As temperatures rise and festival season kicks into full swing, summer 2025’s beauty landscape is shaping up to be bold, radiant, and refreshingly effortless. This year, makeup is all about balance: punchy color meets dewy minimalism, playful experimentation blends with skin-first simplicity. From neon liner flicks to blurred lips and glassy skin, here’s your edit of the biggest trends—and the must-have products to achieve them.

1. Sunset eyes & graphic neon

If summer is a mood, it’s living on your eyelids. This season, eyes take center stage with a surge of sunset-inspired hues and electric neon accents that channel heat, freedom, and a touch of chaos. From poolside brights to golden-hour gradients, this trend is a full-on celebration of color as attitude.

Think tangerine lids, magenta wings, and neon green graphic lines that cut sharply across a bare canvas. Whether you’re going all-in with a wash of matte shadow or tracing geometric liner shapes with precision, the focus is bold, bright, and unapologetically fun. It’s playful but elevated — editorial with a rebellious twist.

How to get the look:

Start with a light eye base or primer to make the pigments pop. For a diffused sunset effect, blend warm tones like orange, pink, and fuchsia across the lids and into the crease, using a fluffy brush to keep edges soft. Want a bolder take? Reach for liquid or cream liners in lime green, cobalt blue, or hot pink, and sketch out negative-space flicks, floating creases, or under-eye accents.

Keep the rest of your makeup minimal; dewy skin and a glossy lip work beautifully here — and let your eyes do the talking. Whether it’s a full wash of color or a single line of neon, this trend is all about having fun with your face.

Our top picks:

• About-Face Matte Fluid Eye Paint in “New Karma”
  A high-impact lime green with serious staying power.

• Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in “Cherry Punk”
  A creamy berry that glides and lasts through heatwaves.

• Urban Decay 24/7 Moondust Shadow in “Space Cowboy”
  For a shimmery topper that catches the light just right.

2. The Return of Gloss

Gloss is back, and it’s glossier than ever. his summer, lips are drenched in juicy shine, but with modern formulas that feel as good as they look. Today’s glosses are multitaskers: packed with hydrating oils, plumping peptides, and skincare-grade ingredients that cushion the lips while delivering mirror-like shine.

The vibe? Polished but playful. You’ll see everything from sheer washes that enhance your natural lip tone to full-impact color in glassy finishes. And forget tackiness; the new generation of glosses glide on smoothly, feel weightless, and stay put through heat, humidity, and iced coffees.

How to wear It:

Wear gloss alone for a fresh-faced, minimalist statement, or layer it over liner or lipstick to amp up the impact. For a trend-forward twist, try glossing just the center of the lips to create a plumped, light-catching effect, no overlining needed.

Our top picks:

• Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in “Coral”
  Hydrating, plumping, and irresistibly summer-fresh.

• Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly in “Fire”
  A clean beauty favorite with a bold orange-red tint.

• Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil in “Delight”
  Part oil, part stain, all comfort.

3. Bare skin, but better

Matte foundation? Not this summer. The new complexion ideal is real skin, reimagined — fresh, dewy, and effortless. “Bare Skin, But Better” is all about embracing your natural texture while gently enhancing it with light-reflecting, breathable formulas that let your radiance shine through.

Forget full coverage; this look thrives on skin tints, tinted serums, and illuminating primers that blur imperfections without masking what makes your skin yours — freckles, pores, glow and all. It’s skincare-meets-makeup at its most modern: subtle, luminous, and unfussy.

How to get the look:

Start with well-prepped skin: hydration is non-negotiable, so layer a hydrating serum and lightweight moisturiser. Then apply a tinted serum or skin tint with your fingers or a damp sponge to even things out without covering too much. Press in a light-catching primer or dew balm on the high points of the face — cheekbones, bridge of the nose, brow bones to add a soft, natural sheen.

Want a little extra polish? Add a dab of cream blush and brush up your brows — but skip the powder and let your real skin take center stage.

Glowy skin is only good if it’s protected. Before your serum or skin tint, layer on a lightweight sunscreen that won’t disrupt your finish. Need help finding the right one? Check out our SPF essentials for Summer 2025.

Our top pics

• Saie Glowy Super Skin Tint
  Skincare-meets-makeup with dewy coverage and skin-loving ingredients.

• Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch
  A luxurious, buildable tint with a second-skin finish.

