Summer is the perfect time for beauty, to experiment with new looks and to be bold. The biggest beauty trends and the latest summer makeup trends will help you add sophistication to your look.
Below are all our favourite summer makeup ideas for 2024, including our favourite products we’re obsessed with and drugstore and high-end products.
Beauty trends for summer 2024
Let’s start with some of the hottest makeup ideas this summer, inspired by our favourite influencers, celebrities, fashion brands, and viral TikTok videos.
Modern cat eye
Although cat eye makeup has been around for a long time, summer 2024 is all about the “modern cat eye,” which is easier to describe than to explain. (Watch the video above to see exactly what I mean!)
This look focuses on the almost complete absence of eyeliner: instead of eyeliner, eyeshadow is used, and it is often placed under the lashes rather than on top. A light line is then applied to the inner corners of the eyes to generate a cat-like shape. Finally, false eyelashes are used only on the outer corners to complete the cat effect.
Artificial freckles
The faux freckle trend is significant this season, thanks to “It Girl” Alix Earle and her Get Prepared With Me tutorials. Alex likes to add fake freckles at the end of her makeup to create a cute and youthful effect.
The #1 product for this look (the same one Alix uses) is “The Original Freckle” by Freck Beauty, available at Sephora. It comes in light-medium and medium-dark sunglasses, so you can find one that suits your skin.
Get this look:
Underpainting
Celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips is known for doing the makeup on Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, and one of the techniques she uses is underpainting. This summer beauty idea is a big hit thanks to Mary’s viral TikToks.
The idea behind underlining is to apply cream contour and highlights underneath your foundation and concealer rather than on top. Mary compares it to creating a bone structure that will run underneath your foundation.
In this woman tutorial, Mary uses the Westman Atelier Outline Stick in the shade “Biscuit.” Still, TikTok has widely reported that Rare Beauty’s Warm Wishes Bronzing Stick in the shade “Bright Side” is a dupe of Biscuit at about half the price.
Get this look:
Makeup for damp skin
If you’ve been on TikTok all year, then you know that the dewy skin makeup look is the look everyone is trying to achieve. While the look looks effortless, like you have an incredible skincare routine, it takes some work to achieve.
Everyone’s favourite product for dewy skin is Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter. But cheers to TikTok, we also have a fantastic cheap victim for this creation – everyone is gripped with e.l.f.’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter, which is only $14 and bounces the same effect!
Get this look:
Mermaid Makeup
Thanks to all the hype surrounding Disney’s remake of The Little Mermaid, everyone is talking about “mermaid cord” this summer. This, of course, extends to makeup.
Mermaid makeup is all about iridescent shimmer. Think pale pink, blue and purple. As shown above, Pearl details further enhance the mermaid vibe, although they are optional.
Get this look:
White Eyeliner
Here’s another summer makeup idea we can almost all credit to Alix Earle. The TikTok star is known for wearing white eyeliner on her lower waterline, and this summer, everyone can try this look because it’s so versatile.
Pro Tip: For a softer look, try a beige pencil instead of a bright white one for a more natural feel. Alix herself uses Tarte Fake Awake eyeliner for this. She also swapped the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk for a brighter white.
Get this look:
The Best Summer Makeup Products for 2024
Now that we’ve shared our favourite summer makeup ideas, here are our favourite summer makeup products for 2024!
There are so many makeup trends that it’s hard to track.
If you want to add new products to your makeup bag, here’s a quick look at all the viral summer makeup products we’re sighted everywhere this summer.
Elta MD Tinted Sunscreen
If you’ve watched any makeup tutorials on TikTok lately, this Elta MD Tinted Sunscreen is the best sunscreen of the year.
Loved by celebrities like Hailey Bieber, who uses it in all makeup tutorials, this light and airy sunscreen gives skin a beautiful glow and provides SPF 40 protection. It’s the perfect product for summer if you need sun protection. I also get the “no makeup” look.
e.l.f. Primer Power Grip
A good primer is critical if you want your makeup to last through the summer heat and moisture, and the most popular primer on the market today is e.l.f. Primer Power Grip.
