'Latte makeup' is TikTok's latest beauty offering for summer, but how exactly does our fave caffeinated beverage factor into this look?
While we've been prepping to enter our 'red wine' makeup and 'vanilla girl' eras for vacay season, it seems beauty connoisseurs on TikTok have other ideas for us—think sunkissed bronzers and tinted face sunscreens, for a warm, bronzy look coined, 'latte makeup'.
And before you ask, no—this trend (unlike that of Korean blush nails, for instance) does not literally require you to waste a single drop of your cuppa, but rather takes inspiration from it its rich and milky goodness...
What is 'latte makeup'?
As the name would suggest, 'latte makeup' takes inspo from the iconic coffee and milk drink and is all about warm, golden hour-like hues.
Coined by TikTok creator Rachel Rigler, the term 'lattemakeup' now has over 24 million views to its hashtag—so, safe to say it's catching on. Rigler herself describes it as: "It's warm and bronzy, milky and effortless."
@rachelrigler ♬ original sound - Rachel Rigler
@dhivya.srii ♬ original sound - dhivya sri
The look is very seamless and diffused, while still allowing for your skin to shine through. Unlike most TikTok beauty looks, there is also no blush allowed (oi, put those blushes right back into your makeup bag!), just bronzer, to create that warmth around your face.
For the eyes, you'll then want to create a brown caramel-esque, smokey eye, with a soft natural lip, with a slight shimmer to create a cohesive look.
Elaborating further on the trend, Elanna Pecherle, Makeup Artist and founder of Pearl Beauty says: "Latte makeup is all about bronzy tones that ooze glamour, luxury, but is effortless and gives the skin a warm tone and vibrancy.
"The look is all about keeping the skin, bronzer and blush, very simple and more sunkissed and keeping most of the focus and attention on the eyes, with smokey browns, gold shimmers and inner corner highlights, as well as smudged bottom and top eyeliner. It’s very shadowy but doesn’t require precise application to have an impact."
@stxph.h ♬ original sound - stephhui
Celebrity MUA, Lan Nguyen-Grealis—who has teamed up with Beauty Daily by Clarins—also describes the look as "an off-nude tonal make-up look with no color. It's all about clean taupe, bronze and cream make-up texture with contouring in all the areas."
So how can you achieve the 'Latte Makeup' look?
For anyone looking to recreate this viral beauty trend, we've enlisted the expertise of Elanna Pecherle and Lan Nguyen-Grealis, to share all their know-how on achieving the perfect 'latte'-inspired look.
Step 1: the bronzer
As this look is focused predominately on bronzer, you'll need to add one to your makeup rotation.
Pecherle advises: "As a general rule of thumb you want to opt for a bronzer shade that is one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone. You also want to consider your skin's undertone when choosing the shade of bronzer as you want it to look as natural with your skin as possible."
To do this, Pecherle says to look at your veins, "greenish veins are warm undertone, blue/purplish veins are cooler undertones, veins that appear colorless or match the color of your skin are for those with neutral undertones."
For those with warmer undertones, Pecherle recommends gold hues, and peachy bronzers for those with cool undertones. If you have neutral undertones, opt for more of a pinky shade.
Step 2: the 'latte' makeup base
Overall, the 'latte makeup trend is quite straightforward. To start, apply your favorite skin tints or non-comedogenic foundations. Then you'll want to conceal where necessary, before applying your go-to bronzer to your forehead, cheekbones and nose.
Nguyen-Grealis adds: "Think highlight and bronzers and apply tonal taupe, coffee colors and bronze nude tones in washes and add depth into the sockets, under eyes and cheekbones. Avoiding too much on the nose to keep it fresh. Keep highlighting to a minimum, and finish with powder and clear-to-nude gloss on the lips."
To apply your bronzer, Pecherle and Nguyen-Grealis have shared some tips:
- Powder bronzers: Pecherle says to "swirl a powder brush into the product, tap off excess so the application doesn’t look patchy, and sweep across the forehead, cheeks, and bridge of the nose. Start with a light sweep and then build if you feel you’d like more pigment."
- Cream Bronzers: "When using cream bronzers or tints, ensure less is more. Apply using a big buffing brush to avoid any streaks. Use a small brush for contouring around the nose," notes Nguyen-Grealis.
- Liquid bronzers: If you're a liquid bronzer gal, Pecherle recommends "squeezing some of the liquid bronzer onto your hand (make sure they’re clean!) and then swirling your brush into the product and applying on to the face. This helps the bronzer look more natural and less patchy."
Step 3: 'latte makeup' smokey eye
Now for the main event, the 'latte' smokey eye...
- Primer: Perchele says to start with a primer as this will ensure your eyeshadow look lasts.
- Swipe lid with concealer: Nguyen-Grealis recommends starting with "a little concealer to get a clean sweep of eye tone."
- Apply a brown base layer: Both MUAs then say to start with a soft matte brown or taupe, applying it all over the lid, whether it's a powder, eyeshadow stick, or liner. Pecherle adds: "Start off with a little and then build each eye if you want a darker smokier look."
- Apply liner: "Use a soft kohl black grey or brown and blend and smudge neatly on the lashline for subtle line and definition," says Nguyen-Grealis.
- Now comes the copper and gold shimmers: Apply your shimmer to the center of your lid, moving it down to your inner corner. Pecherle says: "You can apply this with a brush or stamp it on with your finger, I prefer the latter method as you can get better pigment payoff."
- Mascara: To finish the look, Nguyen-Grealis recommends a wash of mascara and "a golden highlighter in the inner corners of the eye."
