A Makeup Artist’s Guide to Soft Glam | by Zipho Ntloko

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'Soft glam' AKA 2021’s refurbished approach to the classic no-makeup makeup aesthetic. We’ve seen it on the likes of Jackie Aina, Normani, Rihanna, and Justine Skye, a technique that’s more partial to neutrals, glossed with a lit-from-within complexion, diffused strobes, and the dewiest lids and lips for an all-over and eye-catching skin glow.

Scroll down as we chat with celebrity makeup artists Sive Ngcelwane (IG: @sivemartini) and Justine Alexander (IG: @justine_nomz), as they share their trade secrets to mastering the trending beauty style.

On the three key elements of soft glam

Justine Alexander: I would say creating shape in the eyes is key; warming up the cheeks with a bronzer or blush, and a glossy neutral lip to finish.

Sive Martini: A skin finish that’s radiant and glowy, not too much concealer on the skin — I like to add some to the inner and outer parts of the eyes for a subtle lift — and lastly, a blush that's close to your contouring shade. You want it to imitate the natural depth and shadows of your cheekbones.

On skin prep

SM: For a radiant foundation finish, a hydrating and brightening skincare regime is a crucial first step. I always begin with the La Roche Micellar Water or, a more budget-friendly alternative, the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Micellar Water to remove any excess oils and dirt on the face. I then follow this up with serum and a moisturizer. My favourite one right now is the Eucerin Aquaporin Moisturizer. It’s got this beautiful jelly-like consistency, and when you put it on, it feels like you've just dunked a whole bucket of water on your face, so it creates a dewy skin base that’s so beautiful. After moisturizing, I like to dab on some La Roche Pigmentclar Eye Cream or Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Eye Base to correct dark circles and add light-reflecting radiance to the under eyes. And as a final step, I always spritz on The Body Shop Vitamin E Cooling Gel Mist to hydrate the skin before I layer on foundation.

On soft glam skin coverage

SM: For an ultra-smooth skin canvas on the nose, I always begin with a primer. Benefit POREfessional, Maybelline Babyskin, and Catrice Goodbye Pores Prime and Fine are a few of my makeup kit staples to help refine the appearance of pores. I’m not the biggest fan of applying primer all over the face as I find that it often causes pilling, so instead, I utilize MAC’s Prep and Prime Fix+ Spray as a primer. Once dried down, I then add one layer of foundation. I highly recommend the Dior Forever Foundation — a high-end buy that gives you a radiant finish that looks like real-life skin. But for beauty lovers on a budget, I mix the Yardley Stayfast Foundation with NYX Cosmetics Born to Glow — the former is a matte formula while the latter is dewier. When mixed, they create a satiny and feather-light coverage that I really like. And for concealer, L’Oréal Infallible is my usual go-to, which I double-set — typically with a translucent powder and a sheer compact powder in a fleshy shade, too.

JA: For me, I love MAC foundations because of their creamy texture, which makes for easy layering. A hack that I use often is sunscreen as a primer. It provides great grip for your foundation while protecting the skin beneath. I then use a highlighting concealer under the eyes, forehead, bridge of the nose, and centre of the chin. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer is a staple of mine because of its dense pigments and smooth blendability. For the cheekbones, I usually have Tom Ford’s Shade & Illuminate in Intensity 02 and the Swiitch Beauty Bubble Blush Palette on rotation, ending off with some translucent and bronzing powder to set the face.

On sculpting soft contours and strobes

SM: I prefer cream contours, which I achieve with a foundation stick for a sheer finish that mimics natural shadows on the face. To enhance this, I then blend some cream blush to the apples of the cheeks for soft dimension, adding highlighter as a topcoat. Makeup Revolution’s Reloaded Highlighter creates a buttery, lit-from-within glow, which I then accentuate with a light misting of MAC’s Prep and Primer Fix+ Spray for silky soft beams. After this, I lock everything in place with some fixing spray.

On soft glam eyes

JA: My go-to is a neutral cut crease to create depth and shape on the eyes. I always vouch for warm and neutral eyeshadow shades to complement a luminous skin tone. Liquid highlighting eyeshadows are great to utilize for cut creases to amplify and take your radiance from the cheeks to the lids as well.

SM: For deeper or richer melanin skin tones, I also opt for shades closer to your complexion, so your warm nudes and deep browns. The Huda Beauty Topaz, Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam, Morphe x James Charles Artistry, and Essence The Brown Edition palettes have a versatile and broad selection of shades from pastel, beige, pinks, and deep browns. When it comes to mascara, with soft glam, it’s all about emphasizing and enhancing your natural features. So out of the many mascara varieties out there, I prefer a volumizing mascara for a natural and fluffy lash finish that isn’t too dense or heavy. Makeup Revolution The Waterproof, Sorbet Wand-er-Lust, and L’Oréal Lash Paradise mascaras are a couple of my personal favourites.

On soft glam lips

SM: A nude lip is a soft glam essential, in either a matte or shiny finish. I always line the lips first with MAC’s Cork Lip Liner, a holy grail brown shade for medium and deep skin tones. I then add Fenty Beauty’s Stunna Lip Paint in Unveil directly over the lip pencil to deepen that brown. In the centre of the lips, I’ll then apply a lighter brown lip shade like L’Oréal Infallible Les Chocolates Matte Lip in Sweet Tooth and Volupto Choco, blending this colour towards the lip line for a soft gradient.