Makeup Labs

Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun Makeup Looks: A Step by Step Guide

Written by

Sara Elhazimy

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If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok or Instagram this year, you already know about the Zara Larsson Midnight Sun era. The Swedish pop star has been serving look after look on her world tour, and her makeup, created by close friend and collaborator Sophia Sinot, has taken on a life of its own online (Refinery29, 2026). Think rhinestone-scattered cheekbones, purple and pink eyeshadow blended into something that looks like a sunset, face gems cascading down the temples, and lips so glossy they could double as a mirror. 

As Sinot explained it, the clean girl era has had its moment, and she felt it was time to bring some fun back into makeup (Napier, 2026), and honestly, looking at how this trend has taken over everyone’s feeds, she’s onto something. The Midnight Sun aesthetic has been described as cosmic-fairy-meets-iridescent-siren, which sounds a bit much until you actually see it: bold enough to stop a scroll, but surprisingly wearable once you break it down step by step (Who What Wear, 2025).

Here’s how to get it.

In This Guide:

  1. The Base: Glowy, Not Cakey
  2. The Eyes: Purple, Pink and Plenty of Shimmer
  3. The Blush: Turned All the Way Up
  4. Face Gems and Glitter: The Signature Detail
  5. The Lips: Glossy and Glazed
  6. The Full Product List

1. The Base: Glowy, Not Cakey

The base for this look is all about skin that looks alive rather than perfected. Zara’s skin on stage reads luminous rather than matte, so reach for a light-coverage foundation or tinted moisturiser, something that lets your skin breathe instead of masking it completely, and apply it with a damp sponge without overworking it into the skin.

A light dusting of setting powder under the eyes only is really all you need here, since anything more starts to dull the glow you’re trying to build. The goal is a base that almost disappears so the eye and cheek drama can do the talking later on. If you want to go deeper on how to get that lit-from-within finish to actually last, our guide to glowy makeup secrets walks through how to build it without it sliding off your face by midday.

2. The Eyes: Purple, Pink and Plenty of Shimmer

This is where the look really comes alive. Sinot’s signature on Zara is a wash of colour across the entire lid and up into the brow bone, with no sharp cut crease and no harsh lines, just colours that melt into each other like an actual sunset.

The Lancôme Hypnôse Eyeshadow Palette in Reflet d’Améthyste is exactly what you need for this. Start with a soft lavender or lilac tone across the entire lid and brow bone, then deepen the outer corner with a richer purple or magenta, blending until the edges are diffused and dreamy rather than crisp.

Once the shadow’s set, it’s time for shimmer. Press NYX Professional Makeup Face & Body Glitter onto the centre of the lid and inner corner using your ring finger, and resist the urge to blend this part out since you want it sitting as a concentrated sparkle exactly where the light hits. NYX has also been PETA-certified cruelty-free for years now, so if that’s something you look out for when buying makeup, it’s worth knowing this one ticks that box too.

Lashes should be full but not overly dramatic, just a few coats of black mascara and you’re done on the lash front. The eyeshadow and gems are doing enough work already.

3. The Blush: Turned All The Way Up

Zara’s blush placement is genuinely one of the most recognisable parts of the look, and it’s not subtle in the slightest. It sweeps high onto the cheekbones, blends up toward the temples, and sometimes wraps slightly under the eye to create that flushed, almost sun-warmed look.

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Happy is perfect for getting this right. Use a fluffy blending brush and apply in circular motions, starting at the apple of the cheek and sweeping upward, then keep building it up rather than holding back. If it looks like a lot, you’re probably on the right track, since the blush on Zara’s tour looks would read as “way too much” by clean girl standards, and that’s really the whole point. It’s worth knowing too that the formula is Leaping Bunny certified and fully vegan, so the brand’s ethics keep pace with how good the actual product is.

4. Face Gems and Glitter: The Signature Detail

This is the step that ties the whole thing together. On stage, Zara and Sinot scatter rhinestones and face gems across the cheekbones, temples, and sometimes along the inner corners of the eyes, and while it sounds extra (because it is extra), the effect is genuinely stunning both in photos and in person.

Reusable, adhesive-backed face gems are easier to apply than you’d think. Use a small amount of lash glue or the adhesive included in the kit, apply it to the back of each gem with tweezers, and press onto clean skin, placing them in loose clusters rather than perfectly symmetrical rows since the imperfect scatter is what makes the look feel intentional instead of try-hard.

You can also dust a little loose glitter along the cheekbone above the gems for extra dimension, layering sparkle so it catches light from a few different angles at once.

5. The Lips: Glossy and Glazed

After all that eye drama, the lips need to stay simple. Zara’s lip looks on tour tend to be a rosy nude or soft pink, nothing that competes with the eyes, but just enough to look glossy and glazed.

Line your lips lightly with a nude liner to define the shape, then apply the Maybelline Lifter Gloss in Moon straight from the wand. This gloss gives a plumped, high-shine finish that reads beautifully on camera and in the mirror, and thanks to the hyaluronic acid in the formula, your lips actually feel hydrated instead of tacky or stiff.

 

The Full Product List

Zara’s look is proof that maximalist makeup isn’t about doing the most, it’s about doing it with intention, and you can start with just one element of this and build from there. For more inspiration on bringing texture and shimmer into your everyday look, have a read of our piece on glitter makeup and face gems making a comeback for ways to wear this trend well beyond the stage. You don’t need to be performing at a sold-out arena to have a bit of fun with your face.

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References

 

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