Summer 2025 Makeup Trends Are Blooming—Here Are Some Vegan Staples You’ll Need to Achieve This Season’s Hottest Looks
Ready to slay your summer beauty game while leaving animals in peace? We dove into the hottest summer 2025 makeup trends featuring only vegan and cruelty-free must-haves that deliver radiance and glam.
Korean beauty is still shaping the season’s makeup trends with its signature soft glow and juicy lips, but while some classics are sticking around (and a few looks are carrying over from past seasons), this summer also brings some fun surprises to shake things up.
Here’s how to achieve the summer 2025 makeup trends with vegan and cruelty-free products.
Butter Skin
Glass skin came and went—now, beauty trendsetters are going for a smooth, subtle glow (aka “butter skin”). The key to butter skin is striking the perfect balance between hydration and softness—it’s all about looking dewy, not drenched.
Opt for a lightweight, oil-free gel moisturizer like e.l.f’s HolyHydration! Hydro-Gel Moisturizer, infused with nourishing ingredients like allantoin and vegan squalane. Bliss’s Clear Genius Clarifying Gel Moisturizer with Clarity 5 Complex and Tula’s 24-7 Weightless Moisture are also wonderful options for achieving a non-greasy, hydrated complexion.
If your makeup tends to slide right off in the summer heat, a good primer can help your butter skin look stay on all day. NYX’s Plump Right Back Primer + Serum is tacky (but not shiny), offering the perfect base for long-lasting makeup. Wet n’ Wild’s Impossible Primer Stick is matte (but not flat), offering a flawless finish.
Tinted moisturizers are a summer staple—and perfect for nailing that butter skin finish. Look for products that offer light, breathable coverage like Rare Beauty’s Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen (thank you very much, Selena Gomez!) or Colourpop’s oil-free Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Acid Tinted Moisturizer.
Add a cream bronzer that blends effortlessly into the skin, like W3ll People’s Supernatural Stick Bronzer, or Milani’s award-winning Cheek Kiss Cream Bronzer for a warm, sun-kissed touch.
Lightened Brows
Another summer 2025 trend making waves? Lightened brows. Whether it’s a barely-there blonde tint or just a few shades softer than your natural color, lightened brows can instantly soften your features and give your whole look a breezy, natural edge.
But if you’re not ready to make a permanent decision, put down the bleach and pick up a brow gel that’s a shade or two lighter than your natural hair color instead. NYX’s Thick It. Stick It! Brow Gel is thick and pigmented, letting you test the lightened brow look with zero commitment. Essence’s Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara adds soft definition with a tint that lightens without overpowering.
Blonzer
Why choose between blush and bronzer when you can have both? Enter blonzer—the hybrid beauty trend that’s taking over this summer. By combining the warmth of bronzer with the flush of blush, blonzers give your skin that perfect sun-kissed and slightly tan look, like you just got back from a weekend in the sun (without the UV damage).
One great pick: Physicians Formula Butter Blush in Vintage Rouge, a bronzy blush that blends into skin for a radiant, beachy glow. Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush also comes in rich, earthy tones like Enchanted and Confident. e.l.f’s Camo Liquid Blush in Bronze Bombshell is a warm terracotta-toned, ultra-pigmented liquid blush that delivers a dewy, long-lasting flush.
Faux Freckles
One of this summer’s hottest beauty trends is faux freckles—a fun, fresh way to fake that just-back-from-the-beach glow. Use a freckle pen to dot them across your nose and cheeks for a flirty, youthful look.
Revolution Beauty’s Freckle Me pen features a precise felt tip that makes it easy to dot on freckles, which blend out effortlessly with your finger. Colourpop’s Freckle Pen delivers a buildable, sheer caramel-brown tint—ideal for creating natural, sun-kissed freckles.
If you’re low-maintenance and prefer versatile makeup products, grab a brow pen—like e.l.f.’s Holy Strokes Micro-Fine Brow Pen—since it doubles perfectly as a faux freckle tool.
Extra Glossy Lip Tints
Cracked lips are out, glossy lip tints are in—they’re like a classic lip stain but with a juicy, high-shine finish that feels fresh and low-effort. Think long-lasting kiss of color with a glassy glow.
NYX’s Lip I.V. Hydrating Lip Gloss Stain is packed with nourishing ingredients like magnesium, B12, and coconut water, delivering a vibrant lip stain with a glossy finish. Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil nourishes with jojoba and sunflower seed oil, leaving your pout looking irresistibly plump.
Blurred Lips
This summer, blurred lips are having a moment— think of that effortlessly worn-in look, like you went to bed with lipstick on and woke up with just the perfect hint of color.
NYX’s Smushy Matte Lip Balm offers a unique fusion of lip balm comfort and matte color, delivering a soft-focus, blurred effect reminiscent of the “just-kissed” lip trend.
Disco Lips
Disco lips embrace the party girl vibe—shimmery, bold, and totally eye-catching. Grab a glimmery gloss or top off your lip combo with a shimmer shadow for that perfect glamorous shine.
E.l.f.’s Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer is infused with nourishing ingredients like vegan squalane, apricot oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, and pomegranate oil, replenishing the pout while providing a tasteful touch of sparkle. If gloss isn’t your thing, dust NYX’s Buttermelt Highlighter on your lips for a high-impact shimmer.
The Ultimate Summer Beauty Staple Comes From Within
Beauty trends come and go, but compassion is always in—because our fellow animals are individuals who feel pain, fear, and joy. Nothing says “ugly” like cruel cosmetics tests, in which experimenters blind, burn, and poison sensitive animals.
It’s easier than ever to look amazing and be kind: PETA’s Ultimate Cruelty-Free List makes it simple to find truly vegan and cruelty-free brands. This summer—and every season—choose compassion.
Text VEG to 73822 to get the latest vegan lifestyle tips, recipes, and urgent action alerts texted right to your phone.
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