Sunlit Skin! Shimmer! Siren Eyes! Summer's Biggest Makeup Trends Are Turning Up the Heat
I'm a makeup enthusiast, and there is no season I enjoy leaning into thematically more than summer. There's something about the warm weather, relaxed schedules, and fun fashion that makes me want to stay outside all day and night, whether I'm exploring a new beach town on vacation or frolicking through the humid city streets with my girlfriends. Whatever the case, summer makeup has a certain spice to it that other seasons lack: It's the quick smudge-and-go liner before happy hour and the bold lipstick that I only reach for when I have a tan. The possibilities feel endless, and celebrity makeup artists agree that summer makeup should be fun.
Bronzed, sun-kissed skin and a sunlit glow will forever be mainstays in any summer makeup routine, celebrity makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez tells Who What Wear. "Always a blushy, little sunburnt moment," she specifies. However, there are a few trends shaping the makeup sphere this season that weren't factors in 2025. Cultural moments like Charli XCX's current rock-star era attached to the forthcoming release of her album Music, Fashion, Film in late July and Gucci's subversive cruise 2027 show are inspiring beauty to follow in fashion's grungy footsteps, and viral celebrity MUAs' signature techniques, like blurred "Nina Park lips" and "Painted by Esther blush," continue to trend.
In short, there's a whole lineup of makeup trends—both new and old—worth knowing about this summer. Keep reading for makeup-artist breakdowns of each one, plus products that will help you get the look at home.
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Beach Skin
As Gonzalez put it, sun-kissed skin isn't going anywhere. In fact, we're taking things a step further into sunburn territory. This trend, complete with strategically placed rosy-orange blush and bronzed, juicy skin, is exemplary of art imitating life, eliciting images of beach days and flushed skin, sans the painful and itchy flaking that comes with the actual thing. Please don't forego sunscreen this summer to achieve this look naturally! Instead, tap a bronzy or terra-cotta blush over the apples of your cheeks and the center of your nose before blending everything out with your fingers for a natural, lived-in look. Whether you're building on a post–beach day tan or imitating one, this trend will bring your skin to life this summer.
Shop "Beach Skin" Products
Versed
Everything Balm in Aura
Rhode
Pocket Blush in Spicy Marg
Merit
Flush Balm in Persimmon
Watercolor Blush
There's no denying that blush is having a moment right now. Whether it's the name of the blush technique you're employing or the brand you're wearing, every beauty lover is tapped into the flushed look right now. One thing that stays consistent is the internet's love for sheer, cloudlike color. "I'm obsessed with the watercolor makeup trend right now," says celebrity makeup artist Nam Vo. "Think sheer washes of blush, blurred edges, and that effortless lit-from-within glow."
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Gonzalez agrees, having popularized vintage-inspired, poppy blush on her longtime client Sabrina Carpenter. "Armani Beauty's Luminous Silk Cheek Tint in Brick Brown has been my go-to for the cheeks," she divulges. "I love applying it on the back of my hand first, then using my ring finger to dab it onto the cheeks, lips, and the tip of the nose."
It's placement that matters most here, according to Vo. "Blush is no longer just on the apples," she explains. "It's contour. It's structure. It's glow almost draped up into the temples for that sculpted effect."
