So, you’ve found yourself completely in love with the dreamy watercolor makeup trend populating Pinterest boards and TikTok For You Pages, and have taken a specific interest in the cherubic cheeks in vivid, pastel hues that can theoretically transform anyone into a modern Marie Antoinette. We’ve seen the emergence of historical beauty trends appear on the red carpet for a couple of years (notably taking cues from the renaissance and medieval eras), but the rococo-inspired look has us dreaming of romance just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Keep scrolling for my deep dive into the artistic beauty trend with a step-by-step guide on how to create it from a makeup artist, and the absolute best products to make it happen from brands like Hourglass, Rhode, and Makeup by Mario. Just be forewarned, however, that you may be tempted to wear silk heels, dresses draped with candy-colored ribbons, and high hair from this day on.
What is the watercolor blush trend?
Who better to ask for the details on one of TikTok’s most wearable trends than a makeup artist that can capture any romantic trend with a wave of a brush? We reached out to New York-based freelance makeup artist and content creator Lila Childs to learn what makes the art-inspired trend so enticing. “The watercolor makeup trend is a slightly more elevated version of the no makeup makeup or ‘clean girl’ makeup look in my opinion. It’s all about creating soft thin layers of product,” she says. “I think it has become so popular over the past few months because it ties in makeup artist techniques to elevate a very wearable everyday look.” Childs also raises the fact that makeup artist and techniques are becoming more popular, prompting the rise of the watercolor makeup trend.
Step 1: Apply your products like a painter
Before adding any of the romantic details or ethereal finishing touches, Childs recommends making sure you apply all products to the back of your hand, then working them into the brush rather than applying any product directly to your face. “Think of it as putting paint in a palette and picking up a small amount with a paintbrush, as the trend suggests,” she says. “This will allow you to control how much product you are applying and also create thin, watercolor-like layers on the skin.” Placement is also everything for recreating the viral makeup trend. Child’s take on the trend sees the blush placed on the center of the cheek (slightly lower than you might thing) to create the ‘cherub cheek’ effect. If you don’t want to miss a step, refer to the tutorial she posted last summer breaking down the process.
Step 2: Add the artistic details
Apart from TikTok trends, we’ve seen watercolor blush in other forms of media—including historical works of art. Childs associates the trend with portraits from the rococo era: an 18th century French art movement that’s characterized by the use of pastel colors, aristocratic themes, and pastoral settings. She highlights the makeup trend’s flushed cheeks, defined eye lines, specific highlights, and soft pink lips as an idealized nod to the era. For adding artificial highlights to the inner corner of the eye, tip of the nose, and cupid’s bow, she uses the Acqua Highlighter in Halo ($39) by Armani Beauty to set the skin aglow.
Childs recommends tightling just the upper waterline and inner corner to define the eyes against the “soft, hazy complexion,” with a thin, waterproof liner. Her top pick for this is Canmake’s Creamy Touch Liner ($12). She also loves adding a blurred lip line to a makeup with watercolor blush since it adds a pop of color to the center of the look. “The Rhode lip liners ($24) are great for this effect, and I like using the same blush for the cheeks on the center of the lips,” says Childs.
Step 3: Focus on the finishing touches
Childs tells us that in her viral watercolor makeup routine, she uses a few key products to bring the romantic blush look to life. To add a buildable, vibrant flush of color to the lips and cheeks, she used Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Color Wash Blush Water Tint ($46). “love how the thin stain-like formula really acts as a watercolor for the face,” explains Childs. For a warm, sun-kissed glow along the perimeters of the face, she opts for Westman Atelier’s Sun Tone Bronzing Drops ($58) and Makeup by Mario’s Softsculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum ($36). To create what she describes, as a, “painterly blend,” the makeup artist recommends any of the brushes from Japanese brand Rephr.
Childs’s watercolor makeup essentials
Canmake
Creamy Touch Liner
This creamy, 1.5mm gel eyeliner by Canmake will glide onto your eyelids without skipping or dragging, which is ideal for creating fine lines while delivering rich color.
Clio
Crystal Glam Tint
Clio’s Crystal Glam Tint offers instant moisture and buildable, long-lasting pigment with a silky texture that lasts all day with endless shine and a glass-like finish.
Rhode
Peptide Lip Shape
Consider adding this to your makeup routine will ensure that your lips are contoured and shaped to perfection with a peptide-enriched formula and helpful smudging tool.
Makeup by Mario
Softsculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum
Makeup by Mario’s multi-use liquid bronzer warms the complexion for a sun-kissed glow, while also softly sculpting targeted areas with a formula using hyaluronic acid and vitamin E.
Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Acqua Highlighter in Halo
This luxe, multipurpose highlighter illuminates and hydrates the skin for 24-hour radiance and a stunning, pearly glow. Its formula has hyper-reflective micropearls that catches the light.
Rephr
The LC Collection
Childs’s current favorite brush collection uses synthetic bristles crafted to mimic the look and feel of natural hair using a design that works well with liquid and cream based products.
Westman Atelier
Sun Tone Bronzing Drops
These featherlight bronzing drops by Westman Atelier layers and blends like a dream to create a natural-looking, sun-kissed complexion using a formula powered by an amino-infused active blend.
Shop the best blush for the trend
Pixi
Sheer Cheek Gel in Flushed
Pixi happens to have one of the most affordable and high-performance cheek stains on the market using an oil-free formula with sheer pigment. It leaves cheeks dewy and flushed all day using soothing aloe vera and a blend of nourishing ingredients while brightening your complexion. Simply dab the product on using your fingers, and blend this out to your heart’s desire.
