One of the latest trends that’s popped up on social media (especially on TikTok and IG) is soft girl makeup. It’s somewhere between the VCSO and e-girl aesthetics and even social media influencers are rocking a pared-down version of the look – you might say that it’s 2020’s version of the girly girl.
It’s about being happy, youthful, positive, girly and playful with theatrical make up and accessories. Oversized is a key clothing trend, along with things like jean shorts and sweaters (there’s a touch of 90’s fashion to it) – Ariana Grande is one of their inspirations.
Soft girls love the color pink and pretty much any other pastel on as much as possible – hair, clothes accessories and makeup should all as pink as can be. And soft girls love their makeup, adding plenty of blush, a glossy lip, fake freckles and tattoo stamps, all while keeping it soft and girly.
The #softgirlchallenge on TikTok is a great way to get some inspiration. You’ll see people go from their usual makeup look – however edgy that usually is – to a fresh, dewy soft girl makeup look. It emphasizes that it’s ok for makeup to be fun and that you can change up your look as often as you want.
How to get the soft girl makeup look
A healthy, wholesome glow is an essential part of this look so add a smoothing primer to prep your skin and add a glowy base to your look. Follow this up with light, dewy concealer and a lightweight, hydrating foundation to help you continue to glow. You probably want something with a buildable formula and a radiant finish – a liquid foundation is probably the best choice for this.
For the soft girl makeup look, you’re going to need some blush. Sweep a peach or pink blush generously across the rosiest parts of your cheeks; you can even add some to your nose too for maximum soft girl effect. Don’t worry about overdoing it, blush is a key part of this look.
You need to then add highlight onto your cheekbones, cupids bow and the tip of your nose to keep emphasizing that soft girl glow. You can use powder, cream or gel highlighter to enhance the glow that’s already coming through from your base and foundation. If you want to add some natural looking freckles to your skin, now’s the time to do it with either eyeliner or an actual product for faking freckles.
As with a lot of makeup looks, the brows are essential, but possibly not in the way that you think. With soft girl makeup brows, less is more. They just need to be groomed and neat, without looking overdone or harsh. The whole point of the look is that it’s meant to be soft, so heavily lined or powdered brows will look a little jarring with the rest of your face.
Eye makeup is kept light and girly, in pastel tones. A little shimmer and highlight is good too! Line your waterline in a similar shade for a soft, easy look. You’ll want to give the appearance of wide, innocent eyes too so add a sweep of mascara to your lashes to elongate and open up your eyes. Heavy false lashes and lots of overly-bold eyeliner aren’t the order of the day here, though some soft girls love to add in a fluffy, romantic lash.
Now on to the lips. Soft girl makeup usually emphasises the lip with a glossy, plump pout that’s synonymous with the look. A glowing setting spray afterwards is another way to add hold and glow to the final touch your makeup.
Soft girl nails
Though the makeup takes centre stage, soft girls love their nails too. Polish, gel or acrylics – as long as it’s pastel and/or with cutesy designs (clouds are a popular one), then a soft girl is into it. There are no talons here, it’s about happy, light looks.
Soft girl accessories
Headbands, hair clips, scrunchies, barrettes in a range of different pastel colors – more is more with soft girl accessories so don’t be afraid to experiment with as many cute accessories as you want to get the soft girl look. A little hair glitter never hurt anyone…
Get some soft girl makeup inspiration
If you’re still not sure what the soft girl look is or you love the look and want some inspiration, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite followers of the aesthetic so that you can keep up to date:
Douxfairy
Lily’s socials are hyper-girly and we’re pretty sure that her favorite color is pink! She has a wealth of soft girl hair, makeup, and outfit ideas on her YouTube channel.
Rachel Tee Tyler
Rachel’s aesthetic, soft girl look, and early 2000’s vibes make her a great inspiration for soft girl fashion. She has lots of make up tutorials on her YouTube channel too.
Bamitsjoanne
Follow blogger Joanne for style, 90’s fashion, and soft girl inspo – including soft girl makeup looks.
Brooke Styles
Aussie Brooke is super-girly and shares a mix of daily life and soft girl makeup inspo on her TikTok channel.
Caroline Carr
Texas-based Caroline is a beauty influencer and cosplayer who combines the two and wraps it up with a soft girl aesthetic.
Nico1eodeon
Model and soft girl Nicole is big on TikTok and IG, sharing her looks and inspiration across both channels. We especially love her “What I’d wear if I was in Clueless” TikTok.
Sophie Suchan
Sophie socials are filled with day-to-day soft girl inspiration. She shares style on her IG and lots of hair, makeup, and outfit ideas on her TikTok.
Lyssy Noel
For a mix of soft girl style and gaming, check out Lyssy’s IG and TikTok – the latter has lots of makeup transformations and inspo.
The soft girl makeup look is easy to wear, cute and fun – it takes a girly, feminine aesthetic and makes it work in the modern age of social media and unlimited fashion choices. Throw on some glitter, add some pink blush and some cute hair clips, and your part of the way there!
