While dewy skin and glass-like complexions reigned supreme on red carpets and FYPs last year, 2026’s biggest beauty trend is more diffused and soft-focus: enter the “blurred skin” trend.

What is blurred skin?

Blurred skin is the polar opposite of last season’s allegiance to glossy, butter-like skin. Dominic Skinner, MAC Cosmetics UK’s director of makeup artistry, has seen the beauty trend pendulum swing more toward a makeup style that exists between matte and dewy, a concept he originally coined as “cloud skin.” The idea, he shares with Vogue, was born from wondering how to recreate the fluffy, soft texture of a cloud—but on your face.

“I was looking for something lighter that gave people the feeling of flawlessness and perfection without the weight of coverage,” Skinner adds, describing it as a “flawless blur, light-as-air texture.”

“It’s a trend that focuses on creating a perfected and balanced complexion,” adds Samuel “Sammy” Rivera, a makeup artist at Armani Beauty, noting it’s “diffused and smooth.”

What products do I need for blurred skin, and how do I apply them?

Step one is always skin care. “I probably spend more time working with skin care than I do with makeup,” Skinner says, noting that the more you can massage, nourish, and hydrate the skin, the more even its texture and tone will be, and the less product you’ll need to use.

When it comes to the actual look, there are a few different approaches to get the “flawless blur” Skinner described. His technique starts with a hydrating primer, followed by a powder foundation. Layering the two products creates a “soft but radiant finish,” he says.

Rivera also recommends using a hydrating primer, but he prefers to pair it with a lightweight, buildable-coverage liquid foundation. “I wouldn’t use a full-coverage foundation because at the end of the day, you want to use minimal product and you want to honor the skin,” Rivera notes. “You want to make the skin look perfected yet natural.” He recommends applying the product with your hands, as the warmth helps the foundation blur, and using a sparing amount of powder on the center of your face.

Your skin texture also impacts how you should approach getting a blurred finish. “If you have dry skin, then go for a hydrating primer because that’s really going to help your skin, but then go for a matte foundation over the top,” Skinner explains. If your skin is oilier, he suggests using a more mattifying primer with either a powder or serum-based foundation.

For concealer, Skinner says it comes down to preference; but if you choose to add it, he recommends using a shade that matches your skin tone to mimic your natural complexion (rather than a lighter shade, which brightens the area). “It’s really about being quite sparing with the amount of product,” he says, adding, “Just keep it very light and quite soft.”

Next, it’s blush that really ties the look together. “When creating a look like this, you want to work with soft, focused liquid or cream products. You don’t want anything that’s shiny. You don’t want anything that has sparkle in it because this look, it’s about balance,” Rivera says, suggesting a blush with a velvety finish.

Both experts recommend using the base of your thumbs to apply blush to the high points of your cheeks—and don’t be afraid to amp up the color. “Throwing on a bright blush just fills people with so much warmth and happiness, and it’s really just about being quite uplifting,” Skinner says. (He recommends MAC’s Glow Play Cushiony Blush, which he describes as having a Play-Doh-like texture with an almost airbrushed quality finish.)

Blurred skin: the finished look

There are plenty of reference points for the blurred skin look on the red carpet and on your IG feed right now: think Daisy Edgar-Jones, Greta Lee, and Mia Goth, as well as anything on Nina Park’s grid. “The result is a soft, focused blur that literally looks like you’re wearing nothing on the skin,” Skinner says. With blurred skin, you also have more opportunity to play with this summer’s more colorful, bold beauty trends: Bejeweled eyes! Graphic liner! Your soft-focus skin is your canvas.

Shop Vogue’s favorite products to recreate the look, below.

A blurring base

Light foundation or skin tint

Cream blushes and bronzers

Mattifying loose powder

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