The latte makeup trend has been everywhere this summer as a fresh take on the bronzed goddess look. It’s also universally flattering on all skin tones and ages, plus it goes with any outfit, making it perfect for day or evening wear. The best part is experts predict this trend is here to stay through the cooler fall and winter months.
Latte makeup is a monochromatic makeup look achieved by layering different shades of brown to create a beautiful, bronzed appearance.
The secret is to use brown hues with caramel, yellow, and olive undertones as opposed to warm oranges or reds. The look is totally customizable and can be adjusted to suit your skin tone by the depth of shade; two or three shades darker than your skin tone is a good place to start, but feel free to go deeper for added drama. The look is seamless with no hard lines or sharp edges, making it easy to apply and extremely natural. It can also be tweaked with strategically placed pops of gold and shine to up its impact.
Latte makeup is all about the colors you use on your cheeks, eyes, and lips to create a neutral harmony that brings warmth and dimension to the complexion.
To create this look, start by prepping, priming, and color-correcting with foundation and concealer as you normally would. Although, you may want to opt for shearer coverage with a more luminous and dewy finish in warmer months, and opaque coverage with a more matte finish in cooler months.
Face
Bronzer is the first of the browns you’ll be adding to your face. Swirl it over the cheekbones, forehead, and down the nose; anywhere the sun would naturally hit. A matte finish can be used as a contour product as well to sculpt the hollows of the cheekbones, on the temples, and under the jawline. Both powder and cream formulas will work for this; just be sure to blend well for a seamless, melt-into-the-skin effect.
Benefit Cosmetics’ Hoola Matte Bronzer is an Allure 2020 Best of Beauty award-winner that immediately adds warmth to the complexion. The silky-soft powder glides on seamlessly and leaves a natural matte finish.
The Nudestix Nudies Matte Blush & Bronze is a soft cream balm that melts into the skin to deliver a naturally flushed and healthy matte finish. The nude colors can be applied directly from the stick, then buffed and blended to perfection with the built-in brush end. As an added bonus, it can be used on the cheeks, eyes, and lips.
Adding some blush to the apples of the cheeks is an optional step for this look. Should you decide to use blush, steer clear of bright pinks and corals, and rather opt for neutral nude tones. Again, both powder and cream formulas will work for this step.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Cheek to Chic Blush in Pillow Talk is a two-tone neutral pink and champagne powder blush that is easy to build and blend. Pearlized pigments enhance natural glow while light-flex technology reflects light for a luminous sheen.
Stila’s Convertible Color is a multi-tasking 2-in-1 blush and lipstick that features a sheer, buildable cream formula with radiant color. It blends effortlessly with fingertips and leaves a gorgeous glow.
Eyes
There are plenty of options to create an eye look that works with the latte makeup trend. For a minimal look, apply a wash of one brown shadow over the lids and the creases, then blend, diffusing all edges into the skin.
Latte makeup should look soft and hazy, so the more blended, the better. You can even use the same bronzer as a wash over the lids for a more cohesive look.
For more depth and definition, use more than one shade. Go in with a deeper brown to define the crease using a blender brush and use a tan or beige hue to lighten the brow bone or inner corners of the eyes. Warm tones and cool tones will both work, depending on which enhances your skin tone better.
You can use all matte finishes, or for a more dimensional look, try mixing matte and shimmer. To take it a step further, use one of the shades to line the lower lash line with an angle brush to diffuse and soften the eye look.
NYX Professional Makeup’s Warm Neutrals Ultimate Shadow Palette features 16 vegan, highly-pigmented, gorgeous nude shades in matte, shimmer, and metallic finishes. Instantly go from day to play with this palette that is expertly curated by makeup pros for all skin tones.
The Too Faced Born This Way – The Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Palette contains 16 modern nudes (eight mattes with eight corresponding shimmer shades) that are flattering on all skin tones. The creamy texture is highly pigmented and easy to blend. These shadows are also infused with skincare benefits like coconut water, hyaluronic acid, and alpine rose.
To add a little optional glam, use a pop of liquid glitter eyeshadow on the center of the lids, inner corners of the eyes, or lower lash line. e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow in 24K Gold, Dirty Martini, or Flirty Birdie will get the job done.
Should you decide to line your eyes—which is completely optional—try a brown pencil and smudge any hard lines for a soft, diffused look. For even more definition, another option is to line the top of the eyes with a liquid brown liner.
The MAC Cosmetics Eye Kohl in Teddy is an intense bronze shade with a matte/pearl finish. The soft texture glides on without skipping and is safe for use in waterlines.
Stila’s Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner is an Allure 2020 Readers’ Choice award-winner. The fine marker tip allows for precision application that glides on, dries fast to a satin finish, won’t smudge or transfer, and lasts all day. Try the shade Dark Brown (rich chocolate) or Intense Smoky Quartz (espresso).
To complete the eye look, apply a coat of rich brown mascara.
Lips
A nude lip works best for latte makeup.
With a neutral brown liner, apply slightly outside your natural lip line to create fullness, then fill in the lips with a nude gloss. For some contrast, another approach is to fill in the corners and outer edges of the lip line with the liner (leaving the center of the lips bare) to create an ombre effect, then simply top with a clear gloss for a more multi-dimensional look. You can also do an all-matte look if you prefer.
MAC Cosmetics’ Lip Pencil features a creamy formula that applies without skipping or dragging to outline, contour, and fill in lips with long-lasting color. Try it in shade Oak (soft beige brown), Cork (muted golden brown), or Chestnut (intense brown) to enhance your latte lip look.
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Toffee (light warm brown) is the perfect shade to deliver latte lips. The weightless, non-sticky formula provides a long-lasting glass-like shine.
Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream in Cookie Jar (chocolate caramel) is perfect for deeper skin tones. The universally flattering, shimmer-free color offers medium-full, buildable coverage that provides brilliant shine. The non-sticky formula is infused with vitamin A to nourish lips, and it has a deliciously light peach-vanilla scent.
The Wet n Wild Megaslicks Lip Gloss in Crystal Clear is a perfect no-color, shine-only gloss. It promotes firmness and hydration with a blend of jojoba glaze, maxi lip peptides, hyaluronic acid, and collagen while giving lips a fuller, smoother appearance.
It makes sense that this viral summertime makeup trend would carry to the other seasons and become a year-round staple. After all, it is invariably becoming on all ages and skin tones, completely customizable, easy to apply, perfect for day or night, and complimentary to any outfit.
As summer fades to fall, give the latte makeup look a try. Experiment with different colors, tones, and finishes, incorporate different brands, products, and formulas, and personalize the look to make it uniquely you.
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