Okay, let's talk about that Victoria's Secret show. On October 18, the Angels walked in Los Angeles, and the faces were everything you want from Victoria's Secret Angel makeup: glowing skin, a soft smoked wing, so many lashes, and blush you can see from the back row. If you watched it and thought "I want to look like that for the holidays," same. Good news: this look is very doable at home, and I am going to walk you through it step by step. Want the same Angel effect for less? Start with my Victoria's Secret Angel makeup on a budget.
Pat McGrath led the makeup for the second year in a row. She explained the whole look in a backstage breakdown, so we are not guessing here. Below you get her steps, the products I would use to copy them, Kylie Jenner's exact products, and a few tricks so the glow looks expensive and never greasy.
What the 2026 Victoria's Secret Angel Makeup Looked Like
The brief came from the show's creative director, Adam Selman. Pat McGrath says he always asks for the same thing: his girls should look gorgeous, stunning, and glowing. This year that turned into four ingredients.
Here is the part I love. Pat McGrath explained why the glow goes all the way up to the face. After summer, most of us wear a lot of sunscreen on our faces, so the face ends up paler than the body. If your body is bronzed and glowing and your face is flat, it looks like two different people. So the team warmed the faces and pulled the body glow up onto the cheekbones. That is a great trick for real life too, especially in October.
Watch Pat McGrath break down the look backstage:
How to Get VS Angel Makeup, Step by Step
This is the full routine in the order I would do it. Take your time on the eyes. The skin and cheeks go fast.
Feed your skin first
Pat McGrath calls good skincare a key part of this look. Use a hydrating serum and a moisturizer, then wait a few minutes so the base grips instead of sliding.
Build the base in thin layers
Press in one thin layer of foundation or skin tint. Add a second thin layer only where you need it. Two thin layers always look better than one thick one.
Conceal only where you need it
Dot concealer under the eyes and around the nose. Skip a full mask of concealer, because the glow needs real skin to show through.
Draw the wing with a pencil
Use a soft brown or black pencil to draw a small, slightly lifted wing. Pencil is forgiving, so you can fix the shape before you commit.
Smoke it, then add shimmer
Smudge the pencil along the lash line with a small brush. Press a shimmer on the lid (a highlighter works beautifully here) and blend a matte shade over the pencil so the edge looks soft.
Trace the wing with liquid liner
Go over only the tip of the wing and the lash line with liquid liner. Clean the edge with a pointed cotton swab dipped in makeup remover.
Go big on lashes
Curl, then use two coats of volumizing mascara. For runway drama, add a few lash clusters on the outer corners.
Blush, more than you think
Tap a cream blush high on the cheeks and blend up toward the temples. Build until you can see it across the room.
Highlight, then add moisturizer on top
Put highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones. Then tap a tiny dab of moisturizer over it so the glow looks wet and fresh, like your skin.
Outline the lips, then gloss
Line the lips with a nude pencil to give them shape. Fill in a little with the same pencil, then add gloss on the center.
Keep a pointed cotton swab and makeup remover next to you before you start the wing. Pat McGrath calls it very important, and it turns a wobbly line into a crisp one in two seconds.
If you want more help with the eye part, my smokey eye tutorial shows how to blend a soft edge, and if your lids fold over, read eyeliner for hooded eyes before you draw the wing.
See it in action. These creators recreate the Angel look:
Love the Classic? The 2008 Angel Eye
If you grew up on the 2000s shows, you know the look: Doutzen Kroes on the 2008 runway, icy shimmer eyes, a little pout, glowing skin. It is still the most copied Angel look on the internet, and it is softer than the 2026 version. Here is how to get it.
Keep the face a little brighter than the body
Warm the body with tan or bronzer, but keep the face satin and lightly bronzed. Brighten under the eyes and at the corners of the mouth so the face looks lit up, like a spotlight.
Shimmer goes everywhere first
Pat a light champagne or icy taupe shimmer from the lash line up to the brow bone. Add it to the inner corner and halfway along the lower lash line.
Add a soft taupe on the outer corner
Use a matte cool taupe just above the crease on the outer third only. It gives shape without hiding the shimmer.
Line with brown shadow, straight out
Press a matte dark brown shadow into the lash line with a small flat brush. Make it thicker on the outer third and pull it straight out, not up into a flick.
