless?
“It comes down to experimentation. I tried so many things—filming locations, lighting, setup. I went to school for film, and we would play around with different camera angles and lighting. This is very similar. I experimented a bunch, and when I found what worked, I stuck with it, with minor variations.
What makes it feel effortless is that there’s a system, but the system doesn’t happen without the experimentation. At the very beginning, I was in all of these different places, and you could see me feeling out what I liked and what I didn’t. If you look at what I’m creating now, you’d think, ‘There’s a routine there. She knows exactly what she’s doing.’ But it was not like that from the start. It’s a mix of routine and system, but also being open to trying something that might not work—and trying it publicly. Not being afraid of that, even when I have a system that works.”
Beauty content sounds like it was somewhat of a natural progression after studying film. Is there anything you’d still like to do in film, TV or other media?
“There’s so much. It’s funny, because there wasn’t a direct line between creating beauty content and what I studied—I definitely fell into it. In school, I was in the mindset of going into a more traditional media space, whether that was production, writing or something behind the camera. Maybe in front of it.
That was the world in my brain until I made a video about washing my car, because I happened to randomly get a job at a beauty brand with no real beauty experience. A lot of things fell into place without me planning it.
Where the film background shines through most is storytelling. Through color, audio and composition, it’s something I’ve always brought to my content, no matter what I was filming with or what I was filming about. There was always a strong storytelling moment—a beginning, middle and end—whether it was loose or otherwise. In hindsight, that’s definitely a result of what I learned in school.”
You test so many products. Is there a brand right now you think is truly innovative?
“In terms of innovation, Danessa Myricks Beauty. That Blurring Balm Powder ($39)—I’ve tried so many things, and there’s nothing like it. We throw around the word ‘innovative’ quite a bit. Every other beauty campaign I’m hearing calls itself innovative, and it could be true, but there are levels to it.
When I think innovation, I’m thinking, ‘As someone who tries a lot of things, this is a product I truly cannot find anywhere else.’ That’s her Blurring Balm Powder, and her eyeshadows, too. Her brand isn’t afraid to be the first to make something, and I think that’s really exciting. It’s also one of the products people come up to me about the most. They say, ‘I tried the Blurring Balm Powder because of you, and it changed my makeup game!’”
Is there a blush shade you’ll wear forever—your ultimate holy grail?
“It’s so hard, because every shade has a different brand I’m reaching for. Right now, I’m in a very berry world. Rhode’s Pocket Blush in Date Cake ($25) is my go-to because it works for both a no-makeup moment and a full-makeup moment.
I prefer a cream. If I had to pick one blush to wear forever, it would be a cream, because cream is so versatile. You can put it on top of other products, or wear it fully by itself. Liquid and powder are more of a blend for me, but cream is an all-in-one.”
The beauty industry loves the holidays. What are you most looking forward to as we head into the season?
“There’s a lot of everything this time of year, but I love seeing the creativity in brand campaigns. A lot of brands put real work into their holiday campaigns, and those are always fun for me to see, especially when they’re done creatively and stay within those brand worlds. As a consumer, they’re so fun.
Some of my favorite limited-edition shades always come out in holiday sets. I’m curious to see what I’ll end up obsessed with. I hate that I get obsessed, because it’s limited edition—and it happens every single year. So…I’m looking forward to it, while also regretting it at the same time. It’s a fun, festive way to round out the beauty year.”
