Tips To Achieve The Perfect Glow For An Ethereal Makeup Look
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Beauty lovers have since left the sharp, matte makeup looks in the past, turning toward soft skin, diffused highlights, and naturally glossy lips instead. The newfound preference for a softer, more natural makeup look has inspired multiple trends. Among the most popular is clean girl beauty, which focuses on skin that looks bare, fluffy eyebrows, and blushed cheeks.
While we appreciate the look for everyday wear, sometimes, we require something a bit more creative or dreamy, perhaps something ... ethereal. Imagine a mythical creature, such as a nymph or fairy, and that mystical, otherworldly glow that they possess. Different from the bright freshness of being a clean girl, ethereal makeup is composed of glistening skin, shimmery cheeks, and eyes belonging to trends, like mermaid skin.
Looking bronzed and glowy on an everyday basis isn't difficult to accomplish, but an ethereal glow is something that requires some more strategy — it takes effort to look whimsical and youthful.
It's all about that base
Perfecting the ethereal glow starts before you begin applying makeup. Prepping your skin to get a dewy base will help ensure the longevity of your makeup. After washing your face as normal, use toners and serums that will instantly give your skin radiance. The Merit Great Skin Instant Glow Serum is formulated with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to hydrate and refine texture over time. It also contains cacao seed extract, which instantly plumps up the skin.
To look even more glowy, follow up with the Glossier Futuredew Facial Oil-Serum as the last step in your skincare routine. Apply it all over your face and dot some more on the high points as a way to underpaint your makeup for a more natural look. When it comes to primer, start with the one that addresses your biggest skin concern first. If you have large pores, dot the product onto your T-zone and any other areas where it's needed.
Next, layer a glowy primer on top of it and all around your face. The Rare Beauty Illuminating Primer has ultra-fine pearls within the silicone-free gel, delivering a smooth, lit-from-within finish.
Avoid full coverage foundation
After priming, it's time to go in with your base. This look is dependent on being dewy, or almost glistening, so you don't want to choose something that's full coverage and matte. A lightweight foundation or skin tint can give a bit of coverage while still mimicking the wet effect that ethereal makeup is known for. If you need way more coverage than just a bit, color correct before applying foundation. Use a small amount on the required areas and tap it with your fingers for a skin-like finish.
Afterward, dot your tinted moisturizer around your face and blend it out with a damp beauty sponge. For the areas where you don't need that much coverage, simply blend it out with your fingers for a more natural finish. Having oily skin and hearing the word "dewy" may make you freak out, but you can spritz on a setting spray before blending to set your tinted moisturizer in place. The Milani Make it Last Setting Spray holds makeup in place for 16 hours without overly mattifying it.
Be heavy-handed with the blush
With blush and bronzer, the formulation you use is dependent on your skin type. It's typical for people with oily skin to opt for powder blushes since they tend to last longer and not make you look greasy. However, cream and liquid blushes are best for the ethereal look. The trick to getting long-wearing blush that won't make you shiny is to mix your cream blush with a small amount of cream concealer. Blush is typically the first product to go, so don't be afraid to pile it on.
For this step, apply the blush onto the apples of your cheeks with a stippling brush. If you have dry or normal skin, but you're unsure of what shade of blush to use, try the Youthforia BYO Blush. The color-changing blush oil transforms into your perfect color, delivering a perfectly rosy sheen onto your cheeks. Underneath, apply a shimmery bronzer to the hollows of your cheekbones.
Bring it up to the corners of your eyes for some uniformity and dust it over the places where the sun naturally hits your face. Radiant skin is the crux of ethereal makeup, so be careful with how you powder your face. To set the look without disrupting the glow, use a translucent pressed powder and lightly dust it onto the T-zone and any other areas where you tend to get oily.
Use softer colors on the eyes
When creating an eye look that looks ethereal and radiant, start by carving out your crease with a transition shade. This technique allows the eyeshadow you apply on the lid to stand out even more. Using a brown shadow a few shades darker than your skin, pop it into the crease and slowly diffuse it out.
Next, add your color of choice to the lids. For a more whimsical approach, go for a pastel shade, like baby blue or light pink. Keep it soft by adding a bit onto the center of the lid and blending it all over, not letting it go over the crease. Add a lighter, shimmery shade for an inner corner highlight and blend it slightly.
To create some focus with the look, tight-line your eyes with a darker pencil. While black eyeliner is always a good move, you can opt for a darker shade of the eyeshadow you used if you prefer. For an effortlessly doe-eyed look, use a white pencil on the lower lash line to make your eyes appear larger.
Layer your highlighters for an ethereal look
Instead of popping on one highlighter to finish off your look, layer at least two different kinds for more dimension. To get the most natural highlight, use a face gloss. Take the Danessa Myricks Dew Wet Balm and apply it to all the places where the light naturally hits your face, like the tops of your cheeks, your cupid's bow, and your temples. To create further dimension, use a shimmery powder highlight on top of the face gloss you applied.
To amp up the ethereal nature of the look, use glittery pastels on your cheeks and eyes. Let the color complement the blush or bronzer you're wearing. If you're going with a pale pink blush on the apples of your cheeks, blend the Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil in Rosé Rave into the blush. If you didn't bother with any eyeshadow, you can bring the blush up towards the eyes to complete the look.
Outside of the base, the lips are typically the most "natural-looking" facet of this look. Lips tend to be glossy and defined slightly with a lip pencil. To avoid any harsh lines, use a lip brush and cream lipstick to softly outline the outside of your pout. Blend it inwards and dab a lighter, sheer color onto the lips. The Glossier Generation G Lipstick has a sheer matte finish that gives you a smooth, velvet finish. Finally, dab a clear gloss onto the center of your lips and blend it out.