Those who have been following beauty trends closely will likely have heard of coveted looks like “glass skin” or “milk skin”.
While these skin trends always seem to work for the individual sharing about it, we’ve eventually figured out that the glossy and glowy finish of the “jello skin” trend may not be so ideal for those with incredibly oily skin. And it’s hard to achieve “mochi skin” if you have dry skin too, since it has an ultra-matte finish.
Well, “cloud skin” is the latest skin trend that’s taken over social media and Daily Vanity decided to put it to the test to see if it works on oily skin and in our climate. Read on for our honest opinion!
What is “cloud skin”?
Photo source: @subtlcommunity/TikTok
Think of this skin’s finish as the perfect balance between matte and glowy. While the overall look gives a soft cotton-like appearance with a matte finish, there is still a small hint of glow from within.
So just imagine your skin having the fluffy look of a cloud with a tinge of dewiness. That’s what “cloud skin” is all about.
In theory, this look is made to be suitable for everyone. Since it has a perfect balance of a matte finish and a hydrated base, those with dry skin should not experience flaking and those with oily skin shouldn’t have an excessive shine.
But does this prove to be true and will it really work for those with oily skin? I was super sceptical since there’s an unconventional step in this makeup routine.
I just had to satisfy my curiosity and test it out myself.
How to achieve “cloud skin” Plus our honest review!
Step 1: Apply a primer with a matte finish
As always, prepping our base is the most important step for every look. Spread some primer over your face and make sure you cover every crevice (that includes the corners of your nose!).
Reach for a mattifying primer like the Gucci Sérum De Beauté Fluide Matifiant Mattifying Primer (30ml, S$105) or the The Face Shop Air Cotton Makeup Base SPF30 PA++ (S$9.53).
These primers are great for blurring out pores and reducing unnecessary shine and oil. Using a matte primer helps blot away the layer of excess shine on my skin.
Even if you have dry skin, these options won’t be drying for your skin since they both have a hydrating, serum-like consistency.
Step 3: Drizzle on facial oil
Shocked that this look requires a facial oil? I was surprised too. Usually, makeup routines will include a hydration step but it’s typically in the form of a moisturiser that’s applied before your primer.
While it might be unorthodox to use a facial oil, advocates believe that it offers a hydrating base and plumping effect to the skin.
Furthermore, the water-resistant oily base will create a layer of protection against environmental stressors and dirt, reducing the risk of breakouts.
Try using oils like the Kora Organics Noni Glow Face Oil (10ml, S$38) and Sky Organics Organic Jojoba Oil (S$20.29). Both of these oils are lightweight and have no added acids that will disrupt the hydrating properties.
For those with dry skin, this step will be advantageous since it’s an extra boost in hydration.
However, for those with oily skin like me, this step may be slightly uncomfortable at first. Adding oil onto my already-oily face definitely felt counterintuitive.
After dropping some oil onto my hands, I proceeded to rub the oil into my skin. It felt greasy at first but I decided to trust the process and move on to the next step.
Pro tip:Warm up the oil between your palms before pressing it into your skin for maximum absorption. Give the oil some time to penetrate your skin before moving onto the next step.
Related read: Should we pat or rub our skincare products in? We present the case from both camps.
Step 3: Apply your liquid foundation
Grab your favourite liquid foundation and swipe it on with a dense foundation brush.
High-coverage formulas like Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10 Foundation (30ml, S$78) and Revlon ColorStay Make-Up Foundation (30ml, S$16.5) will work well.
As someone who is used to using a makeup sponge to apply her base products, I was really surprised with the finish that the brush helped to achieve.
While the sponge tends to give a very natural skin-like finish with zero shine, using a brush doesn’t pick up as much shine as the sponge and leaves behind a small hint of radiance.
By this step, any oily residue that was left on my skin was almost gone and I could see my skin’s texture turning from coarse to silky smooth.
Step 4: Dust on setting powder
To give your skin that super soft and cotton-like appearance, you’ll want to apply lots of setting powder with a soft fluffy brush.
Try to avoid using puffs to apply your setting powder and refrain from using pressed powders. These methods typically deliver a super matte and flatter finish, which is not the look we’re going for.
By using a soft fluffy blush to dust on your loose setting powder, the layer will gently settle over your foundation, giving your face a powdery finish and a cloud-like texture.
The Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder (12g, S$102) worked perfectly for my oily skin but any finely-milled powder like Skinfood Buckwheat Loose Powder (23g, S$12.45) will work just as well.
Step 4: Blush
Although clouds don’t usually have any pink hue to them, we wouldn’t want to look too pale and washed out.
Add some colour to your face by sweeping some blush onto the apples of your cheeks, as well as dusting over the tip of your nose and the corners of your mouth with a light hand.
Liquid, powder, and cream blush all work for this look. Just remember to blend everything well with a fluffy brush for a soft pop of colour.
The final results of “cloud skin”
I was definitely surprised with the final look! After adding the facial oil, I was convinced that my face would look greasy.
But as you can see, right after application, my face has a feathery-soft appearance with a little glow peeking underneath the layer of coverage.
This matte finish lasted for about seven hours before a layer of oil gathered over my skin, but that’s the usual amount of shine I normally get if I don’t blot or powder up because I have extremely oily skin.
What this means is that while the “cloud skin” look doesn’t help to prevent shine from occurring if you have oily skin like mine, it doesn’t make it oilier than it usually is. I’ll actually continue practising this technique because I like how the finish looks right after application.
For those of you with oily skin and those who tend to sweat a lot in our hot climate, you might want to bring out some blotting paper like the Holika Holika Magic Tool Oil Control Paper (100 sheets, S$5.50) or the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Oil Control Paper (50 sheets, S$6.48) to maintain the desired matte finish throughout the day.
