I’m very much here for the grungy, angsty beauty trend overthrowing the traditional springtime beauty script, but I also can’t ignore the other half of me itching to emulate an enchanted, frolicking garden fairy. I have layers, people! But that’s the great thing about makeup—it’s not permanent, so you don’t have to hold yourself to a single aesthetic. Makeup trends contain multitudes: Today, you might opt for a smudged ring of eyeliner, but tomorrow may call for a flushed, floral-inspired beat.
For those feeling like channeling soft, springtime energy, cherry blossom makeup is the swoon-worthy trend that instantly makes you look elegant, radiant, and as celebrity makeup artist Kelly Zhang puts it, “beautifully alive.” Other celeb artists agree, so I consulted all the pros for a step-by-step tutorial below.
What Is Cherry Blossom Makeup?
Imagine the delicate, billowy petals of a cherry blossom. Those fleeting pink and white blooms, synonyms with springtime renewal, have a dreamy quality that easily translates to soft, romantic makeup inspiration. “Inspired by blooming sakura, it focuses on sheer pink and coral tones blended seamlessly on the eyes and cheeks, with a subtle glossy lip,” shares Zhang. “The skin glows with a fresh, dewy finish, as if lit from within—pure, radiant, and full of quiet excitement.”
Zhang is quick to call out Blackpink’s Jennie Kim as the ultimate muse. “She effortlessly embodies that soft-yet-striking look: the flushed cheeks, pinky-peach lids, and that signature dewy glow that makes her look like she’s just stepped out of a spring daydream,” she says. Hailey Bieber also naturally comes to mind, as the beauty mogul became the poster child for the “strawberry girl” makeup look she cosigned a couple of summers ago (plus the “sugar plum fairy” makeup she spawned a few months later). I could see Bieber jumping on the cherry blossom beat, though it is slightly different from other fruit-forward aesthetics of seasons past.
See, previous trends like “strawberry girl” and “cherry girl” makeup lean on richer, bolder pops of color on the cheeks and lips to emulate a just-bitten piece of fruit, whereas a “cherry blossom” look relies on an airy, diffused glow. “They all celebrate youthful, dewy skin with a pop of rosy color,” caveats celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin. “However, what makes ‘cherry blossom’ makeup feel a little different is the emphasis on lightness and transparency. It’s less about bold, heavy color and more about that natural flush with soft, blurring textures.” As celebrity makeup artist Nikki DeRoest, co-founder of Ciele Cosmetics, adds, “Think of cherry blossom makeup as the watercolor version of those trends—sheer, breathable, and feminine.”
At the end of the day, all these microaesthetics are pretty similar, so feel free to use any pinky-red tones you please without subscribing to a certain trend. But if you’re someone who likes to curate a makeup mood board for various looks, know that the cherry blossom vibe involves lots of fresh, ethereal touches of color over bold, juicy stains.
How to Get the Look in 5 Steps
1. Start With a Dewy, Luminous Base
As any makeup artist will tell you, you can’t craft a radiant complexion without focusing on skin prep. “I always start by prepping the skin with a hydrating base, like Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream, to get that natural dewiness going,” notes Martin. That Tatcha cream works wonders as a hydrating primer (speaking from experience!), but you can follow up with a luminous primer to better latch onto your base.
Martin, Zhang, and DeRoest all recommend a sheer foundation or tinted serum for said base to maintain a natural, satin-skin finish. “The key is to let the skin shine through. You can spot conceal where needed, but keep it minimal,” DeRoest adds. You can also tap on a translucent setting powder on your T-zone to help control excess shine, but make sure to keep the high points of your face (like your cheekbones and temples) nice and dewy.
