Latte makeup is sweeping the internet thanks to the beauty guru Rachel Rigler who coined the term, but Rachel Rigler got the idea from Australian makeup artist Tanielle Jai who is the originator of the Makeup.
I’ve always loved rich, chocolate-brown tones when it comes to makeup. But as a brown skin woman, some brown tones just don’t pop on our skin—you have to find the right ones for you. Latte makeup is exactly what it sounds like. Similar to an actual latte, this makeup look focuses on brown and nude tones. It also aims to provide a natural warm glow for an overall bronzed goddess effect.
It creates a soft, dimensional bronze, and brown sun-kissed look using rich (dare I say, creamy) shades. It’s a simple look, but adds so much warmth to the skin, giving you a sunny glow year-round. Sure, it works great for late summer, but I’ll be wearing this look well into fall, too. For a few tips on how to create the look for Black and Brown skin tones, I tapped celebrity makeup artist and founder of Color May Vary, Renée Loiz. She shared a few tips and her favorite products to try for this below.
1. Reach for warm-toned shades.
Loiz recommends sticking to warmer shades for darker skin tones if you want to try latte makeup. “I like to reach for warmer-toned shades of brown as cooler tones tend to look a bit ashy on deeper skin,” she says. Warm tones like bronze, copper, dark gold, red-brown, and cinnamon. These shades compliment deeper skin tones. But like so many beauty trends, latte makeup is customizable for your features and skin tone.
Try:
CHANEL
Les Beiges Soleil Tan Deep Bronze $40
This bronzer is a recommendation of Loiz’s and one of my own favorites. I love that it’s so blendable and melts so nicely into the skin. It does over more of a subtle finish, but it’s great for building that warm undertone for latte makeup. Using another one of Mary Phillips makeup tricks, you can also apply bronzer first before your foundation or skin tint here to blend it even more seamlessly.
AMI COLÉ
Skin-Enhancing Tinted Moisturizer $32
Loiz loves this skin tint from Ami Colé for darker skin tones. It’s super lightweight, buildable, and gives your skin a natural dewy glow. Also, it works beautifully for a brown-toned look. You may need to apply a more pigmented bronzer like the one below to mix with this tint if you want an extra rich latte look.
CHARLOTTE TILBURY
Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream Bronzer $58
I was instantly amazed by how pigmented this Charlotte Tilbury bronzer was when I first tried it. It’s the one I usually reach for when I have an event to go to, but it works great for latte makeup since it shows up so well on darker skin tones.
2. Try a radiance-enhancer.
Another way to make your latte look pop is by using a radiance enhancer. I know more of a glittery finish isn’t everyone’s vibe, so feel free to skip this step if you want, but it does add a little something extra to the skin that will make your brown shades stand out a bit more.
Try:
SAIE
Glowy Super Gel in Warm Gold Bronze $16
“I like to mix the Saie Glowy Super Gel and Chanel Bronzing Cream and sweep across the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and across the forehead (these are all the high points of the face and where the sun naturally hits).” — Loiz
KOSAS
Glow I.V. Vitamin-Infused Skin Illuminating Enhancer in Energize – Pearly Deep Copper Bronze $38
Kosas offers this skin-enhancer that instantly activates a lit-from-within glow. I do have to warn, this one is really glowy, especially out in the sun, so you only need a light touch with it. It’s also versatile and can be mixed with foundation or as a targeted highlighter.
3. Add a flush of color.
As Bieber did in her TikTok video, you can add a flush of color to the cheeks on top of your bronzer that pairs well with your other latte-esque shades. As Loiz said above, those with darker skin tones might want to try a warmer peach blush shade or terracotta color.
Try:
PAT MCGRATH LABS
Colour Balm in Sunkissed Seduction $29
For a flush of color add Pat Mcgrath’s Colour Balm in Sunkissed Seduction to apples of cheeks and blend into bronzer and highlighter. You want these three products to melt together for a perfectly bronzed latte look.
REFY
This cream blush from Refy is the perfect warm, terracotta shade for darker skin tones. I love blending it with the Charlotte Tilbury bronzer because the two together add the perfect amount of natural warmth to the skin.
4. Use a warm-toned or nude eye shadow palette.
There are so many different ways you can add depth to the eyes here. You could always add a bit of the luminizer you used earlier to keep the look cohesive, but you can also opt for rich coffee shades in an eye shadow palette or pick a few transition shades out of a neutral palette.
Try:
JUVIA’S PLACE
The Coffee Eyeshadow Palette $25
The Juvia’s Place Coffee Shop eyeshadow palette is a spin off of their Chocolates palette and literally has all the best warm-toned nude and brown eyeshadows that look stunning on Brown-skinned girls. Line the eyes in the waterline with a black kohl pencil and add a couple coats of mascara to the top and bottom lashes.” — Loiz
JUVIA’S PLACE
This is another great offering from Juvia’s Place that I’ve loved and used since college. It’s budget-friendly and contains the perfect nude and warm-toned hues for darker skin tones. Both the shimmer shades and matte shades would work beautifully for a latte look here.
5. Finish with a latte-inspired lip.
In Bieber’s TikTok video, she finished with a latte-toned lip, but it looked like she used bronzer on the lips with a liner and topped with a gloss. This would look great on any skin tone, but Loiz also has a few favorite lip combos for a finished latte look.
Try:
BOBBI BROWN
Crushed Lipstick in Rich Cocoa $33
My favorite lip combos are Bobbi Brown’s Crushed Lipsticks in Cocoa or Rich Cocoa topped with Bossy Beauty’s lipgloss in the shade Outspoken (a warmed deep peach).” — Loiz
BOSSY COSMETICS
MAC
Also, for a lighter latte lip, line with MAC’s Lip Liner in Cork then fill in the lips with LYS Beuty’s Matte Lipstick in Dreamer, and top with Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb in the shade Honey Waffles.
LYS BEAUTY
Speak Love Moisture Matte Lipstick in Warm Mauve $20
Below you’ll find a few more quick latte makeup tutorials for different skin tones:
Do you think you’ll recreate the viral TikTok latte makeup trend? Let us know in the comments and follow us on TikTok for more makeup inspiration!
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