• Glossier Futuredew
  A hybrid oil-serum that delivers instant glass skin in a bottle.

4. Blush draping & watercolor cheeks

Contour is taking a backseat this season in favor of a more playful, expressive alternative: blush draping. Inspired by editorial looks and revived from the ‘80s with a modern, skin-first twist, this technique uses soft washes of color — often applied in sweeping motions from the apples of the cheeks up toward the temples — to sculpt and lift the face with a fresh, flushed effect.

The vibe? Romantic, dewy, and artfully undone. It’s less about harsh lines or chiseled hollows and more about diffused pigment that feels like it’s blooming from within your skin.

How to get the look:

Start with a cream or liquid blush in a sheer, buildable formula. Dab a few dots on the cheekbones, then blend outward and upward toward the temples using fingers or a fluffy brush. For added impact, you can apply a little across the eyelids or just under the brow bone to tie the whole look together.

Blush draping isn’t just a technique—it’s a statement of softness and freedom. Mix pinks, peaches, or even mauves for a watercolor effect, or layer complementary tones to build shape and mood. The key is letting the blush breathe on your skin, not sit on top of it.

Our top picks:

• NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush in “Behave”
  Lightweight with a soft-focus finish.

• e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush in “Rose You Slay”
  A budget-friendly option that packs a pigment punch.

• Patrick Ta Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo in “She’s That Girl”
  Blend cream for a natural glow, top with powder for longevity.

5. Lit from within glow

This summer’s highlighter trend is all about subtle radiance, not sparkle overload. The era of blinding cheekbones is taking a step back, making room for a more refined, diffused luminosity that looks like it’s coming from within.

Instead of chunky glitter or strobe-light shimmer, the new glow is delicate, smooth, and skin-enhancing — like a whisper of light brushed gently across your face. It’s designed to catch the sun, not reflect the flash. The effect? Think glazed eyelids, softly lit cheekbones, and a dew-touched nose tip that hints at hydration rather than shine.

How to get the look:

To get this look, skip powder formulas loaded with mica and reach for liquid or cream highlighters that melt into the skin. Apply with fingers or a damp sponge for a more natural finish, and focus on the high points: tops of cheekbones, brow bones, down the bridge of the nose, inner corners of the eyes, and just above the Cupid’s bow.

Want that glazed look on lids? Tap a sheer highlighter balm or gloss across your eyelids for a dimensional, editorial finish. The key is restraint: you want the light to kiss your skin, not blind the room.

Our top picks:

• Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter
  Velvety and flattering in every light.

• MERIT Day Glow Highlighting Balm in “Bounce”
  Clean, minimalist beauty with major impact.

• REFY Gloss Highlighter
  Dewy, natural, and ideal for those “no-makeup” makeup days.

6. Fluffy & feathery brows

Gone are the overly sculpted, ultra-shiny laminated brows of past seasons. This summer, the brow trend takes a softer turn, embracing a more natural, fluffy texture that enhances your features without dominating them.

Imagine brows that are brushed up and feathered out, giving the illusion of fullness while still looking effortless. It’s less about hold and high shine, and more about definition with a touch of airiness. This look mimics the appearance of real brow hairs : separated, slightly tousled, and full of movement.

How to get the look:

Opt for brow gels or waxes with a flexible hold and a satin or matte finish. These formulas allow you to shape and lift the hairs into place without creating a crunchy or overly “done” effect. A tinted gel can add extra fullness, while a clear one keeps things minimal.

Whether paired with a bare face or bold eyes, feathery brows strike the perfect balance, polished yet relaxed, structured yet soft.

Our top picks:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel
  Iconic for a reason—holds all day without crunch.

• Benefit Fluff Up Brow Wax
  For a softer, more touchable take on brushed-up brows.

• Rose Inc Brow Renew
  A tinted serum-gel hybrid that nourishes while shaping.

Great makeup starts with great skin. Before you experiment with bold lids or glossy lips, check out our latest feature on Skincare Trends Defining Summer 2025 — your guide to the glowiest base possible.

This season, summer beauty is about duality; turning up the volume when the mood strikes, but always with a nod to lightness, glow, and freedom. Whether you’re heading to a rooftop soirée, escaping to the beach, or simply basking in city heat, these trends and products will keep you feeling fresh, expressive, and effortlessly cool.