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Everything You Need to Know About the Pearl Skin Trend—And How to Recreate It

Elise Minton Tabin
Writer and expert3 months ago
View Elise Minton Tabin's profile
what is a makeup primer

Glass skin had its 15 minutes of fame, and right now, the biggest skincare trend of the moment is pearl skin. Less wet of a look than glass skin, the pearl skin trend is all about a luminous, beautiful sheen to the skin with a glowy finish that resembles the beautiful sophistication of a pearl. Champagne and oyster-toned hues worn on the areas where highlighter is typically worn make a statement in makeup when it comes to the pearl skin trend. Plus, when creating the pearl skin trend, the goal is to achieve an all-over transparent shine and slightly dewy skin, almost like you've been wearing your makeup all day, to the skin with a hint of wearable iridescence that doesn't look too contrived.

So, if you are ready to try the pearl skin trend, here's everything to add to your cart to pull off the look.

Supplements

Agent Nateur Holi Mane Powder

Counting natural pearl powder as a key ingredient, along with marine collagen and over 30 trace minerals, this daily-use, tasteless supplement powder is the secret to healthy, shiny hair, skin, and nails for a natural glow.

Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty Bowe Growe Pomegranate Microbiome Water-Enhancing Elixir

Hydrated skin is vital for glowy skin, which sets the stage for pearl skin. This polyphenol-powered skin supplement helps improve the gut microbiome, directly connected to skin health, for naturally radiant-looking skin from the inside out.

Dermaplanning Tool

DERMAFLASH Luxe+ Advanced Sonic Dermaplaning and Peach Fuzz Removal

The simple act of dermaplaning your face removes dead skin cells and peach fuzz, which can dull your complexion. By removing both with this tool, skin emerges smoother, softer, and more luminous, so your makeup goes on smoother—guaranteed to look gorgeous!

Makeup Primers

Jane Iredale Smooth Affair Brightening Face Primer

A good makeup primer is the first step to achieving the pearl skin trend. It smoothes the skin and creates a luminous glow that peeks out under your makeup while reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Glo Skin Beauty Illuminating Makeup Primer with Vitamin C for All Skin Types

For a lightweight finish and flawless-looking makeup, this illuminating makeup primer brightens, corrects areas of discoloration, and smooths out the skin with vitamin C so the skin looks fresh and glowy, making for the perfect base for the pearl skin trend.

CC Creams

Dermablend Continuous Correction CC Cream SPF 50

Pearl skin can be created with a skin tone-correcting CC cream that offers ample coverage, like this one. Like a 3-in-1 makeup-meets-skincare product, this CC cream also protects the skin with SPF 50 without clogging the pores.

Erborian CC Cream

For lightweight coverage but serious glow factors, this CC cream allows the skin's natural radiance to shine through while adding hydration and blurring away the look of enlarged pores, imperfections, and an uneven skin tone thanks to Centella Asiatica and SPF 25.

Glow Inducers

Tarte Key Largo Glow Bronzing Drops

Part of nailing the pearl skin trend is creating just enough of an ethereal glow. One of the easiest ways to do that is with a serum infused with a glow-boosting bronze shade. Wear these bronzing drops solo on the skin, or mix them into your favorite moisturizer for the perfect golden glow.

RMS Beauty SuperNatural Radiance Serum Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen

Believe it or not, the right sunscreen—one that boasts a natural-looking lit-from-within-glow—can make a big difference in the skin's appearance. This one, formulated with SPF 30 and features a soft focus complexion corrector, leaves the skin with a hint of beautiful champagne tint and skin that looks brighter and more radiant.

Colorescience Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield

We love using this bronzing sunscreen to nail the pearl skin trend. Besides protecting the skin from UVA and UVB rays, pollution, blue light, and infrared radiation, this hydrating and antioxidant-rich mineral sunscreen blends seamlessly into the skin, leaving behind the most beautiful barely-there glow (that you can easily bump up with makeup).

Highlighters

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

Cream-based makeup is a must for pearl skin since the formulation creates an easy-to-blend, dewy skin finish and allows the makeup's illuminating effect to shine through without being overly dominant. This easy-to-use cream luminizer gives a beautiful, natural glow—never a glittery finish—for a lit-from-within glow that's perfectly luminous and reflects light perfectly.

Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face Liquid Illuminator

Dab this gel highlighter, packed with moisturizing marula and passion fruit oils, onto the high points of the face to create a beautiful glow with a slightly glossy finish. The skin appears well-hydrated and glowy but is never made up or loaded with shimmer.

Lips

Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Shimmer Glass

A sheer yet hydrating lip gloss is the perfect accessory for pearl skin. This viral lip-plumping gloss leaves lips looking juicy and provides a hint of shimmer to complement the skin perfectly.

Jane Iredale LipDrink Lip Balm

Sticking with a sheer color on the lips, like this tinted lip balm, which gives the sheen of lipstick without being too overpowering, is another way to complement the pearl skin trend. We like this hydrating lip balm for its ability to deeply hydrate the lips, leaving them with a natural-looking, healthy color.

Eye Makeup

Tarte Tartelette Energy Amazonian Clay Palette

The key to making the eyes blend in with the overall pearl skin trend is to wear shades of champagne, oyster, and baby pink on the lids to complement the skin. This palette, packed with 12 matte and shimmery shades, contains the perfect mix-and-match essentials for a beautiful eye look that works with the pearl skin trend.

RÓEN Disco Eye

For a more sparkly look on the eyes, swipe on this eyeshadow, which works for all skin tones and gives a megawatt shine. A blend of clean ingredients and gold and silver pearls gives a dewy but never greasy effect that is simply gorgeous.

Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara

The finishing touch to the pearl skin look is perfectly fanned out, glossy eyelashes. This tubing mascara formulation gives the look of lash extensions without the commitment. Swipe on one layer for flake-free, beautiful, volumized, and curled lashes.

Wander Beauty Mile High Club Length and Define Mascara

If a dark, inky-looking eyelash is more your speed, coat your lashes from root to tip with this lengthening and defining formula. It gives a flirty lash look and nourishes, conditions, and strengthens the lashes with each use.

 

Elise Minton Tabin
Writer and expert
View Elise Minton Tabin's profile
Elise Minton Tabin is an award-winning beauty journalist, editor, and beauty expert with more than 16 years of experience. She previously held the title of Executive Beauty Editor at NewBeauty magazine, where she reported on beauty, plastic surgery, anti-aging, health and wellness. She was also instrumental in the launch of the beauty supplement brand Hush & Hush. A self-professed beauty junkie and retinol and sunscreen pusher, Elise knows what’s new, what works and who’s the best to go for every procedure under the sun. Follow Elise on Facebook, Instagram, and on her beauty blog, elisetabin.com
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