If there's a new skincare trend making the rounds, you can rest assured that it hasn't gone unnoticed with the RUSSH team. When the cloud skin trend began to pop up on our feeds, we were understandably intrigued. What could be more desirable than resembling the ethereal, hazy glow that comes from up above?

The perfect balance of dewy, glowing and matte finishes, this trend leaves your skin looking flawless whilst still feeling natural and authentic. Rather than the ultralight-beam shine we've been championing for so long, cloud skin encourages us to ease up on the highlighter for a change; focusing on a 'lit from within' approach.

Here, we breakdown what exactly is cloud skin and the three simple steps to creating this beauty look.

What is cloud skin?

The latest hyped beauty trend was originally coined by M.A.C Cosmetic's global senior artist, Dominic Skinner. Unlike its predecessor glass skin, cloud skin focuses more on a soft-focus, hazy, lit-from-within look, rather than an insane, all-over glow. True to its name, the finish on your skin should look similar to the ethereal, hazy glow that emerges between the clouds and a blue sky on a warm summers day. It might sound overly poetic, but the resemblance is uncanny.

The cloud skin trend is not to be confused, however, with the K-beauty trend, cloudless skin, which is more focussed on perfecting the skin from the inside out; dubbing it as more of a routine or approach to skincare than a trend.

The key to nailing cloud skin is to find the perfect balance between the textures your layering on your skin – dewy, glowing and matte. It's this miracle-working concoction that helps to achieve the hazy, filter-esque finish.

Nailing cloud skin is all in the preparation.

Like with any skincare trend, preparation is absolutely key. This is where the glow factor begins – by prepping the skin with a deeply hydrating and nourishing base. We recommend opting for a primer, moisturiser or serum that contains hyaluronic acid to achieve that maximum soft-glow finish.

If, once the product is absorbed, you want to take the glow a touch further, cover your face with a thin layer of your favourite face oil. Be careful not to take it too far; keeping in mind that cloud skin is more of a subdued glow.

Don't forget your base, either.

The next step is in your base. While a luminous foundation is required to execute this look, Skivver certainly doesn't recommend buffing it all-over your face. Instead, he recommends dotting your foundation around your face and blending it in gently with your thumb. This will help create that hazy, matte-cloud finish.

Where you place your powder, is even more crucial. Taking a translucent powder and your favourite fluffy brush, lightly dust powder on the areas where you want your foundation to last. Key areas include the hollows of your cheeks, along the hairline rather than the centre of your forehead, a quick swipe over your nose and chin and the inner corners of the eyes. By being selective with the areas you give a matte finish, it creates a natural contrast with the dewier points – just like a cloud.

Highlighting is key.

The finishing touches to the cloud skin trend is all in how you highlight. It's easy to get carried away; so, think of this step as adding a sunkissed dewiness to an already glowing complexion. You can keep your highlight to a translucent finish, but if you'd prefer to inject some natural colour, opt for tinted balm, blush or highlighter. The only cardinal rule is that your product should be shimmer-free; and always remember to blend your highlighter gently into your base.

Apply to your cheeks, lips, eyes and Cupid's bow for an ethereal finish directly from the skin angels above.

Image: Instagram