Glowing skin will always be in—there's a reason the glass-skin craze has stuck around so long. But now, cloud skin is popping off on TikTok and making us consider whether we ought to ease up on our highlighter.
Originally made popular a couple of years back by MAC makeup artist Dominic Skinner, cloud skin is experiencing renewed interest over on TikTok (where it's picked up over 3.4 million views) with users looking for a soft-matte alternative to sheeny complexions. While glass skin, along with buttery skin and dolphin skin, for that matter, is all about an insane glow, cloud skin is more about a soft-focus, hazy, lit-from-within look. Think about the sun shining through a band of clouds, that's what we're going for here. (It's also worth noting that this is different from the K-Beauty “cloudless skin” trend, which is more about perfecting your skin from the inside out.)
“Cloud skin is so different from the other trends that we've been seeing,” says celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg. For one thing, it offers gorgeous dimension thanks to strategically mixing skincare and makeup to get an ethereal, cherubic glow, instead of a blinding, almost wet-looking gleam.
“You have to mix the textures of what you’re putting on your skin; think dewy, glowing, and matte,” says Greenberg. That's what creates the trend's soft-focus effect, giving a dreamy, hazy quality to your skin that's so classic and pretty — like a Rococo painting. It's also way more forgiving than a super-shiny base.
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One look at social media and it's clear clouds are having a moment — both in fashion and in beauty— since the dreamy vibes feel like an escape. And if the influx of cloud-inspired products hitting shelves are any indication, the cloud skin trend is about to be everywhere. Glossier, as it usually does, paved the way with its cult favourite Cloud Paint Blush. Makeup artist Aimee Connolly has just released the Sculpted By Aimee Cloud Cream Nourishing Ceramide Moisturiser. And prior to that we've seen the Midnight Recovery Omega Rich Cloud Cream from Kiehl's and the Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream. Cool-girl hair brand R+Co released a collection of products called On a Cloud, while airy, cloud-inspired textures and iconography are popping up across a range of other skin-care and makeup products too—even fragrances are tapping into the hype. Ariana just released a 2.0 of her hyped Cloud perfume.
Sheena Yaitanes, CEO of Kosas, says this trend toward dreamy escapism is what inspired the brand's Cloud Set Powder, which offers up the sort of soft-filtered skin that sets the cloud skin trend apart.
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“I was inspired by the soft, sheer, light-as-air formula and cloudlike coverage,” says Yaitanes. “The shade names are also sensorial, feel-good words that evoke the airy, dreamy texture of the setting powder on your skin.”
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Want in on the heavenly action? Greenberg breaks down how to get cloud skin, below.
Step 1: Skin prep
Greenberg says to start with a super-hydrating base; she likes Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. Then let it sit and apply a layer of face oil. “Now your skin is glowing and wet,” she says.
Step 2: Foundation and powder
“Next I would take a tinted moisturiser stick [try the Nudestix Nudies Tinted Blur] to create a great, even base,” she says, adding that using a buffing brush will help you get an even finish. Next, it's crucial to go in with your powder to get that dreamy, hazy feel. This would be a perfect time to use the Kosas Cloud Set.
“Dab it in the hollows of your cheeks, your upper forehead, and a little on your nose and chin,” she says. “It takes down some of the wetness, but the powder also blurs. So now there are some different textures on your face. ”
To make these matte areas even more creamy, she says to add some concealer on top of the powder, dabbing and blending it on with a Beautyblender or a fluffy brush. Then go back over the concealer with a light dusting of powder. This will give you that really fluffy, dimensional cloudlike look.
Step 3: Highlighter
You could stop here since the dewy base will already look highlighted in comparison with the fluffy powder sections of your face, but if you want a really angelic glow, Greenberg says to add a transparent, shimmer-free highlighter to your cheeks, lips, eyes, and Cupid's bow. (She loves Tower 28 SuperDew Balm.) If you want a little more colour — “like when the sun is setting behind the clouds and colour peaks through” — she says to use a tinted balm instead. We love the Fenty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush.
“Each texture should blend into each other, so you may need to blend any obvious lines,” she says. “When putting on this makeup, you want to have a light and airy touch, not direct and strong. Think of a weightless waltz.”
This feature originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.
