Tower 28 Beauty Partners With ‘CEO Of Blush' Toni Bravo For Its Landmark First Creator Collaboration: ‘It Felt Like A Perfect Match'

Forbes

2 days ago

For the first time ever, Tower 28 Beauty is taking part in a creator collaboration, partnering with fellow Angeleno and content creator Toni Bravo to release two limited edition blush shades.
Bravo—known as the 'CEO of Blush'—is from Long Beach; Tower 28, named after a lifeguard tower in Santa Monica and founded by Amy Liu, is proud of its Los Angeles roots.
'It came about really organically,' Liu—who is not just founder but also CEO of the company—tells me of the partnership with Bravo. 'Toni's been such a champion of the brand, and she had this real story of not being able to find certain shades, even with her massive blush collection. She already loved our formula and had such a thoughtful eye for what was missing in the market.'
'On top of that, she has a deep, authentic connection with her community, and that's something we really value,' Liu continues. 'She's all about bold pigment, inclusivity and joy—so it felt like a perfect match.'
The product, called the GetSet™ Matte Powder Blush, launched on July 22 at Tower28Beauty.com and Sephora.com and retails for $22. The two shades are Downtown Daiquiri, a bright coral blush, and Sunset Shirley, a warm raspberry, and it makes sense that Bravo, a beauty and lifestyle creator based in L.A., was the perfect fit: she rose to internet fame with a viral blush video that cemented her as a prominent voice for people of color in the beauty industry, as previously reported on by Forbes; she has amassed more than 850,000 followers across various platforms.
'It's been a year and a half of learning, discovery and, honestly, so much fun,' Bravo tells me of her collaboration with the brand. 'Tower 28 reached out to my management team to propose the idea, and when I got the call—I couldn't say yes quick enough.'
The collaboration started with mood boards, she adds, 'and really spent time to speak to the why behind the shades,' she says, adding that creating 'a whole world' for both Downtown Daiquiri (inspired by Bravo's time living in downtown L.A.) and Sunset Shirley (inspired by both Sunset Boulevard and her love for a Shirley Temple) was her favorite part of the process.
From there, they moved into samples and testing, 'really honing into creating two dream shades,' she says, 'not just for myself, but for everyone.'
'The launch and support have truly felt immeasurable,' Bravo says. 'I am so excited that folks love these two shades as much as I do.'
As Liu puts it, when it comes to being the 'CEO of Blush,' Bravo 'earned that title,' Liu tells me. 'Toni is a true blush connoisseur and knows exactly what she's looking for. She's not just collecting blush for the aesthetic—she really understands the craft behind it and is incredibly intentional about how color wears on different skintones. That passion and precision is exactly what makes her the CEO in our book.'
Bravo has a collection of over 100 blushes, but couldn't find the exact shade she was looking for—so enter Tower 28, a brand Bravo tells me 'was one of the very first brands I adored when I began my makeup journey again as an adult.'
'They have always felt beginner-friendly and approachable,' she says.
The blushes promise not just vibrant color but also the ability to blur and smooth any texture, with built-in shine control and sweat-proof capabilities. It's the first-ever setting blush, Liu explains, 'which means you get the pigment of a matte powder blush with the staying power of a setting powder.' (Liu is also quick to point out to me that the blush is safe for sensitive skin—a pillar Tower 28 was founded on. 'Powder blushes tend to accentuate imperfections, but ours blurs them,' she says.) Bravo tells me that, before this product, she'd never tried a self-setting blush before, 'and now I can't go back,' she says.
'Blush is having such a big moment right now,' Liu says. 'I love how people are really leaning into color and having fun with how they wear it.'
Liu says the brand had been fans of Bravo's 'forever,' and she did a blush masterclass with the company earlier this year when it launched the first seven shades. Bravo tells me their collaboration—which is also her first with a beauty brand, as well as being Tower 28's first with a content creator—felt 'incredibly serendipitous,' she says, adding that the collaboration 'just made sense.'
'I love how full circle it has all felt,' she says. 'To have billboards with my face on it all over Los Angeles—and even in my hometown of Long Beach—has been a dream and a half.'
Will Tower 28 do more collaborations like this in the future? It's a distinct possibility, Liu tells me.
'We're always exploring ways to connect with our community and bring fresh perspectives to the table,' she says. 'This collaboration opened up a whole new chapter for us, and it was such a rewarding experience. For now, we're just so excited to get these new shades into people's hands, but we're definitely keeping the door open for more thoughtful, meaningful collabs in the future.'