There seems to be a big movement right now in the beauty world, where less is definitely more when it comes to foundation and our base makeup. Call it a filter backlash, or a step towards realistic expectations but quiet luxury skin – or natural skin texture aka ‘skin minimalism’ – is making a comeback and we love to see it. Recently we saw the best of British and Hollywood’s elite at the BAFTAs looking like real people – pores, crows feet, and frown lines included – and it felt a million miles away from the overly filtered, heavily contoured faces we have been ambushed with on social media for so long.
Leading the way was Rising Star Nominee and “Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor , who showcased her fresh face, using only a touch of concealer to hide any blemishes, allowing the natural texture to be seen. “Oppenheimer” Actress Emily Blunt , who turns 41 this week, also proved you can embrace the skin you are in at any age by choosing to avoid a heavy base, and clearly retaining all the natural movement in her face.
I have a special interest in this trend, as I have maintained we should be celebrating our skin and stopping the unrealistic expectations that filters and heavy makeup have told us is the norm. I’m passionate that getting older is a good thing and rather than constantly trying to reverse the clock, we should be proud of every fine line and wrinkle as they tell our stories. This is the reason I have always avoided tweakments and instead stick to a solid skincare routine to promote positive aging. I also think trying to run away from your DOB can actually make you look older. “Overly smoothed out faces can often age someone,” agrees Dr Wassim Taktouk, Aesthetic Doctor and Exion ambassador. “Which is the exact opposite to what they are trying to achieve.”
He says what we are seeing on the red carpet is the emergence of a new skin era, which he coined the “Quiet Luxury” face for POPSUGAR UK. “For skin, people want it to be subtle, but not in a way that the desired outcome is deemed ineffective. At our clinic we are now working towards improving skin quality. It doesn’t need to be wrinkle free, it just has to look and feel its best.”
Tessa Tarmey, super facialist and ambassador for Opus agrees. “I think the frozen look is becoming less popular. I find a lot of my clients are requesting more customised skin treatments as opposed to freezing their lines.” She cites Pamela Anderson’s bare-faced PFW appearance in September as inspiration. “I personally LOVE to see smile/laughter lines, it’s just not always what you want to see when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror.”
But the question is, is it possible to strike the balance between embracing your natural skin and learning to love your lines and texture? And how do you achieve expensive “Quiet Luxury” skin without botox or fillers? We asked the experts to explain.
What is Quiet Luxury Skin?
Quiet Luxury is basically your skin but better. You should still look like you, embrace your natural texture, wrinkles and crows feet, but also look like you’re having your best skin day every day. According to Dr Haroon Hamid, Haus of Skin clinic London, the trend has also been spurred on by the likes of Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Courtney Cox having reversed and dissolved much of the work they had previously. This has resulted in a discernible push towards natural skin care regimes. “These approaches prioritise enhancing one’s natural features,” says Dr Hamid. “Creating the underlying structure that is lost during the aging process instead of relying solely on fillers or botox to ‘paper over the cracks’.”
He also believes Quiet Luxury skin means looking at skin through a more holistic and health focus. “We are seeing an increase in diet and lifestyle changes with supplementation to drive inwards change to create a healthier outer glow,” he tells POPSUGAR UK. “Embracing holistic treatments for skin rejuvenation, such as the Sofwave face and neck lift, underscores the beauty of feeling proud in the skin you’re in.”
How to Achieve Quiet Luxury Skin?
This is the million dollar question. According to skincare experts, we should engage in ‘skin-streaming’ or cutting back on the amount of skincare products we are using. For example, we should be avoiding strong actives and only using exfoliating acids weekly or fortnightly, not daily. This considered skin care routine should help to repair your skin barrier and bring out the healthiest version of your skin.
If you’re looking for a more intense method to give you the confidence to go bare-face with pride then Tarmey believes it may be time to invest in salon treatments. “Machines, machines, machines. There’s just so much you can do now. From pigmentation removal, sculpting, tightening, resurfacing, there’s a machine for it,” she explains. “As long as they’re in the right hands of course, they can make a huge difference.”
She advises looking into the latest fractional radio frequency treatments from Alma called Opus. “It is incredible for texture, fine lines, pores and overall brightening the skin,” she explains. “It uses two technologies and techniques that suit all skin types and is particularly effective for the lower face, jaw lines, necks and decollétés. Similar to how microneedling works, this kickstarts the natural healing process and boosts collagen production through a wound healing response to produce a new skin surface – but with no invasive needles.”
If you prefer the quicker fix that an injectable provides, then as we move away from exaggerated dermal fillers, look towards skin boosters that use naturally occurring ingredients to promote cell rejuvenation, stimulate collagen and boost hydration. “I recommend Ameela Polynucleotides,” says Taktouk. “These are injected into the skin to improve its quality. But do not change the shape or movement in the face.
What Makeup Do You Need For a Quiet Luxury Skin?
If you haven’t got the time or money to look into treatments or skincare regimes then celebrity makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis suggests you can fake it with a good foundation. “Creating natural groomed makeup is all about using the right primer and foundation,” says Nguyen-Grealis. “It needs to be a light formula to allow the skin to come through, so if it is infused with a serum even better as this eliminates another layer on the skin.”
Right now, I am loving Dcypher’s My Custom Foundation (£42) as it allows you to pick your level of coverage so you can decide which works for you. I use sheer which is a lovely balance between a skin tint and light coverage, so it evens out any discolouration but still looks like my skin. In terms of shades, it uses AI skin tone technology to create your own bespoke formula so you get an even better colour match – great for those of us that don’t have a glam squad on hand. Plus its new formula contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin to hydrate and smooth as well as algae extract which acts like a protective barrier to defend against environmental factors.
Lan also recommends only using base where you need it. “Opt for a light reflecting concealer and stipple on where needed to avoid overdoing the base,” she says.
In this filter obsessed world we are here for this approach and hope we will see more of it on the red carpet and beyond. Natural texture is beautiful and we should all be embracing it rather than always trying to hide our perceived imperfections.
