What I’m liking about some of the beauty and cosmetics trends here in 2026 is that they appear to be achievable and a means of elevating your everyday face. There’s also a softer feel to these trends, with a focus on enhancement rather than bold color. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bright lip and a vivid eye, but statement-making makeup has its time and place, whereas these tips and tricks can add a bit more polish to your daily beauty look. Here’s a rundown of the year’s makeup trends.

First up, blurred lips. Instead of a defined and matte lip line, for a blurred lip, think of a diffused color with blurry edges for a more natural look. This lip is less about precision and more focused on a dewy appearance. While you can achieve this effect with your fingers, I prefer to use a micro-mini Beautyblender sponge to fade the color of your applied lipstick and to soften the edges of the lip line. If you’re on the go and doing touchups, a tissue will suffice.

I like to finish the lip with just a few dabs of SPF gloss or balm like Naturium’s Phyto-Glow Lip Balm with SPF 45. Go with the clear shade just to give you a dewy look, or one of the pinky tones for an added layer of color without looking too finished.

In keeping with the natural lip is soft-focus finished skin, or in other words, this year’s version of no-makeup makeup. The key to nailing this trend is two-fold: you need the right formula of foundation that provides a natural finish, like Ciele’s Tint & Protect medium coverage serum foundation with SPF 50, or Il Makiage’s Flawless Base Foundation. The second trick is in the application; you’ll want to buff instead of wiping or rubbing. This does take a bit longer than applying foundation like face cream (which I’ve been guilty of), but buffing is what creates the seamless effect for an airbrushed-esque, yet natural finish. You can also keep building up for more coverage as needed, again by buffing and bouncing with a rounded face sponge.

Once you have your foundation, there are two trending routes for adding color. First are cool tones like taupe, gray, and ash on the eyes, and a chilled pink or mauve for blush. The key to keeping with a soft-focus natural look is to find shades that complement your skin’s natural hints of blue or pink. For the eyes, I like the ease of a stick or crayon application. I use Thrive Causemetics’ Brilliant Eye Brightener in mauve taupe shimmer or frosted pink shimmer to achieve a cool, yet natural tone. Over at Ulta, there’s Jouer Cosmetics’ Crème Eyeshadow Crayon in serene shimmering pink or shimmer deep lavender. I also like this brand’s Blush Bouquet Dual Blush Palette for a cool and unfussy cheek.

And speaking of cheeks, the second way of adding color to your face is the trend of using blush as contour. This may sound like you’d end up with a very bright 80s-inspired cheek, but the trick is to avoid the harsh lines bronzer and concealer can create with traditional contouring. Instead, lightly apply blush, like e.l.f.’s Primer-Infused Matte Blush, to the areas where you would typically contour, such as under the cheekbones, slightly into the temples, and very softly across the forehead. Personally, I tend to contour along my upper cheekbone into the temple, as I find starting under the cheek can drag my face down. Each face is different, and contouring will look different for everyone.

Now you may be thinking, but what if I want to make a bold beauty statement and bring some drama to my look? Well then, you can take the airbrush foundation, cool tones, and blurred lips, and then go heavy on the eyes with both an upper and lower liner. e.l.f.’s Wide Glide Eyeliner Pen in black will help define your water line, both bottom and top, and is smudge-resistant to better avoid “raccoon” eyes. You can also play around with color using Stila’s Stay All Day Smudge & Set Waterproof Gel eyeliner in a shade, like matter burgundy or deep purple, which will best enhance your eye color. To further push the drama, finish your fully lined eyes with a smoky lid. Again, I prefer a crayon over a powder shadow, so I’m looking at Half Magic’s Sparklestik Eye Crayon in icy cool taupe for a dark, yet glamorous look.

Again, most of these trends are just a different approach to a daily look. If you’re interested in enhancing or switching up your makeup game, hopefully these trends can point you toward a new product or application method to achieve that goal. And if you’re looking to have more fun with makeup this season, then try a shiny or even sparkly version of the standard blush, eyeliner, and shadow to give your face some glow.