As we settle into spring, beauty’s latest vibe is clear: soft glam is blooming. Think: radiant skin, diffused blush, and a glossy lip that feels more effortless than edited. But don’t confuse this look for bare or basic. According to top Black makeup artists, 2025’s soft glam is a love letter to melanin, blending technique, tone, and intention to celebrate what’s naturally ours.
From the rise of romantic glam to the cultural significance of seeing soft finishes on rich skin tones, makeup artists Theo Turner, Kim Paige, Ngozi Olandu, and Nyssa Green are helping to reframe what “natural beauty” really means.
Below, they walk us through why soft glam is the moment, how it’s evolved in the Black community, and their must-have products for achieving the look this spring.
Theo Turner
Where Skin Steals the Spotlight
“For me, soft glam in 2025 is all about natural enhancement,” Turner tells ESSENCE. “It’s a ‘you but better’ approach that puts fresh skin, flushed cheeks, and full lips front and center.” While soft glam and romantic glam share a minimalist philosophy, Turner notes that romantic glam brings in fashion and aesthetic styling, creating a look that’s refined, dreamy, and totally of-the-moment.
The Return of Romantic Glam
A blush-heavy, diffused makeup look is taking over this spring. With flushed cheeks extending from the apples to the temples, lips softly lined, and light-catching shimmer on the eyes, romantic glam elevates soft glam with a whimsical, spring-ready twist.
Fresh Skin Is In
Soft glam in 2025 is skin-first. Glowy, dewy foundations with a radiant finish are replacing heavy mattes. Turner emphasizes the importance of tailored skin prep to help complexion products apply smoothly and naturally—making the glow look like it’s coming from within.
Strategic Glow, Not Grease
Artists like Turner are moving away from an all-over glow and leaning into targeted radiance. “I use powder only where it’s needed to reduce shine, but I leave the cheekbones and high points luminous,” he says. The result? Glow that’s soft, refined, and flattering in every light.
But the look isn’t just about trends—it’s about representation. “It’s so important for Black individuals with melanin-rich skin to tap into soft glam because it celebrates our natural features and brings them forward,” he says. “Our skin is naturally luminous, and when you highlight that correctly, you accentuate your bone structure, eyes, and lips effortlessly.”
Natural Doesn’t Mean Boring
“The soft glam look is all about using complementary tones for your complexion,” Turner adds. “With brands finally catering to us, there’s no excuse anymore.” His go-to shades include burnt orange, chocolate brown, and deep plum—tones that melt beautifully into melanin-rich skin. The biggest myth he wants to bust? That soft glam doesn’t “show up” on deeper skin. “That’s completely false,” Turner says.
For Turner, skin prep is sacred. His go-to technique starts with tailoring prep to skin type, stippling in foundation, and using strategic spot-concealing. From there, it’s all about selective powdering—taking down shine where needed, while letting glow live on the high points. He leans on products like Danessa Myricks Blur Balm Powder and Ami Colé Foundation Sticks, plus Fenty’s Gloss Bomb and Pat McGrath’s Highlighter + Balm Duo to lock in the glow. “The soft glam trend is versatile and amplifies what you already have. That’s what makes it so powerful.”
Kim Paige
Pink Blush and Power Moves
Paige knows soft glam is more than just makeup—it’s a statement. “In 2025, soft glam is about enhancing your natural features with a blurred finish. We’re seeing soft pink blushes swept across the cheeks and nose, light-catching lids, and glossy lips that make the whole face feel like spring.”
Blush is the Star of the Show
According to Paige, today’s romantic glam leans into blush-forward looks and seamless blending, where nothing feels too bold but everything looks intentional. “A wispy lash, a lined lip, and a diffused blush across the cheekbones and temples? That’s romantic glam at its best.”
Glossy, Juicy Lips Take Over
Paige loves pairing a classic ‘90s chestnut lip liner with sheer pink gloss. “It creates a full, sultry vibe, and it’s stunning on deeper skin tones,” she says. Her favorite formulas? Black Radiance glosses for their hydration, scent, and shine.
For deeper skin tones, Paige is here to remind us: we deserve to take up space. “It’s so important for us to embrace these looks. We’ve always been the trendsetters. Now it’s time to own the soft glam space, too.”
Growing up, Paige says she didn’t think she could pull off pink blush or gloss. Now? “Blurred liner, rich rosy pinks, and that classic 90s Chestnut lip liner topped with gloss—that’s the look. It’s sultry, soft, and stunning.”
Cream Textures > Powder Overload
For that soft, glowy effect, Paige relies on cream blushes and radiant finishes. “Avoid powders that leave a white cast,” she warns. Instead, she reaches for yellow-toned setting powders to brighten without flattening the skin.
Her product picks include Danessa Myricks’ Yummy Skin Foundation, the Black Radiance 3D Highlighter Palette, and multi-use blushes that work on both cheeks and lips. “What I love is that soft glam doesn’t take a million steps,” Paige says. “Start with a luminous foundation, grab a multipurpose blush, and use gloss that can double as a cheek highlighter. That’s all you need to glow up.”
Nyssa Green
Soft, Easy, and Unapologetically Ours
For Green, soft glam is a blessing—especially now. “I’m recovering from brain surgery, so I need my makeup routine to be easy and minimal. Soft glam really works for me,” she shares. “It’s a more personalized version of the heavy glam we’ve been seeing for years.”
