Have you seen the new “outdoorsy skin trend” that’s hitting fashion magazines and runway looks?
If you have, and you wish that your complexion looked like you just came back from a brisk walk in the fresh air, you’re in luck.
Below, we’re going to tell you how you can get this fresh, healthy look, even if your skin isn’t in the best of shape right now.
What Is the Outdoorsy Skin Trend?
This look is all about that lit-from-within, natural radiance that suggests you’ve been hiking a mountain trail or enjoying a breezy day by the coast. Think natural color, a slight glow, flushed cheeks, and just enough irregularity to feel authentic rather than filtered.
At its core, outdoorsy skin looks like you’ve been nourishing your body and soul in the open air. What stands out most are these characteristics:
- A natural flush: A hint of rosy color across the cheeks mimics the way circulation perks up after you’ve spent some time outside.
- A hydrated sheen: Outdoorsy skin has a lived-in glow. It’s not oily, but rather soft and radiant, allowing the skin to naturally reflect light.
- Visible quirks: Instead of covering every freckle or smoothing out every pore, the outdoorsy look allows your skin’s natural character to shine.
On the fashion runways, makeup artists are shifting away from flat, matte finishes toward a more natural, alive-looking skin. The shift speaks to a broader culture that is longing for authenticity, health, and a connection with nature.
Where did the Outdoorsy Skin Trend Come From?
Our increasingly digital and technology-driven world—which tends to emphasize spending time indoors with screens—has sparked a need for the vitality and freedom that is associated with outdoor living. The beauty industry has just responded to that need by shifting from heavy, Instagram-ready makeup to looks that celebrate natural skin health and radiance.
Consumers are also rejecting unrealistic beauty standards in favor of looks that feel genuine and achievable. Similarly, beauty brands have taken notice and are developing products that enhance rather than mask natural skin characteristics.
Can You Get That Outdoorsy Skin Trend When Your Skin Needs Help?
As we transition into fall and later, winter, you may struggle with dry, dull, and lackluster-looking skin. The combination of colder temperatures, indoor heating, and reduced humidity can leave a complexion looking tired and lifeless. With the right routine and products, however, you can get that outdoorsy glow even when your skin isn’t naturally cooperating.
The key is to restore barrier health, boost hydration, and layer in thoughtful techniques that work with your skin’s natural quirks.
Here are some practical, at-home ways to achieve the outdoorsy look this season while actually improving your skin’s health in the process.
And FYI: CV Skinlabs has the perfect products to help you achieve that natural, youthful look that is so “in” right now!
1. Start with Hydration
Healthy skin starts with moisture. If your skin doesn’t have enough, it can cake under makeup or appear dull and lackluster. Highlighter may look patchy, and natural radiance fades. CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture is an excellent place to begin. Designed to soothe and restore stressed skin, it doubles as a powerful hydrating primer, adding a natural radiant sheen.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Smooth a thin layer onto clean skin. For extra radiance, mix a drop with your foundation. Pat another touch on top of makeup where you want a subtle glow—cheeks, forehead, or chin.
2. Encourage Circulation
That signature outdoorsy flush often comes from boosted blood flow. You can mimic the look by giving yourself a gentle facial massage. Use your fingertips or a gua sha tool to stimulate circulation along your cheeks and jawline.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: On clean skin, warm a small amount of Calming Moisture (use our CV Skinlabs Restorative Skin Balm for drier skin) between fingers and glide along jaw, cheekbones, and temples with light upward strokes. Focus on the apples of the cheeks to encourage a natural flush. Keep pressure feather-light to avoid redness flare-ups if you’re sensitive.
3. Exfoliate Gently
If your skin looks dull, that’s typically because of a buildup of dead skin cells. Exfoliate once or twice a week with an enzyme cleanser or ultrasoft polish. The key is gentle—over-exfoliation can harm your skin’s outer barrier and create redness and irritation.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: After rinsing, mist Rescue + Relief Spray to calm, then seal in hydration with Calming Moisture. This exfoliate, soothe, and seal sequence helps keep skin smooth and light-reflective.
4. Try a Humectant Sandwich on Dry Days
For those days when your skin is too dry to cooperate, try this layering effect. It helps pull in water, cushion it, and prevent its escape, which is particularly effective in the fall and winter seasons.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Mist Rescue + Relief Spray, apply Calming Moisture, then tap Restorative Skin Balm only on the dry patches. Once it all soaks in, apply your makeup as usual. This layering effect will help it go on more smoothly without catching on flakes.
5. Place a Windswept Blush
Outdoorsy skin favors color over carved shadows. Choose a soft, cream blush that will melt into the skin and mimic a real flush.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Smile slightly and apply a sheer cream blush to the apples of your cheeks, diffusing up and out toward the temples. Add the faintest sweep across the bridge of the nose for a wind-kissed effect. Prep the area with a thin veil of Calming Moisture so the color fuses with skin. You can also pat a little over makeup to create a sheer glow effect.
6. Highlight Without Shimmer
Rather than choosing a glittery highlighter, focus on creating luminosity through skincare and cream products. In other words, swap sparkly highlighters for strategically placed skincare.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Try Calming Moisture or a pin-head of Restorative Skin Balm onto cheekbones, the brow bone, and the center of the lids. You’ll get a believable, light-catching sheen that looks like real skin rather than product.
7. Keep Brows Real
Full, softly groomed eyebrows anchor the face and amplify the “I’ve-been-outside” vibe.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Swipe a whisper of Restorative Skin Balm through brows with a spoolie to condition hairs and add a natural, healthy sheen. Brush upward and outward. Next, fill in only the sparse areas with a fine pencil.
8. Spot-Conceal
The fastest way to flatten outdoorsy skin is to apply a full-face, matt coverage. You want dimension, not a mask, so try changing how you apply concealer.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Mix Calming Moisture with a drop of your concealer on the back of your hand. Tap only where needed. Cover the shadows of your inner eye, for example, or a blemish, or some redness around the nose. Leave the rest of the skin visible. If you like, finish with Rescue + Relief Spray to meld the edges.
9. Steam, Then Seal
A brief facial steam softens dead skin cells and allows your moisturizers to better penetrate the skin. This can be a game-changer when your skin is dry and dull.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Hold your face over a bowl of warm water for 3-5 minutes. Or, you can drape a warm, damp washcloth across your skin for the same length of time. Next, mist with Rescue + Relief Spray, apply Calming Moisture, and lock flaky zones with Restorative Skin Balm. Afterwards, you will enjoy softer, smoother skin.
10. Weather-Proof
Cold air and wind sap your skin of its natural moisture. You can help it prepare by taking some precautions before you step out.
How to use it for outdoorsy skin: Before you put on your coat, scarf, and hat, tap Restorative Skin Balm on the tops of your cheeks, the tip of your nose, and over your lips to shield vulnerable areas. Use CV Skinlabs Body Repair Lotion on your neck and hands to make everything exposed look plump and radiant. You can also finish your makeup with a final mist of Rescue + Relief Spray to calm and set without killing the glow.
Outdoorsy Skin—Embrace Imperfection
Remember that the outdoorsy trend celebrates authenticity, so don’t try to hide every imperfection. Instead, focus on creating an overall healthy, radiant appearance that looks effortlessly beautiful.
Have you tried this new beauty trend?
Featured image by Gantas Vaičiulėnas via Pexels.