You might be wondering, what is an ethereal makeup look? Well, ethereal means light, airy, and delicate. Therefore, ethereal beauty conveys the idea of feminine and romantic aesthetics, a light, airy, and delicate appearance. When it comes to ethereal and natural summer makeup, think of just that, a light and delicate, romantic, more natural and feminine (not overly sexy) look. 

This beautiful, delicate look is perfect for summertime when you want to wear more natural-looking makeup. The beauty of this natural summer makeup look is that it is a light look, meaning no heavy makeup products which are ideal for summertime when heavy makeup is farthest from our minds. We will be creating a perfect ethereal and natural summer look, focusing on a light and delicate eye look and natural glowy skin using Red Apple Lipstick’s products.

Let’s start with the eye makeup first. Of course, you can always start with face makeup first and then the eyes if that’s what you prefer.

Eyes

Step 1- Prime the Lids

Begin by priming the lids using the Prime Time Eye Shadow Primer. Using just a tiny amount, apply all over the lids going up to the brow bone. Give it a couple of minutes for the primer to dry before applying your eyeshadow. Once dried, you can take the extra step of setting it with a bit of setting powder if you want to, I find that doing this helps eyeshadows blend even more smoothly so I always like to set my eyeshadow primer.

Step 2- Base Color

Next, apply a base color to the lids. With the Wet/Dry Eye Brush, or a brush similar to it, apply Porcelain eyeshadow all over the lid taking it up to the brow bone. (If Porcelain eyeshadow is too light for you, feel free to use another eyeshadow shade that is closer to your skin color.)

Here, Noemi has lid primed and Porcelain eyeshadow base color applied.

Step 3- Crease & Transition

Now take the Crease and Blend Brush, or a brush similar to it, and apply Blondeshell eyeshadow into the crease (into the folded area above the eyelid where a literal crease forms). Blend that out using windshield-wiping motions as well as circular motions to blend up onto the transition area, the area just above the crease.

Noemi has Blondeshell eyeshadow blended on crease and transition area.

Step 4- Lid Shade

Using the Wet/Dry Eye Brush, you now want to apply Champagne eyeshadow on the lids. First, pat the eyeshadow on, then gently blend the edges out making sure not to go higher than to the beginning of the crease.

Noemi has Champagne eyeshadow applied on the lid.

Step 5- Bottom Lash Line/Lid

You now want to apply some of that Blondeshell eyeshadow on the bottom lash line. Apply it all the way across using the Crease and Blend Brush, using windshield-wiping motions to blend it out.

Here, Noemi has Blondeshell eyeshadow applied on the lower lash line.

Step 6- Highlight 

Apply Innocence eyeshadow to the inner corners and on the brow bone to highlight the eyes. Use either the Wet/Dry Eye Brush or the Crease and Blend Brush to do so. You can also use Innocence eyeshadow to highlight the face. As you will see, I did not highlight the face for this look, but only because the base I used was glowy enough that I did not want to overdo it with highlight.

Noemi has Innocence eyeshadow applied on the inner corner and brow bone. This has created a beautiful soft highlight.

Step 7- Mascara

Finish the eyes by applying a couple of coats of The Lash Project Mascara to the lashes. (I applied 2 coats of mascara for a more natural, feathery lash look.)

Noemi has applied The Lash project Mascara. She has created a natural look with just enough mascara to lengthen and showcase her beautiful lashes.

Face

Step 1- Base 

Apply your base makeup as you normally do. We do suggest using something lightweight and more natural looking with a little bit of a glow for this look. (A light coverage foundation or a tinted moisturizer would be perfect.) I opted for a tinted moisturizer with a glowy finish.

*Step 2 (optional)- Brows

For this look, you want your brows to have more of a softer, natural look. A brow gel would be great to use for a natural but groomed look. If you have to fill them in, we suggest using a powder, such as an eyeshadow. Choose a shade that is close to your hair color, nothing too dark.

Then, using the Angled Eye Brush, take some of the eyeshadow and lightly fill in your brows. For more on how to fill in the eyebrows, make sure to check out Andrea’s tips.