Green believes this trend is hitting especially hard because people are craving simplicity. “It enhances instead of complicates,” she says. “And it always looks clean, professional, and polished—especially on us.”
Simplicity is Power
Green echoes Paige’s praise for soft glam’s minimalism, saying the look works beautifully with fewer steps and less pressure to be “perfect.” “You don’t have to do everything to look put together,” she says. “Sometimes, skin, blush, and gloss are more than enough.”
Natural Doesn’t Mean Boring
Despite beauty myths, Green insists that natural tones look phenomenal on deeper complexions. “It’s a lie that we can’t wear soft colors. Or that soft glam doesn’t work on dark skin. Some of the most beautiful looks I’ve ever created used orange, purple, and rich brown.”
For a glow that doesn’t lean greasy, she uses Danessa Myricks Balm Powder as a base, cream blushes on cheeks and lids, and finishes with brown liner and gloss.
Her foundation faves? Kevyn Aucoin, Face Atelier, and Haus Labs. For lips, she reaches for The Lip Bar and The Crayon Case—Black-owned staples that deliver pigment and payoff. “Soft glam doesn’t require 10 steps or perfection. It’s about showing up as your best self—and still making it to brunch on time.”
Ngozi Olandu
Soft Glam as Soul Work
Celebrity makeup artist Olandu has spent over 25 years helping people find the beauty in simplicity—and for her, soft glam is more than just a look. “I would personally define soft glam in 2025 as mastering your most authentic self-expression that looks effortless,” she says. “It’s not about muting your features, but about enhancing them with intention. The softness should feel deeply personal and timeless.”
Romantic Glam’s Cinematic Shift
From her experience in film and television, Olandu views today’s romantic glam as a welcome evolution from the heavily sculpted looks of years past. “Subtle highlights, diffused edges, and blush applied like plush clouds—it’s freer now, more intuitive,” she says. “It’s a striking softness I truly appreciate.” And, in a time marked by global unrest and emotional heaviness, she believes this softness resonates deeply. “Soft glam offers a self-expression that’s more nurturing rather than performative. We’re in full bloom—and this kind of makeup honors the wearer without masking them.”
We Are the Soft Glam Blueprint
For Olandu, Black beauty is already soft glam personified. “We are naturally the soft glam,” she says proudly. “Our melanin-rich skin is ethereal, glowy, and inherently luxurious. Tapping into it allows us to live in the space between ultra-minimalist and hyper-glam without even trying.”
Natural Doesn’t Mean Dull
Olandu is passionate about challenging the misconception that softness equals dullness, especially on deeper skin tones. “That is not true! The correct hues—from bright orange to magenta to hot pink—paired with the right technique can make our complexions even more radiant without overpowering what’s already beautiful.” Over the years, she’s seen the Black beauty community reclaim and refine soft glam. From accurate undertones and expanded shade ranges to new contour and highlight placements that honor our bone structure, there’s a sense of ownership now that didn’t always exist. “It’s no longer about chasing what works on everyone else—it’s about knowing what works for us,” she says.
Cream Textures > Powder Overload
When it comes to product textures and finishes, Olandu compares the ideal soft glam base to velvet. “It’s not matte flat, and it’s not hyper shiny unless it’s crushed velvet—it captures the light softly,” she says. That translates to cream and satin finishes that blend into the skin like second nature, paired with radiant tones like warm terracotta, golden peach, deep rose, and plum. “Our skin tones are velvet. Not matte. Not glittery. We reflect light—softly, luxuriously, powerfully.”
Strategic Glow, Not Grease
Her soft-focus application always begins with skin prep. Depending on her client’s needs, she mists the face with a hydrating spray, follows with a moisturizer and radiant primer, then applies a skin-like foundation in thin, intentional layers. Concealer is used only where needed, and color is added through cream blushes and balm highlighters. She softly bronzes and contours for dimension, finishes with a tapered powder brush for strategic setting, and seals it all in with a final mist. “I want the glow without the grease,” she says. “This method locks it in.”
Some of her go-to soft glam staples include Pat McGrath’s Sublime Perfection Foundation, NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, Danessa Myricks Vision Flush, Fenty Beauty Cream Blush and Gloss Bombs, Ami Colé’s Skin Enhancing Highlighter Stick, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. But the secret, she insists, isn’t the products—it’s the approach. “When you see a face on a film screen that’s 10 or 20 feet tall, it has to be perfect up close and from far away. That means thin layers, not heavy hands.”
Simplicity Is Power
Even in her personal routine, Olandu keeps it light. “Although I’m a makeup artist, I can’t stand a lot of stuff on my face,” she laughs. “Soft glam lets me feel polished without the weight.”
Where to Start
For anyone just getting started, her advice is rooted in intuition. “First, trust your instincts,” she says. “Even if you’re new to makeup, it’s an emotional thing. Start with your skin—literally. Treat it well. Invest in a good moisturizer and foundation. Use a blush that lights up your face from within. Add some mascara, brush up your brows, and swipe on a gloss or lip oil. The makeup should feel like an embrace, not a mask.”
And for Olandu, that’s the heart of it. “Soft glam was my first love,” she says. “It always felt like an invitation to see the soul of a person. I’m always here for enhancing what already makes someone beautiful.”