Whether you’re running out the door and only have a few minutes to spare for your makeup look, or you want that effortless, “I didn’t even try” look, there’s one makeup trend you’ll be glad you have in your arsenal: clean girl makeup. Think glowy skin, flushed cheeks, and glossy lips—it’s the ultimate no-makeup makeup look. Learning how to do clean girl makeup is pretty simple, too—all you need are a few products and the right technique. Ahead, we’re sharing more about what clean girl makeup is and sharing a simple seven-step tutorial to help you nail the fresh-faced look. Key Takeaways Takeaway #1: Clean girl makeup is characterized by glowy skin, minimal eye makeup, flushed cheeks, natural brows, and glossy lips. Takeaway #2: Proper skin prep is imperative for nailing the clean girl makeup look. Takeaway #3: Simple, multi-purpose clean girl makeup products will help you perfect this easy, effortless makeup look. Takeaway #4: Clean girl makeup is all about embracing your natural features and subtly enhancing them. What Is Clean Girl Makeup? If you’ve scrolled through TikTok, chances are you’ve come across the clean girl makeup trend. It’s been popularized by multiple creators and celebrities, emerging from a renewed interest in embracing natural, effortless beauty. At its heart, clean girl makeup is all about showcasing your unique features. Achieving this look means embracing a more minimalist makeup aesthetic, focusing on natural, fresh, glowing skin without too much makeup. First and foremost, clean girl makeup emphasizes a dewy, glowy complexion, which you can achieve with proper skin prep and the use of hydrating, lightweight base makeup products. Makeup is subtle yet impactful—think neat, groomed brows, fluttery lashes, and just a hint of blush or bronzer. The finishing touch for a clean girl makeup look is glossy lips, which can be achieved with the use of a soft, hydrating lip gloss or lip balm. How To Do Clean Girl Makeup in 7 Easy Steps While clean girl makeup is all about a natural look with minimal beauty products, that doesn’t mean skipping makeup entirely—it simply means you’ll want to choose (and apply) your products carefully. Ahead, we’re sharing the seven steps you can follow to easily get the no-makeup makeup look. Step #1: Prep your skin Before you apply any clean girl makeup products, it’s important to make sure your skin is well-prepped. Start by washing your face with a gentle cleanser to remove excess oil and debris, then smooth on your favorite moisturizer to help lock in hydration. For daytime, finishing with sunscreen is a must. Layer the Kiehl’s Better Screen UV Serum SPF 50+ Facial Sunscreen with Collagen Peptide beneath a hydrating primer, such as the Maybelline Grippy Serum Up to 24HR Hydrating Grip Primer, to protect your skin and help prep it for your makeup application. Or, if you’d rather a simplified routine, you can combine your SPF and primer application into one step with a skincare-makeup hybrid, such as the NYX Professional Makeup Blur Screen SPF 30 Primer, which is suitable for all skin types and won’t leave behind a white cast. Step #2: Apply a tinted moisturizer or skin tint Once you’ve applied your skincare (and given it time to absorb), you can begin your makeup routine. To help even out your skin tone without looking overly made-up, we suggest opting for a skin tint or tinted moisturizer as your base layer. We like the L’Oréal Paris Lumi The Glow Tint, which has reflective pearls, blurring pigments, and an 82 percent hydrating serum to give you a natural-looking glow. Blend it in with your fingers, a sponge, or a brush for a healthy, radiant finish. Step #3: Conceal sparingly If you need to apply concealer, use as little as possible. Focus on the areas that truly need it, like under the eyes, around the nose, and any blemishes, and keep the application light to maintain a natural, fresh look. For this step, reach for the IT Cosmetics Do It All Radiant Concealer. The four-in-one formula plumps, hydrates, and brightens while providing medium coverage for naturally radiant-looking skin. Plus, it wears for up to 16 hours without creasing or settling into fine lines. Step #4: Add a soft flush of color Next up is blush, which is a key element of the clean girl makeup look. To secure a soft, natural-looking flush and keep your skin looking dewy, we suggest opting for a liquid or cream blush over powder formulas. The Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint Blush is an excellent pick—it comes in 10 versatile shades in both natural and radiant finishes. Apply the hydrating formula to your cheekbones and blend the pigment toward your temples for a youthful, lifted look. For a sun-kissed feel, you can blend a bit onto the bridge of your nose, too—just take care to use a light hand to avoid looking overdone. Step #5: Highlight strategically The clean girl makeup look is all about dewy, glowy skin. And getting that lit-from-within radiance is easier than you might think—even if your skin is naturally on the drier side. To illuminate your skin without making it look glittery or sparkly, reach for a pearlescent cream highlighter, such as the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Glass Highlighter Stick. The easy-to-use formula melts into the skin for a gorgeous, natural-looking glow, and it comes in six shades (three dewy, three glowy) to complement a wide range of skin tones and undertones. If you’re aiming for a subtler clean girl look, we recommend opting for one of the dewy shades—they’re more glassy than shimmery. Whichever shade you choose, we suggest applying your highlighter to the high points of your face (cheekbones, brow bones, Cupid’s bow, and