Move over, glass skin. These days, it’s all about “butter skin.” Imagine room-temperature butter that has been left out on the countertop for a couple of hours—silken, not slick; luminous, not oily. Inspired by that texture, this make-up trend is all about smoothing and illuminating your skin while letting your natural features shine through. Essentially, butter skin is clean girl makeup. At any rate, it is a universally flattering trend that suits all skin tones and most skin types. A look with these specific features might seem intimidating at first, but it’s actually easier to achieve than it looks. There’s no need for advanced techniques—most of the magic lies in picking the right products.
According to model Aisha Potter, who recently posted a TikTok featuring make-up that “glides on like butter,” achieving the look comes down to using products that melt into the skin—similar to the way a pat of butter melts into a warm slice of bread. That means reaching for cream-based products with a satin finish. Think creamy blushes, bronzer, and foundation that blend effortlessly without sitting on top of your skin.
Butter skin, however, is not just about blush, bronzer, or foundation—nor is it about slicking your face with greasy, high-shine products. To successfully achieve this supple look, Luminous skincare products that deliver a velvet-y, hydrated look are key. Think: moisturizing formulas that illuminate the complexion and provide a smooth base for your makeup to blend into a radiant glow. The result? A make-up look that disappears into the skin for a discreet, natural effect.
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The best skincare products for butter skin
Rhode’s Barrier Butter, a balm which is meant to be applied at night to provide a 24-hour seal of lush moisture, fits the bill perfectly. But Rhode isn’t the only brand to offer skincare with a butter-soft effect—there are plenty of other formulations that provide a similarly glowy, plumped-up look thanks to a blend of highly-moisturizing and soothing active ingredients that work together to support the skin barrier. These ingredients include hyaluronic acid, of course, as well as ceramides, peptides, plant butters, and amino acids like ectoin.
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Take Byoma’s Moisturizing Rich Cream, for example. It features a combination of tri-ceramides and bakuchiol for a texture that drenches the skin without leaving a greasy residue. The Inkey List’s Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum, on the other hand, features hyaluronic acid with four different molecular weights designed to reinforce the cutaneous barrier in just 15 minutes. And, Dr. Barbara Stürm’s Ceramide Drops Face Oil offers a concentrate of ceramides, squalane, and jojoba oil that boost hydration and radiance with just a few drops.
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The best foundation for butter skin
When it comes to foundation, achieving butter skin is all about using low-coverage textures that blur imperfections while letting the skin’s natural radiance shine through. For this reason, creamy stick foundations and sheer liquid formulas that glide onto the face are the best option. A few favorites: Ilia’s Skin Rewind Complexion, which contains skincare ingredients like ceramides and peptides; Dior’s Forever Skin Perfect, a favorite of Hailey Bieber’s; Gucci’s Cushion de Beauté; and Nars’ Light Reflecting Foundation.
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The best blush for butter skin
Butter skin is subtle, so creamy blushes that can be softened with a brush (or even a finger) are your best bet. Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin Lip & Cheek can be applied to both lips and cheeks for a sheer dose of color, while Makeup by Mario’s Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil offers luminous colors and an easy-to-work-with texture. Makeup artist Natasha Denona recently launched a duo of Cloudy Cream blushes that melt instantly onto the skin. For a cool, science-y experience, Kiko Milano’s Dreamphoria Collection offers a stick blush that looks blue in the tube but reacts with the skin’s pH upon application to deliver a made-to-measure color for the ultimate natural look.
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The best lipstick for butter skin
Because the butter skin trend is mostly about the face, it’s best to stick to neutral lip colors with velvety, matte pigments to let the skin shine. One favorite choice? Bobbi Brown’s Luxe Matte Lipstick, which is as soft to apply as a lip balm. Also lovely and effective are Lancôme’s Absolu Rouge Cream Lipstick; Pat McGrath Labs’ Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil; and Westman Atelier’s Lip Suede Matte Lipstick.
