15 Soft Girl Makeup Looks You Can Actually Wear

Every soft girl look follows the same short recipe. Learn it once and you can improvise all 15 looks without a tutorial open on your phone.

Start with skin that looks like skin. A light base or tinted moisturiser is plenty, with concealer only where you need it. Then add colour in cream or liquid form, because it melts in and looks like it's coming from under the skin. Powder blush can work too, but build it slowly.

• Choose one star: cheeks, lips or eyes. The other two stay sheer.

• Build colour in thin layers. It's easy to add and annoying to remove.

• Keep a little shine on the high points: cheekbones, the centre of the lips, the inner eye.

• Match undertone, not just shade names. Cool pinks suit some faces, warm corals and peaches suit others. Hold the colour against your jaw in daylight and see which one looks natural.

Look 1 is the flushed cheek with faux freckles. Tap cream blush on your cheeks and across the bridge of your nose, then blend until the edges disappear. Dot freckles on with a brown pencil or a deeper liquid tint and press them with a fingertip so they look scattered, not stamped. Use fewer dots than you think you need. It's a great first look because mistakes just blend into the flush.

Look 2 is the nose-bridge flush, the look of someone who just came in from the cold. Sweep the blush from one cheek over the nose to the other in a soft band. Keep the colour lower on the cheek rather than high on the temple. Lips stay a sheer balm, and eyes get a coat of mascara and nothing else.

Look 3 is the heart blush. Draw a small heart on each cheekbone with a cream product, tap the edges with your finger to soften them, then add a touch of highlighter on top. It reads as playful rather than costume-y if the heart is small and the rest of your face is calm. Practise on one cheek and copy it across, because symmetrical hearts are harder than they look.

Look 4 is the gradient lip. Press a tint or lipstick into the centre of your lips, then use a fingertip or small brush to blur the colour outward so the edges fade into your natural lip colour. It's a style often linked with Korean beauty, and it works because it never needs a perfect outline. A shade that's slightly deeper than your natural lip tends to look best.

Look 5 is the sheer peach gloss. Dab a peach or coral tint on the lips, then add clear or lightly tinted gloss. Pair it with a touch of peach blush in the same family and a little cream highlighter on the cheekbones. Skip lip liner here. The whole point is that your mouth looks glossy and healthy, not drawn on.

When styling a gradient tint or clear peach gloss, you can match your lip color to your top. LayeringWearing pieces over or under one another to add depth, warmth or contrast. pieces from our soft girl cardigans selection, such as the Soft Girl Cherry Cardigan in sizes S or M, echoes red and pink lip stains while keeping the neckline open.

Both looks are best when the eyes stay simple. If you want a shimmer on the lid, make it one soft wash, not a full shadow routine.

Look 6 is the all-pink face. Use the same pink, or two close shades, on your cheeks, lids and lips. The trick is texture. A cream on the cheeks, a powder wash on the lids and a tint on the lips will look related without looking flat. Put the blush on the cheeks and the tip of the nose, and keep the lid colour thin enough that your lashes still show through.

Look 7 is the soft apricot, and it proves orange can be gentle. Pick an apricot or light coral, not a saturated orange. Sweep it across the lids, bring it to the outer corner and echo it lightly on the cheeks. Add a sheer peach lip and you're done. If orange tends to look harsh on you, stay in the peach range and add a pinch of pink on the cheeks to warm it up.

Both looks work best when one shade family runs through the whole face. That's why they look polished with very little effort.

Monochromatic makeup in pink or warm apricot pairs well with pastel separates. Consider wearing the pink or white Strawberry Milk Sweater with matching blush, or browse other soft girl sweaters to coordinate your cheek color with your knitwear.

Look 8 is the quiet one, and it's the easiest to wear to work or class. Use a light brown liner close to the lashes, one coat of mascara, pink cheeks and a tinted balm. Brown softens the eye compared with black, so you still look defined without looking sharp. Blend the liner with a small brush if it looks too firm.

Look 9 is the soft shimmer blend. Pick two or three shades in the same pastel family, like a pale pink, a warm peach and a champagne. Put the lightest on the whole lid, the middle shade in the crease and a dab of shimmer in the centre of the lid. Blend between each step with a clean fluffy brush. It's a good way to learn blending, because the colours are so close that nothing looks muddy.

Look 10 is the sunset face. Fade peach into pink into a soft lilac across the lids, then repeat the warm shade on the cheeks. Keep the lilac at the outer corner only. The idea is a gradual change in colour, like the sky just after sundown, not three separate stripes.

For quiet brown wings or wash-of-color eyeshadow, a simple silhouetteThe overall shape an outfit creates, from fitted to loose and layered. keeps the focus on your eyes. You might pair subtle makeup with the Soft Girl Crop Top from our soft girl crop tops range, available in sizes S through L.

Look 11 is glitter freckles. Use a bright pastel shadow on the lid, then press fine glitter on and around the cheekbones, either in a scatter or in tiny clusters. Use a cosmetic-grade glitter glue made for skin, not craft glitter. Place the sparkle where light naturally hits, and the freckles will look like part of your face.

Look 12 is the under-eye glitter line. Draw a thin line of glitter liner along the lower lash line, add a light wash of pink on the lid and finish with mascara. It takes about as long as winged liner, which makes it handy when you're running late and still want something that looks planned.

Look 13 is the dewy night glow. Layer a cream highlighter over blush, add a shimmer on the lids and finish with a gloss. The aim is skin that looks lit from within. If your T-zone gets shiny, keep the glow to your cheekbones and the centre of your lips, so it looks intentional rather than oily.