the bridge of your nose) to help lift and define your features. You can also pat a small amount onto the center of your eyelids to help brighten and visually “open” your eyes. Step #6: Define your brows and lashes The best way to save time while creating the clean girl makeup look? Skip the eyeshadow and eyeliner. Instead, focus on your brows and lashes. Keep your brows natural with a tinted brow gel or by lightly filling in sparse areas with a fine-tipped brow pencil, like the NYX Professional Makeup Blade & Shade Nano Brow Pencil. Then, define your lashes with a dark brown (rather than black) mascara. Dark brown is ideal because the deep hue will define your lashes but feel softer than a traditional pitch-black mascara. If you need a recommendation, we’re big fans of the Lancôme Définicils High-Definition Mascara in Deep Brown. Step #7: Finish with glossy lips Hydrated, glossy lips are a quintessential component of the clean girl makeup look. Instead of swiping on a full-coverage lipstick, choose a lightly-tinted lip gloss, lip oil, or lip balm to give your lips a sheer wash of color and plenty of healthy-looking shine. For this step, we recommend using the YSL Beauty Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss. The oil-infused gloss contains spicy ginger oil and hyaluronic acid and helps plump the lips while delivering a soft wash of juicy color. Recommended Clean Girl Makeup Products When it comes to achieving clean girl makeup, it’s all about creating a look that’s effortless, fresh, and glowy. You can do your makeup with a variety of products and colors, but these are the types of formulas we recommend using to create a soft, natural look that enhances your beauty. Skin prep products: Opt for hydrating serums, brightening primers, and sunscreen to create a flawless canvas before starting your clean girl makeup look. For an extra-glowy finish, consider using an illuminating face primer, such as the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer (bonus: you can use this lightly-tinted formula on your face and your body). Skin tints and tinted moisturizers: These breathable bases provide sheer coverage while allowing your natural skin to show through for a your-skin-but-better effect. If you need more coverage than a skin tint can provide, be sure to use a radiant-finish liquid foundation to maintain the glowy, fresh-faced feel. We love the IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum with SPF 40. Cream blushes and highlighters: Clean girl makeup is a skin-first look, so you want to make sure that whatever makeup products you use enhance your natural beauty without appearing overdone. Cream blushes and highlighters are perfect for this type of look, as the lightweight, buildable formulas melt into your skin for a naturally radiant finish. If you want to add bronzer into the mix, feel free to do so—just be sure to opt for a blendable formula, like the NYX Professional Makeup Buttermelt Bronzer. Tinted brow gels and lightweight mascaras: You can skip eyeshadow and eyeliner if you’re after a clean girl makeup look, simply defining your eyes with a lengthening mascara instead. Well-groomed brows, however, are a must. Fill in sparse arches with a fine-tipped brow pencil or pen, or brush your brows into place with a tinted brow gel for a neat yet natural-looking finish. Try the Urban Decay Big Bush Volumizing Tinted Brow Gel—it offers up to 24 hours of transfer-resistant wear and comes in nine shades to flatter a range of hair colors. Lip glosses and lip balms: As far as we’re concerned, it wouldn’t be a true clean girl makeup look without juicy, glossy lips. Enhance your natural lip color with a clear or tinted lip gloss, lip oil, or lip balm to give your lips a hydrated, shiny finish. If you want a more pigmented pout, look for an oil-infused lipstick, such as the YSL Beauty Loveshine Lip Oil Stick. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is clean girl makeup? Clean girl makeup is a makeup trend that focuses on embracing your natural features and subtly enhancing them to create a polished, put-together look. This natural, no-makeup makeup look is characterized by glowy skin, minimal eye makeup, flushed cheeks, natural brows, and glossy lips. How to do clean girl makeup Clean girl makeup is all about emphasizing simplicity and enhancing your natural beauty, and you can achieve the look in seven easy steps. After completing your skincare routine, prep your skin with a hydrating makeup primer. Then apply a lightweight foundation, skint tint, or tinted moisturizer, and conceal sparingly, focusing under the eyes and around the nose. Add a soft flush of color with a cream or liquid blush, and define brows and lashes with a tinted brow gel and lightweight mascara. Add to the fresh, natural glow by applying highlighter along your cheekbones and browbones. Finish the look with a high-shine lip gloss, tinted lip oil, or hydrating lip balm. What are the best clean girl makeup products? Clean girl makeup really only requires a handful of products to execute. Some products to keep on hand are skin prep products like hydrating serums and sunscreen, lightweight foundations and tinted moisturizers, cream blushes and highlighters, tinted brow gels, lightweight mascaras, and lip glosses and lip balms. How can I make clean girl makeup last all day? Once you’ve finished your clean girl makeup look, of course, you want to make sure the dewy makeup has staying power. To enhance the longevity of your no-makeup makeup look, mist your face with a long-lasting setting spray, such as the Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray. Next Up: How to Achieve a Flattering No-Mascara Makeup Look