Customer Review: “I exclusively use gel or cream products because I prefer a much more natural look. This product does not disappoint. All of the shades are stunning and they are so easy to work with. It applies like a gel which gives you enough time to work with it to get the look you’re going for, but settles like a stain. It’ll stay put all day and you’ll constantly look fresh!”
Rhode
Pocket Blush in Date Cake
I discovered just how natural-looking this creamy-based blush looked on my deep skin tone last summer, and have been using it nonstop in three different shades (there are currently 10 available). Right now, my top pick is Date Cake: a warm berry shade. It melts into the skin, blends seamlessly, and stays all day without fading or getting oily.
Customer Review: “My makeup artist used this blush on me for my wedding and I’ve been obsessed ever since! I love the formula! Blends into your skin so well. I have a darker skin tone and have trouble finding blushes that look nice and not ashy. Definitely love and [am] sticking with these blushes. I bought toasted teddy and date cake for my sister and she loves them as well! Excited to try other colors.”
Benefit Cosmetics
Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain in Benetint
This was the first cheek and lip tint I tried as a makeup obsessed teen, and I’m still just as obsessed with the results years later. Now that I’ve collected this product in nearly all its offered shades, Benetint remains my top pick. However, all the shades deliver on it’s promise for a sheer, natural-looking flush of color that’s buildable, long-lasting, and non-drying.
Customer Review: “Absolutely obsessed with this tint! It’s super lightweight, non-sticky, and blends like a dream. I use it on both my cheeks and lips—it gives the perfect natural flush and a rosy tint that lasts all day. Great for a no-makeup makeup look! It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave any streaks. A little goes a long way.”
Hourglass
Unreal Liquid Blush in Moment
The Unreal Liquid Blush has to be one of the most accurately named products out right now, and I’m proud to say it’s been part of my everyday makeup routine for the past six months. It delivers a dreamy wash of color that’s perfect for watercolor blush using a formula with buildable pigment for a natural finish and weightless feel that lasts all day.
Customer Review: “The blush is lightweight, blendable and gives a natural, dewy flush to the cheeks. Its formula is buildable, so you can go from a subtle glow to a more intense color depending on your mood. It blends effortlessly into the skin, leaving a seamless finish. I first apply it on the back of my hand and then using a brush on the face to ensure a flawless finish.”
Victoria Beckham
Color Wash Blush Water Tint
Water-based formulas can be a hit or miss, Victoria Beckham’s Color Wash Blush Water is an easy winner. While the product is currently only offered in three shades that sell out quickly, it’s completely worth the scramble to snag these. The long-wearing, watercolor-inspired flush uses a skin-loving formula with mineralized sea water, coconut fruit water, and fruit extract.
Customer Review: “This product (while a learning curve to dispense the proper amount), is the most beautiful lip/cheek tint I have every used; and prefer it on my lips for a perfect berry stain base. Product is elegant and long lasting and the water color finish is natural looking; it works on cheeks as well, imparting a sheer blush that could indeed be from within; the effect we all want.”
Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Coquette
Create a healthy flush in one swipe with the help of this Westman Atelier favorite. The Baby Cheeks Blush Stick delivers vivid payoff with a creamy formula that can be used on the cheeks and lips for a pop of color. Its blend of skin-loving ingredients include hydration-boosting organic jojoba seed oil, moisturizing raspberry seed extract, and antioxidant rich vitamins.
Customer Review: “This Westman Atelier blush stick blends beautifully, lasts all day, looks natural—so skin-like I can’t tell I have it on except that I look so much better. Does not cause blemishes or upset sensitive, dry skin. Poppet is one of the only true pinks I’ve found that doesn’t look peachy once applied (I’m fair [and] cool-toned, but this color is universally flattering). The packaging and magnetic closure are nice, but the blush is the star.”
Chantecaille
Cheek Gelée Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush in Lively
A vibrant gel-cream blush like this one by Chantecaille can help create the perfect just-pinched color that rivals those of rococo painting subjects. The Cheek Gelée Hydrating Gel-Cream Blush features a formula that combines the lasting power of a stain with the freshness of an emulsion sheer and buildable shades. While it does create a light flush of color, it also gives the complexion a sun-kissed finish.
Customer Review: “I’ve been using the Chantecaille blush and it’s honestly so good. It blends really easily and looks super natural; not too heavy. It lasts all day and the packaging is really nice too—feels like something special without being over the top. Honestly I would recommend this any day of the week!”
Chanel
Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush in Light Pink
This ultralight, moisturizing blush has unique MicroFluidic technology (the visible microdroplet pigments melt into skin upon contact), to deliver a healthy-looking glow and a natural-looking flush of color to the skin. It’s created with 75% water to deliver freshness, while natural tamarind seed extract offers instant hydration. The blush is offered in six shades for all skin tones from Light Pink to Deep Apricot.
Customer Review: “Because I’m an ardent fan of the Water Fresh Tint foundation and its lovely finish, I knew I wanted to try this blush so that I could maintain the sheer glow. It did not disappoint! This blush has a buildable color factor like the foundation (sheer to medium), without any kind of cake-y finish. The color lasts for a good six hours without any need for a touch up. I will definitely purchase this again. It’s not heavy like a cream blush, nor does it dull the glow of the Water Fresh Tint foundation finish like a powder blush. Five stars!”
