The Blurred Makeup Trend: How to Get That Soft-Focus Glow Effect

If you’ve ever wished your skin looked as smooth and dreamy in real life as it does with a beauty filter, you’re in luck. The blurred makeup trend is here, and it’s all about that soft-focus, natural-but-polished look. Think effortless, second-skin perfection—like your complexion just got a glow-up without looking overdone.

What Is Blurred Makeup, and Why Is Everyone Obsessed?

Blurred makeup sits somewhere between dewy and matte—giving you that "just right" finish. It smooths out pores, softens fine lines, and creates a natural, airbrushed effect. It’s like wrapping your skin in a soft-focus lens but without looking flat or cakey.

The trend first took off in K-beauty and has now taken over TikTok and the red carpet. Celebrities, makeup artists, and beauty lovers everywhere are ditching heavy contour and full-coverage foundations for this weightless, effortless glow.

How to Achieve the Blurred Makeup Look

Step 1: Start with a Blurred Base

Think of your skin as a piece of art; you want a smooth base before applying anything. Use a hydrating, blurring primer like Laura Mercier’s Pure Canvas Primer Blurring to soften texture and minimize pores without drying out your skin.

Step 2: Apply Real Flawless Foundation

This is where the magic happens. Real Flawless Foundation is designed to give you that lit-from-within, blurred effect without feeling heavy or cakey.

• For the lightest, most natural finish, use a damp beauty blender to press the foundation into the skin.
• If you want more coverage, a buffing brush will do the trick—just blend in circular motions for that seamless, airbrushed effect.

The result? A flawless but natural complexion that lasts all day.

Step 3: Set, But Make It Soft

The key to blurred makeup is knowing where to powder. Instead of mattifying your whole face, focus on the T-zone (aka forehead, nose, and chin) with Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder Ultra-Blur. It locks everything in place while still letting your natural glow shine through.

Step 4: Add Soft Dimension with a Blonzer

Skip the harsh contour and opt for a natural matte blonzer, like Bronze Color Infusion, to bring warmth back to your face. Simply swirl the Angled Cheek Contour Brush over both sculpt and glow shades, desaturate the brush on the back of the hand, and apply over high points and the center of the face for a soft and diffused effect.

Step 5: Blurred Lips for the Win

The blurred effect isn’t just for your skin—it works on lips too! Instead of a crisp lip line, try applying a soft matte lipstick, like Caviar Smoothing Matte Lipstick or Petal Soft Lipstick Crayon, using your fingertip to gently diffuse the edges. This gives that just-bitten, effortlessly chic look.

Step 6: Set It and Forget It

A quick mist of the hydrating Translucent Pure Setting Spray will pull everything together, making your makeup look like it’s melting into your skin instead of sitting on top of it.