Step 3- Bronzer

Next, using the Blush Brush, apply Sundrop Bronzer to add a natural, light, sun-kissed look to the complexion. Lightly dust on the areas where the sun would naturally hit- across the forehead, cheekbones, nose, and chin. You want a very natural look so make sure the bronzer is blended out completely and smoothly.

Noemi has her face lightly bronzed with Sundrop Bronzer.

Step 4- Blush 

For a healthy flush of color, apply Gotta Glow blush using the Blush Brush. You want to focus the application mainly on the apples of the cheeks, but be careful not to over-apply and blending outwards towards the ears. If Gotta Glow does not work for your skin tone, pick another blush shade that looks similar to the natural color of your cheeks when they are flushed. 

*If the base/foundation you use is not too glowy, you can also highlight the face using Innocence eyeshadow. You can apply on the tops of the cheekbones, down the bridge and tip of the nose, as well as on the cupid’s bow.

This is after Noemi has the Gotta Glow blush applied.

*Step 5 (optional)- Setting Spray/ Face Mist 

To help keep everything in place and help your natural summer makeup look stay looking fresh longer, set your finished look with a setting spray. You can also use a face mist instead, which is what I used for this look to help all the powder products melt into the skin and give a more natural, skin-like finish to the makeup look. 

Lips

Step 1- Prep the Lips

Moisturize the lips by prepping them with a light coat of the Rallye Balm. Let that soak in for a couple of minutes before moving on to applying lip color.

Step 2- Lip Color

Finish this beautiful ethereal and natural look by applying a coat of Sun Sparkles lip gloss to the lips. Keep the application light, you don’t want overly glossy lips. Sun Sparkles is more of a clear gloss, but if you want a bit more color to the lips you can choose a lip gloss with more of a natural pinkish color. Some great choices are Honey Badger, Love Letter, S.W.A.K, and Tiny Dancer.

What did you think of this look? We hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and try out this makeup look this summer. Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know if you like the ethereal makeup style.

Noemi is featured here, after applying Sun Sparkles lipgloss.

Noemi's finished Ethereal & Natural Summertime look.

Here you can see the beautiful completed look Noemi has created on the eyes.

Noemi's completed ethereal light, airy, and delicate look.

Noemi's completed look and the Sun Sparkles Lip Gloss has the perfect added touch to finish the natural look.

On Noemi, the delicate eyeshadows, soft bronzer, and gentle glow of blush offer her a very natural and ethereal look, perfect for Summertime.

Noemi's completed Ethereal/Natural look

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How do you do your makeup for summer?

This is a great question! We highly suggest reading the How to Transition Your Makeup Routine for Summer article for a more in-depth answer. Also, make sure to check out the other summertime makeup guides found here. 

1. How do you do ethereal makeup?

Ethereal beauty involves feminine and romantic aesthetics, a light, airy, and delicate appearance. So, when it comes to ethereal makeup, think of a more natural and feminine, delicate look. Stick to lighter coverage, lighter weight foundations that provide a natural glow to the complexion. Bronze the skin lightly for a very natural sun-kissed touch and use a more natural shade of blush.

For the eyes, think of lighter delicate shades of eyeshadows, and do not forget to highlight the eyes! Finish the look with a light layer of either a clear or a natural-looking pinkish-colored lip gloss.

2. How do you do natural summer makeup?

The key to natural summer makeup is wearing less makeup. Skip foundation if possible, use a tinted moisturizer or even a tinted SPF. Lightly bronze the face to add some warmth and a light application of your favorite blush for a healthy pop of color to the cheeks. Apply a couple of coats of mascara to the lashes and a coat of lip gloss to the lips.

For more ideas, check out our other summertime makeup guides and looks by clicking here.

Face

Gotta Glow Blush- slightly shimmery peachy pink blush shade. Once blended the shimmer is not visible, just provides a dewy and fresh look to any skin tone.

Sundrop Bronzer- warm matte bronzer. Perfect for all skin tones because it is buildable and natural-looking.

Lips

Rallye Balm- a gluten-free lip balm, helps treat and prevent dry, cracked lips. Completely odorless and tasteless.

Sun Sparkles- the perfect clear gloss with a touch of shimmer. Appears peachy in the tube, but when applied the peach tones blend perfectly into your base lip color providing a sheer gloss to make your lips shimmer and shine.