Not everyone goes on vacation, let alone to the beach. But that doesn’t mean you can’t emulate the various benefits of this kind of summer lifestyle, say social network users. As in previous years with the ’Tomato Girl, ’’strawberry makeup’ and ’fruit makeup’ looks, social media users are on a mission to recreate that coveted sunkissed look with makeup. And the idea is to keep it as natural looking as possible — or as much as you can, given that it’s all created with makeup. This means avoiding the caked-on effect, and relying on techniques that embellish the skin rather than conceal imperfections. Similarly, the focus should be on lightweight product textures.

A luminous, radiant look

That’s precisely the name of the game with the ’Island Girl Makeup’ look, which aims to recreate the beauty aesthetic of those who live all year round on an island — and therefore presumably in the open air — or, at the very least, who go there on vacation.

As you’d expect, the result is a subtly golden complexion, with a pinkish tinge to the cheekbones and bridge of the nose. This beauty look is designed to make your skin glow.

For several weeks now, the trend has been spreading rapidly on TikTok, to the point of generating no less than 10.5 million posts to date. As you’d expect, there are all manner of tutorials on how to recreate this summer makeup look, which is fast becoming this season’s key aesthetic. As is often the case, the techniques used are many and varied, but in all cases, the aim is to give yourself a luminous, radiant look.

Bronzing powder and blush

Before starting on the makeup, social media users recommend to prepare the skin. As well as cleansing it and applying a serum as required, it is usually recommended to deeply nourished the skin with a day cream, if possible one with an SPF to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. Once this first step is complete, one just has conceal any redness with a concealer, but only in small touches to preserve the natural effect, then work on the complexion with bronzing powder and blush — the centrepiece of this beauty look. A touch of mascara and lip gloss finish off this summer look.

Actually, side-lined for many years, blush has made a remarkable comeback since the world emerged from the Covid-19 lockdowns, prized for its ability to deliver a healthy glow without excess product. This comeback has given rise to a multitude of beauty techniques!