If you wore makeup in 2012 and 2016, you probably remember an era that was all about a full-face beat: dramatic contour, stark matte liquid lipsticks, and enough full-coverage foundation to hide a multitude of sins. I began my beauty editor career around that time, which makes me all the more grateful for the one I find myself in now: a soft-girl approach to makeup that feels like a breath of fresh air.
Of course, sheer makeup isn’t exactly new. But these days, it’s hitting differently. A mix of shifting tastes — partly shaped by the pandemic’s interruption of full-glam routines — and the natural ebb and flow of trend cycles has brought us to a place where less-is-more feels modern and refreshing. The look I keep coming back to centers on dewy, healthy skin and blurred, diffused pops of color. It echoes the “jelly makeup” moment, but feels more grown-up, with a softer, romantic sensibility.
During a recent Instagram scroll, I came across the perfect description of this micro trend, courtesy of makeup artist Alexandra French: Watercolor makeup. Think: luminous washes of color that are dewy but not quite glossy, with sheer, buildable color payoff that allows the skin to peek through. “You can see the hydration and bounce,” MAC Cosmetics senior artist Gilbert Soliz tells Refinery29 of this makeup moment. “It’s also a seasonal shift that totally makes sense.” Ahead, discover the products and techniques to help you get the look.
Face
Our collective love affair with blush is arguably what’s driving this trend. But according to Soliz, the difference between ethereal and accidentally messy comes down to technique. His advice: start with less than you think you need and build slowly, pressing and tapping pigment into the skin rather than swiping. “I also let each layer settle before adding more — this allows the color to blur into the skin instead of sitting on top and turning patchy,” he explains.
When it comes to product, the goal is that luminous, barely-there wash of color — and texture matters. Soliz recommends reaching for “lightweight, water-forward formulas” over traditional powders. “Think serums, skin tints, balms, and gel-cream hybrids that create a veil on the skin rather than sitting on top,” he says.
Lately, I’ve been reaching for Benefit’s new Juice Stick blushes, which glide on with a cooling burst of hydration (that’s the coconut water in the formula) and leave behind a fresh, just-pinched flush. In her post, makeup artist Alexandra French also calls out Stila’s Convertible Color Liqua-Tint Blushes, which can be used on cheeks and lips while delivering a hit of hydration via hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. Victoria Beckham’s Colour Wash comes in both blush and bronzer shades, with a water-light formula that melts into skin and leaves behind a gauzy, glazed sheen of color.
Lips
It’s easy to equate this trend with gloss, but watercolor makeup is a bit more nuanced than a mirror-like finish. Instead, think plush, softly diffused lips that look hydrated and lightly tinted — never overly lacquered. MAC Cosmetics’ Glow Play lip balms deliver a sheer, juicy wash of color that subtly adapts to your lips’ pH for a more personalized hue. Laneige’s JuicePop liquid lip tints lean into that just-bitten effect with a touch of shine, while Makeup By Mario’s Jelly Jar balms invite a more hands-on approach, letting you finger-paint your way to a lived-in lip look.
In terms of shades (and this applies for elsewhere on the face, too), it’s less about the specific color and more about how it’s applied; if I’m not dabbing product on with clean fingers, I like to follow Katie Jane Hughes’ technique of “priming” the brush (aka loading it up with product and diffusing it within the bristles by wiping excess off the back of my hand) to dot it onto my mouth for a blurred effect. Additionally, I’ve been pushing myself to leave my comfort zone of nudes and terracottas in favor of rosy and even lilac tones, like something I’d see in a Eugène Delacroix portrait.
Eyes
And yes, the look works for eyes, too. Instead of reaching for your most pigmented powders, opt for sheer liquid or cream shadows that can be tapped onto lids with your fingers for that softly diffused effect. I’ve been especially into Violette_FR’s new Plume Eyeshadows, which melt into the skin with a blurred finish thanks to their soft, cream-to-powder formula. As Violette herself puts it, the goal with this product “isn’t intensity or precision,” but rather a diaphanous veil of color that feels effortless to apply. I also love Versed’s Sheer Stay Liquid Eyeshadow (particularly the shade Haze, a pale purple that looks borrowed from Monet’s Water Lilies paintings) and Armani Beauty’s Eye Tints — both deliver a quick, foolproof wash of color that you can swipe on and blend out in seconds.
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