7 Low-Maintenance Makeup Trends For Every Kind Of Summer Vibe

Refinery29

6 hours ago

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Summer is the perfect time for a little reinvention — or at least a minor makeup shake-up. With lighter evenings and brighter mornings, there are more daylight hours to experiment (no dressing table lamp or big light required). There's also a buzz in the air with weddings, festivals, and the thrill of getting dressed up again.
The only catch? Sweltering heat, rising humidity and icy blasts of air-con don't exactly make the best conditions for makeup. With that in mind, we asked four brilliant makeup artists to share the summer trends that actually work in real life. Think butter skin, watercolour finishes and blurred lips: low-maintenance, high-impact looks that won't slide off your face by lunchtime.
Butter Skin
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Nature does our skin plenty of favours during the summer. Warmer temperatures create an effortless sheen, a little sunshine gifts us a golden glow (though sunscreen is always non-negotiable), and naturally dry complexions don't need quite as much TLC to stay hydrated and happy. The butter skin trend is all about building on this, laying the foundations with good skin prep before layering up.
'Cream and liquid products create a dewy, smooth glow,' says Jen Lyons, artistry manager at NARS. She suggests approaching skincare with a light hand; we're aiming for butter that's been out of the fridge just long enough to give it a touch of glossiness (á la this soft look posted to Instagram by Violette_FR), not so long that it's a glass-skin-esque puddle in the dish.
Watercolour Makeup
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Watercolour makeup takes its inspiration from the wishy-washy technique and sheerness of watercolour paints — and it can be worn on your cheeks, eyes and lips. Much chicer than your GCSE art class, Lyons explains that it's all about 'softly blended makeup that's lightly diffused.' Makeup artist Emily Wood and her haphazardly blended eyes and cheeks are the inspiration here.
Think washes of colour rather than pops, and blurred edges rather than harsh lines: 'Layering multiple products without a strong pigment will help to enhance this multidimensional look,' Lyons advises. Just because the pigment isn't bold doesn't mean the shades can't be, though. This is a good opportunity to brave brighter hues than you might normally. Try 19/99 Watercolour Tint, £19, Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tint Liquid Blush, £37, and Refy Lip Blush, £16.
Once you've selected your products (liquid is best, and the thinner the texture, the better), it's all about blending. The finished look should be seamless. Use a fluffy brush to buff out or use the warmth of your fingers to melt the makeup into place.
Blurred Lip Lines
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Too low maintenance to bother with a pristine lip? Jamie Genevieve, makeup artist and founder of VIEVE, understands: 'A blurred Cupid's bow is the perfect look for summer,' says Genevieve. 'It embraces the romantic blurred lip trend, which focuses on softening the edges of the lips to give them a smoother, more rounded appearance,' much like this look on Kelly Ariella. This is music to the ears of anyone who finds it impossible to keep their hands steady as soon as they try to trace their lips, or that one side of their Cupid's bow always looks better than the other.
'I start by using lip liner to softly draw around the edges of the lip, pressing slightly firmer to get a more defined Cupid's bow,' says Genevieve. 'Then I go in with the VIEVE Poutder, £23. The soft, matte mousse melts into lips and creates this velvety finish.' To really achieve that blurred lip effect, gently smudge along the lip line of your Cupid's bow with your fingertip before moving on to lip mousse or a stain.
Texture Harmony
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Skin texture trends have come a long way, evolving from flat matte in 2015 to the butter skin we're seeing today. But makeup artists suggest blending the two: 'We are seeing people being meaningful with the textures they are creating on the skin,' says Carly Utting, senior artist at MAC. 'Makeup lovers are no longer looking for all-over glowy foundations or completely matte skin; the magic happens when the two textures meet perfectly.' Think a demi-matte centre of the face with a perimeter of glow around the edges, says Utting. 'It keeps the skin looking reflective in the right areas but smooth and blurred in the centre.' We love this makeup on Eveline Vanderstraeten.
As the middle of your face is where you're most likely to experience excess shine or redness, it makes sense to go for a higher coverage, less glowy finish here. Forgoing powder or mattifying primer around the edges of your face is an easy way to achieve the trend with minimal effort. Or for the makeup maximalists, use a different primer for each zone of your face. Favourites of ours include Iconic London Underglow Blurring Primer, £25, and e.l.f. Power Grip Matte Primer, £10.
The '00s Nude Lip
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Crochet bandanas are back, so it was only a matter of time before '00s pale lips returned, too. 'We're predicting a 'blanked out' sheer wash of skin tones on the lips this summer,' says Utting, who pinpoints Gabbriette as modern inspiration. We also love this glossy look on artist Myla. Just don't try to achieve it with a layer of Dream Matte Mousse: 'For 2025, this trend has evolved to a more modern feel, with pale nude lips bringing a satin texture rather than opaque matte,' she says. Adding, ' MAC's Lipstick in Fleshpot, £25, is the ultimate 2000s lip shade. Try patting a small amount onto the lips with a clean finger just to knock back the colour of the lips.' For deeper skin tones, the shade Stone, £25, is similarly cool in tone and provides the same effect.
This works especially well in summer, when skin looks naturally more vibrant and wardrobes get bolder, too. It's not a look that pairs with a muted palette. For a subtler take, try layering one of these 'blanked-out' shades under your go-to neutral lipstick for a hint of the trend.
Blue Jeans
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The shade of summer skies started making a comeback on eyes at Fashion Week SS24 — and it seems to be sticking around for another season. The hue du jour for 2025 is denim rather than cobalt or cerulean, making this a far more wearable take. 'With Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour bringing country and western style to high street stores — with blue suede tassels and washed denim jeans — it was only a matter of time before we saw this translate to makeup,' Utting explains. 'This blue mixes a little grey onto the palette; try MAC Dazzleshadow Eyeshadow Stick in Bedazzled Denim, £22, or the eyeshadow in Tilt, £20.'
Even in this muted hue, blue is still bolder than your average beige or taupe, so keep the rest simple, like this look by Grace Sloan, UK pro artist for Charlotte Tilbury. Utting suggests combining denim blue hues with soft bronzed skin and a glossy lip.
Self-Expression
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The clean girl aesthetic has ruled for a while now (thanks, Hailey Bieber), but it's starting to feel a little… dare we say, boring? As a result, self-expression is less a trend and more a movement: 'Do whatever makes your makeup feel like you,' says Lyons. If you're not sure where to start, she suggests thinking about your favourite feature: 'Your eye colour, lip shape, cheekbones. Create your makeup look around enhancing them.' No one does it better than makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes here.
If you're not ready to stray too far from the clean look, Emma Tilman, global pro artist at Estée Lauder, suggests dipping a toe in by embracing the creative side of makeup with natural skin, but an added pop of colour, too. 'Try a pastel lilac eyeliner or blue eyeshadow like we saw on the spring and summer runways, or a coloured mascara for a more subtle approach.' We love Sephora Collection Size Up Supersized Volume Mascara in Blue, £13.49, and Revolution Wrap Lash Tubing Mascara Burgundy, £11. The rules are, there are no rules.