I’m convinced Gracie Abrams is a living, breathing doll. (Our cover shoot with the Grammy-nominated singer at L.A.’s Bob Baker Marionette Theatre only confirmed my suspicions.) I mean, it’s hard not to deem her otherworldly as she runs around on stage belting raw, honest lyrics without seemingly breaking a sweat. Her pitch is immaculate, her tousled bob is on point, and her skin? Oh, it looks practically airbrushed—like she’s permanently bathed in a soft-focus lens.
This blurred, “hazy” aesthetic is trending for spring 2025 (just ask pro makeup artists!), and Abrams has become the poster child for the flawless matte finish. And it turns out, you only need a few products to nail her soft-blur effect.
“Gracie does her own makeup for [The Secret of Us] tour,” Emily Cheng, the pro artist behind the star’s heavenly looks, tells me. While she plays with different eye and lip techniques to match her outfits, “The one thing that stays consistent is her base,” Cheng adds. “Before she left for tour, we filmed a quick tutorial on how to perfect her base, and Gracie takes it from there.” Discover the entire routine below from start to finish, including the products Abrams loves for diffused lips and rosy cheeks.
(Image credit: Hourglass Cosmetics)
How to Re-Create Gracie Abrams’s Soft-Blurred Base
Abrams doesn’t wear foundation; rather, “she uses the Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint in shade 4 all over for light, radiant, natural coverage,” notes Cheng. Whether you blend it with a brush, sponge, or your fingertips, the formula does a spectacular job of disguising blemishes and discoloration while letting your natural skin texture shine through. It’s important for Cheng that Abrams’s freckles peek through her base, and this product is the perfect pick. It’s long been a makeup bag staple for the star, even before she became the face of the brand’s newest campaign (displayed above!).
Now, here’s where the blurring bit comes into play: Abrams then applies the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer (which now comes in 32 stunning shades and adorably mini travel sizes) underneath her eyes and on any blemishes. This weightless formula is infused with microspherical powders that smooth pores and diffuse fine lines. In other words, it has major skin-blurring power. It’s no wonder one concealer is sold every 10 seconds.
It’s full-coverage and highly pigmented, so it immediately disguises blemishes (with 16 hours of wear, no less!), yet it’s super smooth and hydrating; rest assured, it won’t turn cakey or settle into fine lines, even when it comes to the thin skin around the eyes. And because it has a soft matte finish—rare for a concealer this creamy!—it makes skin look effortlessly hazy.
(Image credit: Hourglass Cosmetics)
Just know that you don’t need a ton of product for that soft-focus aesthetic. Contrary to what you might think, globbing on tons of product won’t give you the most long-lasting results. “I use a small brush to pinpoint blemishes on her face and conceal only where needed,” Cheng says of Abrams’s routine. She’ll also let the formula oxidize a bit on the skin before blending. “Letting the concealer set before tapping it out really helps keep product usage to a minimum,” she adds. “When you cake on too much concealer, you often emphasize texture [and] bumps, so less is definitely more.”
Finally, Abrams tops off her base with a light dusting of Vanish Airbrushed Pressed Powder on her T-zone. And that’s it, down to a science. “We have Gracie‘s make-up base so perfected that, other than a little lip, we barely need to touch-up—even after [she’s] running around on stage,” Cheng explains.
Hourglass
Veil Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation
Hourglass
Vanish Airbrush Concealer
Hourglass
Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder
Hourglass
Vanish Airbrush Concealer – Mini Size
Hourglass
Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder – Mini Size
Abrams’s Go-To Lip Combo
(Image credit: Hourglass Cosmetics)
Speaking of a little lip, Cheng is quick to rattle off Abrams’s go-to lineup. “I love doing a blurred lip!” she shares. She’ll start with a gentle scrub á la Kiko Milano’s Pure Clean Scrub & Peel wipes (which are sadly sold out at the moment, but you can still snag the brand’s Pure Clean Wipes) and a light layer of La Mer’s Lip Balm.
After removing the excess moisture, “I buff on lip liner with a brush and press in with [my] finger, softening any hard edges,” she shares. “[Gracie’s] go-to lip combo is Hourglass Shape and Sculpt Lip Liner in Expose and Candid, and Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick in shade Sparrow pressed over the top.”
Remember to diffuse that liner before applying the lipstick, though—that’s the key to nailing a velvety, blurred effect. “To buff out edges I always use a dense but clean, fluffy brush,” Cheng adds. “Using a brush that is too saturated with product will make it hard to get that blurred look. Avoid super flat lip brushes. I opt for an eyeshadow brush!” Bold, precise lines have their time and place, but Abrams’s look is all about an effortless, romantic stain.
Kiko Milano
Pure Clean Wipes
Hourglass
Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick in Sparrow
Hourglass
Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner in Expose
Hourglass
Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner in Candid
Her Eye and Brow Makeup Staples
While her base routine stays the same, Abrams isn’t afraid to play around with her various eye looks. In terms of liner, though, one product remains a makeup bag staple: Hourglass’s 1.5 MM Mechanical Gel Eye Liner. “It truly doesn’t budge, and the tip allows for the cleanest wing,” Cheng adds.
Gracie has the best eyebrows (serious brow envy over here), so she doesn’t do much to beef them up pre-show. Just a few strokes with an Hourglass Arch Brow Micro Sculpting Pencil is all she needs. “Gracie‘s brows are quite full as is, so using this pencil to create that detail makes it look ultra fluffy,” says Cheng.
Hourglass
1.5mm Mechanical Gel Eye Liner
Hourglass
Arch Brow Micro Sculpting Pencil
Finally, a Hero for Rosy Cheeks
For an effortless kiss of color, Cheng presses Hourglass’s Unreal Liquid Blush into Abrams’s cheeks for “a super soft and lifted-in look.” If you know me, then you know I personally adore this serum-like product. blush. It blooms on the skin so beautifully and delivers the most natural-leaning flush, as if you went out dancing or for a brisk jog—or, ahem, twirled on stage during a multi-city headlining tour.
Hourglass
Unreal Liquid Blush