Soft girl makeup is about softness, not about one specific pink. Many pale pastels can look chalky on deeper skin, so go for richer, more saturated versions of the same idea. Swatch on your jaw or inner arm in daylight before you buy.

Look 14 is the rosy berry wash. Blend a warm rose or soft berry cream blush high on the cheeks, then tap a little of it onto your lids with a finger. Add a gold or bronze shimmer in the centre of the lid and finish with a glossy lip in a warm rose. It's still low-contrast and flushed, just with colours that show up.

Look 15 is the pear-gold lid. Use a pale gold with a hint of green, like the skin of a ripe pear, as a single wash over the lid. Add peach or coral blush and a clear or warm-tinted gloss. It's an unexpected shade that still feels soft, because it's sheer and glowing, not heavy. If green-gold doesn't suit you, a champagne or warm bronze does the same job.

Think of your face and outfit as one picture. If the clothes are busy, quiet the makeup. If the clothes are plain, that's your chance for heart blush or glitter freckles.

A pale lavender top like the Soft Lavender Crop Top pairs well with the sunset face (Look 10) or the all-pink face (Look 6). Add high-waisted jeans or a plain skirt and the Flower Girl Socks for a little pattern at the ankle. For a wider range of pastel pieces, browse the Soft Girl collection or the soft girl clothes.

If your outfit leans a little more sporty, a flushed nose-bridge look (Look 2) with a gloss feels relaxed next to sneakers and loose layers. The skater girl collection is a good place to look for that mix. For a sharper city feel, try the quiet brown-liner look (Look 8) with pieces from the downtown girl aesthetic clothes. And if you want shimmer to match something with more sparkle, the stargirl aesthetic clothing pairs naturally with Looks 11 to 13. You can also see more outfit ideas in the soft girl aesthetic clothes range.

One last tip is to carry your touch-ups in a bag you like. A Kiss Makeup Bag suits the sweeter looks, while the Grunge Makeup Bag is a good fit if you like a bit of contrast with your pastels.

When balancing your makeup with your outfit, match the color temperature across your look. You can pull together a warm, casual combination by pairing items from our soft girl clothes collection with classic denim from the soft girl jeans range to complement peachy cheek products.

Soft makeup is forgiving, but heat and cold change how it behaves.

In hot, humid weather, stick to cream and tint products and skip heavy powder, which can cling and streak. Set only the areas that slide, like the T-zone and under the eyes. Choose a tint over a thick lipstick, and dab glitter on only where you need it. Pair it with a light crop top, a loose skirt or shorts and ankle socks.

In cold or windy weather, use a balm under your lip colour and a cream blush that won't look patchy. A gloss gives you shine without much effort. Layer with a jacket over your top. The Soft Cow Print Jacket is one option if you want a bolder layer, and then keep your makeup simple so the jacket gets the attention.

For rainy days, use waterproof mascara and cream products that stay put, and leave the loose glitter at home. Take a small mirror and a cotton bud in your bag for quick fixes. If you wear contacts or have sensitive eyes, pick products you already know you're comfortable with.

Most soft girl mistakes come from too much, too fast. Here are the common ones and how to fix them.

Too much blush in one spot makes a clown-like patch. Build in thin layers and blend the edges until you can't tell where the colour starts. If you overdo it, press a clean sponge over it, then add a bit of base to dim it.

Pairing a heavy base with a flushed cheek makes colour sit on top of the skin instead of in it. Use a lighter base, or skip it on the cheeks.

Mixing too many colours dilutes the softness. If you have a pink lid, a peach cheek, a berry lip and a lilac liner, nothing looks related. Stay in one colour family or limit yourself to two.

Skipping a mirror check in daylight is another easy slip. A bathroom with warm bulbs hides streaks. Step near a window before you leave.

Finally, don't copy a tutorial exactly. Faces differ. If a placement looks odd on you, move it a little higher or lower until it flatters your bone structure.

Your outfit has to be comfortable for the makeup to feel easy, so a quick word on fit. The sizes listed for the Soft Lavender Crop Top are S, M and L. Check the size chart on the product page and compare it with your own measurements, since sizing differs between brands and no chart can promise a perfect fit.

Measure your bust at the fullest point, your waist at the narrowest point, and the length from shoulder to where you want the hem to land. A soft tape measure works best; if you only have a ruler, use a piece of string and lay it flat afterwards. If you fall between sizes, think about how you'll wear the top. A snugger fit is fine under a jacket, while a roomier one feels better on its own in warm weather.

Also think about the neckline and your makeup. A pull-over top can brush base or blush off your face as you put it on, so tie your hair back and dress before you do your face if you can. The Flower Girl Socks are listed as one size, so check the product page for details before you decide.

Do I need pink blush to do soft girl makeup? No. Peach, coral, rose and berry all work. Pick the shade that looks like a natural flush on your skin.

Can I wear it to work? Yes. Look 8 (brown liner, pink cheeks, tinted balm) is quiet enough for most offices and classes. Check any dress code if you're unsure about glitter.

What if I'm a beginner? Start with Look 1 or Look 5. Both use cream products you can blend with your fingers.

Do I need lots of products? Not really. A cream blush, a tint, a mascara and a light highlighter cover most of these looks. Add shadow and glitter once you're comfortable.

Is this only for young people? No. The look is about soft colour and glow, and anyone can wear it. Adjust the intensity to suit you.

How do I know which look is right for me? Try a few on a day off and take photos in daylight. The one that feels like you with a bit more glow is the one to keep.