It’s Official: “Golden-Hour Makeup” Is This Summer’s Most Flattering Trend

You know that time right before sunset or sunrise when everything turns a gleaming shade of gold? Everything looks soft and diffused. Even without makeup, your skin has an ethereal glow, and your features pop. That, my friends, is golden hour, and it’s the inspiration behind the summer’s biggest beauty trend: “golden-hour makeup.” It’s currently going viral on TikTok, racking up millions of views (and counting). 

What is this makeup look all about? It’s essentially mimicking the effect of golden hour on the skin, with no sunset or sunrise necessary. “The golden-hour makeup trend is a look that captures that warm and glowing light at sunrise and sunset,” says celebrity makeup artist J Guerra. “This trend is skin focused and involves using warm, shimmery, and bronze-toned products to create a radiant and luminous glow. The final look is ethereal. It’s a magical play on light with how it illuminates makeup and skincare products and brings these reflective textures to life. The lighting does all the work for you.” Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about this summer’s biggest makeup trend.

One TikToker calls it “no-makeup makeup’s big sister.” So in other words, it’s a little more glamorous and golden without being too perfect or full coverage. Take it from Jamie Greenberg, celebrity makeup artist and the creator of Blighlighter and Bloss. She says golden-hour makeup is going viral because it’s the natural next step from other popular TikTok trends. “I think this trend is going viral on TikTok right now because it’s another form of the no-makeup makeup look,” she says. “Golden-hour makeup allows for a natural and glowy finish, which is what people are currently going for as opposed to a full-coverage look. This trend is also rather simple, so everyone can achieve it with a few simple products/steps.”