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The irony about wearing makeup is that oftentimes, we prefer it to look like we’re not wearing any at all. Call it what you want: “minimalist makeup” or “no-makeup makeup”—it’s all rooted under the premise that the cosmetics you choose should accentuate the skin you’re in.
Take, for example, Zendaya’s glam at the New York premiere of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey—which sent beauty spheres into orbit. No, seriously—just search “Zendaya’s Odyssey makeup” and a plethora of top videos will appear, from TikTokers giving her fresh-faced glam a go. In fact, the look generated so much buzz that the starlet’s very own makeup artist Ernesto Casillas decided to weighed in, so as not to gate-keep the most in-demand glam of summer 2026.
“For the premiere, we wanted the skin to look fresh, luminous, and naturally sun-kissed,” Casillas recently said. “The makeup was intentionally minimal, with glowing skin at the heart of the look and soft warmth placed where the sun would naturally hit.” Which, interestingly enough, sums up in a nutshell the evolution of no-makeup-makeup over the past couple of years. While in 2024 luminous makeup might have meant high-shine dew, now finishes lean more satin, soft-focus, and blurred—a closer nod to how our skin’s natural finish and flush.
Vogue’s Minimalist Makeup Essentials
- The Skin Tint: Chanel Les Beiges Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, $72
- The Blush: Prada Beauty Touch Cream-To-Powder Soft Blur Longwear Blush, $42
- The Skin Prep: Guerlain Youth Watery Oil Serum, $160
- The Concealer: Kosas Revealer Concealer, $32
- The Brow Pencil: Make Beauty Nano Brow Micro Eyebrow Pencil, $20
- The Understated Lip: Rhode Peptide Lip Shape, $24
- The Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara, $10
- The Highlighter: Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick, $48
- The Bronzer: Summer Fridays Bronzer Butter Balm, $32
- The Blotting Paper: Tatcha Aburatorigami Blotting Papers, $16
Until recently, I thought of minimalist makeup more as a practice of restraint and fear of play—and dare I say, maybe even a little boring. Though pro makeup artist Fiona Stiles explains it’s quite the opposite. “A no-makeup makeup look definitely requires makeup, and maybe even more than you’d think,” Stiles explains. “It’s the soft transition and blending in neutral or skin colored shades alongside the soft placement of shadows and highlights that creates an enhanced natural look.”
The key, though, as Casillas explains to me over email, is building upon each makeup product —from complexion coverage to blush and beyond—with lightweight layers, a lot like a watercolor painting. He reminds us to keep our own natural features in mind, remembering that no technique is one-size-fits-all. “You should do whatever you think it is that your face needs, such as filling in your brows if they’re sparse,” Casillas says, simply encouraging us to keep all products to be applied with a feather-light touch.
