by TikTok is at it again! Falling down the TikTok rabbit hole lead to the rise of quite a few beauty trends from the “I’m Cold” makeup look to Douyin-inspired style beauty. One of the latest TikTok trends to hit the beauty stratosphere is the rise of the cloud skin look. Read on to find out what this makeup trend is all about and how you can get the look for yourself. Let’s go!
What Is Cloud Skin?
In the early 2010s, it was all about a full-coverage, matte look to the skin. Unfortunately, I happened to fall right into this era as I started experimenting with a full face of makeup. So for the first few years of wearing foundation, in my misguided attempts to cover up my hormonal acne, I ended up looking like a cakey mess. This was also the era of people using banana powder, in my case the Sacha Buttercup Setting Powder ($30). This is a great powder if you have a medium-to-deep complexion.
In the 2020s, it’s been all about a dewy glow to the skin. There have been multiple variations and nicknames for a hydrated-looking complexion from “glass skin” to makeup artist Nam Vo’s “dewy dumpling” nickname. Vo coined the term after the glossy look of dumplings, and adorably calls her fans her “dewy dumplings”.
Cloud skin is the perfect balance between a matte-on-matte look and the “dewy dumpling” glow. While the face is still powdered down, there is a glow-from-within type of sheen to the skin, giving off a “cloud”-like effect.
@victorialyn Cloud Skin Makeup!☁️ Loving these soft matte looks @hungvanngo 😍 Would you try this spring trend? #makeup #beauty #foundation #cloudskin ♬ Lo-fi hip hop - NAO-K
How Do You Achieve Cloud Skin?
To achieve that perfect glow from within, you need to start from the beginning, with skincare.
I like to start off my makeup routine by washing my face with a foam cleanser and then going in with a cotton pad and an essence to make sure my skin is clean and prepped for the rest of my skincare and makeup products to go on.
Since we’re not using a glossy foundation, we need to use an extremely hydrating moisturizer before applying a light-to-medium coverage foundation. Unlike the foundations of the early 2010s, we don’t want to cover up everything, from acne scars to redness, in one go. We want to apply a light layer of foundation, and then go in with a color-corrector and/or concealer where needed. This allows you to get the coverage that you prefer while keeping a healthy, non-cakey look on the skin.
When you’re picking out the rest of the products for your makeup routine, the key is to keep everything natural. That means no ultra-shiny or glossy highlighters and no blush colors that resemble the natural blush of your skin, so stick with soft to warm pink and red tones.
If you are bit on the dryer side, one product you can help use to give the skin a bit of extra shine is the Crystal Glow Tinted Luminizer Stick ($13.99). Apply the creamy product right before you apply your foundation to help give the skin a dewy, blurred effect.
If your skin gets oily and you are worried about the shine turning into a bit of an oil slick throughout the day, try to avoid layering on powder to cover up the shine. It will overly mattify your look and disturb the cloud-like effect. Instead, take a thin tissue or a oil-blotting sheet, like the NYX Cosmetics Blotting Paper ($4), and dab lightly to remove some of the oil. One makeup trick is to strategically blot away the oil from the center of your forehead, just between the middle of your brows, the sides of your nose, and the inner side part of the apple of your cheeks. By blotting these areas specifically, you can use the shine on your skin to your advantage.
It’s certainly a wild, wild makeup world on TikTok. It’ll be interesting to see what trend pops up next on the platform.
