How To Nail The Viral "Passport Makeup" Trend

We’re all embarrassed by those passport photos that make us look like a feeble alien from another planet, no matter how hard we try to look our best for the camera. But thankfully, TikTok is once again making things easy for us by cracking the code to the perfect passport-friendly makeup look.

And, we're here to give you this (very) important tutorial – because there's no way you're having another passport photo that looks like you've been through a war zone. The viral makeup trend – aptly called "Passport Makeup" – is super easy to do and requires just a few essential products.

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Base

Hydrated, glowy, and sculpted, the base for the 'passport makeup' look requires a heavy-duty moisturizer, lightweight foundation with a natural or glowy finish, full coverage concealer, cream-based contour, blush, and highlighter.

Start by priming your face with a lightweight moisturizer, and then apply a light layer of foundation all over your face. Use a damp beauty blender to blend it out and make it look smooth before moving on to concealer. Apply a thin line at the outer corner of your eye and upwards as well as a couple of tiny dots in the inner corner of the eyes and right under the bottom lash line to brighten the eye area.

Next, use a cream contour stick to add dimension to your face. Focus on the hollows of the cheeks by applying a curved line right under the cheekbones, and blend it out with the same beauty blender. Additionally, you can apply a little bit of your contour product below the brow bone and extend it toward the temples to create the illusion of more elongated eyes and a slimmer face shape.

To finish off the base, use a cream blush on the high point of the cheeks for that lifted effect, and add a touch of highlight over your blush as well as the tip of the nose and along the lash line of the inner corner of the eyes to accentuate the elongated eye shape with extra glimmer.

Products To Try: NARS – Light Reflecting Foundation, $50 | Lancôme – Teint Idole Full Coverage Concealer, $29 | Rare Beauty – Effortless Bronzer Sticks, $26 | Merit – Flush Balm Cream Blush, $28

Eyes

Once your base is set, it's time to move to the eyes, which are subtle and minimalistic, with the trend focusing on creating an elongated, almond-shaped eye look rather than a heavily made-up eye. 

To create depth and dimension without taking away from the shape and the natural, “no-makeup makeup” look, use a tiny bit of neutral or light brown shade in the crease and blend it towards the temples with a fluffy brush.

Next, take a thin eyeliner or a brow pencil in gray, black, or dark brown and only line along the upper lash line from the middle to the outer corner, creating an elongated and slightly curved cat eye shape. Once done, bring the pencil to the middle where you originally started, and line a thin line towards the inner corner of the eye to create a subtle 'V' shape that will make the eyes look longer. Finally, use two to three layers of black mascara to coat your lashes and make them look fuller.

Products To Try: MAKE UP FOR EVER – Artist Color Eye Shadow in 'Milk Tea,' $19 | Tarte – Double Take Eyeliner in 'Brown,' $25 | Lancôme – Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara, $30

Eyebrows

The 'passport makeup' trend boasts the big fluffy brow brushed upwards, which is also known as the laminated brow effect. To achieve this brow look, grab a clear brow gel, and brush it through your brows, starting from the inner corner of the brow and flicking upward. For extra definition, use a thin brow pencil to fill in any sparse areas in the brows, and then brush it through again with the gel to seal it in.

Products To Try: Anastasia Beverly Hills – Mini Clear Brow Gel, $9 | NYX – Micro Brow Pencil, $9

Lips

Glossy, strategically overlined lips are one of the highlights of the 'passport makeup' look, and to achieve them, opt for a nude lip color that suits your skin tone, and apply it all over the lips. Once done, use a lip liner that's slightly darker than your natural lip color but still in the same tone, and overline the cupid's bow and the middle of the lower lip to create an illusion of a fuller lip without looking overdone and unnatural. To finish off, use a clear or tinted lip gloss in your desired shade and apply it all over the lips to make them look glossy.

Products To Try: Rare Beauty – Kind Words Matte Lipstick, $20 | Tarte – Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner, $20 | Dior – Lip Oil, $38

Closing Thoughts

The 'passport makeup' look is all about achieving the right balance between subtle and natural-looking, yet with enough definition to make you look put-together and camera-ready.

It's a great look for those days when you want to look polished but not overdone and a great way to accentuate your beautiful favorite features rather than hiding them away with thick layers of makeup. So, next time you need your passport makeup look to be on point – just follow these steps!

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