Tired Of The Glass Skin Trend? It's Time To Bring Matte Skin Back

Dewy, glowy textures have been on everyone's radar this past year — with glass skin and glazed donut skin becoming two of the hottest makeup looks embraced by celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid. But that might change with a new emerging trend. Matte skin is making a comeback, but it won't look the same as it did in the mid-2010s when the powdered look and full matte coverage were everywhere. The revival of matte skin means we'll be seeing a lot more velvety textures with beautiful soft finishes. 

Today, the matte skin trend showcases a modern, balanced blend between the old satin matte with the latest dewy glow so that you don't have a flat, dull look that can sometimes happen with a heavy matte finish. Cloud skin is the perfect example of how you can create a radiant matte look that gives you an effortless soft finish. 

"To achieve a matte foundation and skin look, you should start with mattifying skincare," Robin Black, celebrity makeup artist and global creative director of Ideation Beauty told Byrdie. If you have dry skin, you can still enjoy a matte look without it setting into your fine lines and drying out your skin more. Always apply a generous amount of moisturizer before the foundation to keep the skin hydrated and refreshed.

Then, you'll want to apply a mattifying primer to give you that sultry finish. We recommend Rare Beauty's Mini Pore Diffusing Primer from the Always an Optimist Collection. This primer will help blur your pores and fine lines while keeping your skin hydrated without the shine. Apply a lightweight foundation to give your skin a natural-looking coverage, and stick to cream blushes and bronzers which will add hydration to your skin minus the dewy shine. When it's time for the powder, Laura Mercier's Translucent Loose Setting Powder offers lightweight coverage that will seamlessly set your makeup and complete the look.

The matte look will give your skin a soft, radiant finish, but it can be tricky to get right. Black warns Byrdie: "One of the biggest mistakes you can make when applying matte products is to layer them with cream or oil-based products. Matte doesn't mix well with these formulas, and layering them can create a patchy, textured look." When moisturizing your skin, don't add too much product to avoid a patchy, caked-on look. If you have dry skin, you'll want to hydrate your face with products that moisturize your skin without the shine and start with a small amount of moisturizer.

Celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg explained to Glamour that "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."