Widely considered a “cheat” of the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer, e.l.f. Power Grip is a hydrating primer that makes a slightly tacky surface on the skin to help makeup adhere better. And at just $10 for a large tube, it’s a no-brainer.
I like this e.l.f. Too. Power Grip comes in two different formulas. There’s a classic version (above) and a pink version that contains 4% niacinamide, which is great for oily to combination skin. You can’t go wrong with this fantastic primer!
e.l.f. Halo Radiance
Here’s added must-have summer makeup product from e.l.f. Cosmetics!
As mentioned earlier in this post, makeup looks dewy and e.l.f. The Halo Glow Liquid Filter is famous for its brightening and blurring properties. Many believe this is a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s flawless filter.
This product is ideal when you want a little dew on your skin but don’t want complete, heavy coverage. Wear it unaided, or mix it with the Elta MD sunscreen above for the perfect summer skin look for everyday wear.
Liquid blush Rare Beauty Soft Pinch
Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the last three years, you know about the Occasional Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. This biological product from Selena Gomez’s beauty line has had us all in a stranglehold since its debut, and if you ask us, it’s still the best blush on the market.
Rare Beauty’s blushes are unique because they’re incredibly pigmented, easy to blend, and affordable—you get a lot of concentrated products for just $23.
The shade range of these blushes is also great. It comes in thirteen shades, with matte and shimmery finishes so that you can find the perfect blush.
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Highlighter Stick
I’ve been using this sunscreen for the past few months, and while I like the lightweight texture, it’s not as tinted as I’d like. (I have a lot of redness that I like to hide.) If you want your tinted sunscreen to cover it better, I highly recommend La Roche Posay Anthelios Tinted Inorganic Sunscreen SPF 50+ as an alternative. However, Elta MD is perfect for a lightweight, luminous finish.
If you ask us, you can never get too glowy or tanned during summer, so adding extra highlighter to your routine is a good idea.
The most popular highlighter on the market today is the Beauty Highlighter Wand from Charlotte Tilbury. A favourite of TikTokers and celebrities alike, this liquid highlighter gives skin a beautiful, natural-looking glow that doesn’t look shiny, powdery, or artificial.
Even though this product is pricey at $42 for 0.41 fl oz, it truly feels fantastic on the skin and lasts all day. This is the product if you want to add some sparkle to your summer makeup.
Enjoy the benefits of Brow Setter’s 24-Hour Clear Eyebrow Gel.
Complete, trimmed brows were coming in 2024, and the best way to achieve this look (besides brow lamination) is to use a strong-hold brow gel.
The best brow gel on the market today is Benefit 24/7 Brow Setter Gel. This strong hold gel gives your brows a brushed, laminated look that lasts all day. (If you’ve used other clear brow gels, you know this doesn’t happen often!)
This is one of our favourite products for no-makeup summer days: apply some tinted sunscreen, define your brows, and you’re good to go! Pure girlish atmosphere in 2 minutes.
NYX Fat Oil Lip Drop Vegan Lip Oil
It wouldn’t be summer deprived of a fresh, silky lip look, and there’s no better lip gloss right now than NYX Fat Oil Lip Drip.
This lip gloss is unique because it is technically a lip oil designed to hydrate and hydrate lips while adding glossy shine and tint.
This product has excellent staying power as lip oils go, and as glosses go, it’s not too sticky. This is a “best of both worlds” creation, and for just $9, it’s worth keeping up on a few shades.
Spray Installation
Lastly, no summer makeup look would be complete without a good setting spray that will last all day.
Many setting sprays are on the market, but our all-time favourite is the Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray. This has been the best spray on the market for many years, but nothing can compare to its effectiveness. If you want your makeup to last all day, you need this.
Although it costs $36 for 4 ounces, in our experience, this spray will last forever. (We’re talking a year or more.) Plus, it’s way ahead of other sprays in effectiveness, so the extra money is worth it.
What do you think of these summer face ideas?
Have you tried any of these products? What’s your favourite summer look? Do you want to talk about makeup? Sound off in the comments!
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