Lashes for density, not length
Keep mascara at the roots and add a half lash on the outer half of the eye. You want thick, fluffy lashes, not spidery ones.
Peachy blush and a sparkly pout
Put a soft peachy pink blush in the center of the cheeks and blend up. On the lips, use a light pink nude and gloss, then tap a touch of fine glitter into the center.
Two gorgeous step-by-step recreations of the 2008 look:
For a full early-2000s Angel interpretation with icy inner-corner light, pink blush, and a softened wing, this walkthrough pulls the whole face together:
The Runway Kit: Eyes and Lips
These are my picks to copy the show look. Pat McGrath's own pencil from backstage is the PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil, and the shade BLK Coffee is a soft espresso brown that smudges beautifully. It is still new, so I am waiting on more reviews before I call it a must. Any creamy brown or black kohl pencil works for step 4.
Smoked Wing, Big Lashes, Glossy Lip
Every pick is rated 4 stars or higher, and each one matches a step from the show.
A champagne sparkle duo that comes closest to the show’s light-catching Angel lid. Press the deeper shimmer across the lid, then tap the pale shade at the center and inner corner. Want it icier? Choose We Need Better Lighting; for a brighter diamond finish, choose In Your Dreams.
A fine brush tip for tracing over your pencil wing. Let it dry before you open your eyes wide.
Builds thick, dark volume fast. Let each coat dry for a few seconds so it does not smudge under the eye.
The pink nude liner that suits almost everyone. On deeper skin, try Pillow Talk Deep.
A pink beige gloss with a cushiony shine that does not feel gluey. Put it on the center of the lips over your liner.
The Angel Glow: How to Bring the Body Glow to Your Face
This is the signature of the 2026 look, so let's get it right. The goal is skin that looks lit from inside, not skin that looks oily. The difference is where you put the shine.
Keep the shine on the high points only: tops of the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the cupid's bow, and the collarbones. Keep the center of the face (the sides of the nose, the chin, the forehead center) a little more satin. If you want the full map, my guide on how to highlight your face shows every spot.
Here is a backstage trick I love. In a story Candice Swanepoel shared from her makeup chair, her artist is sweeping the Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette across her eyelids. Yes, a face highlighter on the eyes. It gives the lids the same wet, light-catching shine as the cheekbones, so the whole face glows as one. Use the champagne shade all over the lid and the white one in the inner corner.
Then match the body to the face. Smooth a shimmering body oil over the collarbones, shoulders, and arms. Use whatever is left on your fingers to press a little warmth onto the cheekbones. That is the body to face connection Pat McGrath talked about, and it makes everything look like one glow.
Thin Skin, Big Blush, All-Over Glow
Picked for a luminous base that stays polished, plus blush and glow you can build.
A weightless, natural finish that builds without getting cakey. Test a few shades on your jaw before you buy.
A soft peach coral stick that melts into skin. Tap it on and blend up to the temples with your fingers.
A champagne gold liquid that looks like wet skin, not glitter. Deeper skin, try 4 Sunrise or 5 Sunset.
Four glows for cheeks and lids, from pearl white to bronze. Deeper skin, try 005 Sunlit Amber Glow.
A golden shimmer oil for collarbones, shoulders, and legs. Give it a few minutes to sink in before you get dressed.
If you have oily skin, skip the moisturizer dab in step 9 and use only the highlighter. Press a little powder on the center of your face first. My matte vs dewy foundation guide explains how to pick a finish for your skin type.
Watch the glow come together:
Kylie Jenner's Victoria's Secret Makeup, Product by Product
Kylie walked her first VS show this year, and her makeup artist Ariel Tejada gave her a soft, rosy "snow angel" face using her own brand, Kylie Cosmetics. It is the easiest version of the Angel look to copy, because every product is sold at Ulta.
My favorite trick from her look is the double blush. Ariel Tejada put a creamy glow balm on the cheeks first, then pressed a powder blush on top. The cream gives you that lit-from-inside flush, and the powder locks the color so it lasts all night. Try it with any cream and powder blush you already own. It works.
The Kylie Jenner VS 2026 Look
Her artist's products, in the shades she wore. Pick the base shades that match your skin, not hers.
A sheer, blurring tint for that thin-layer skin. Some dry skin types find it patchy, so prep well.
Use a tiny amount under the eyes. A little goes far, and too much can crease.
A fine powder for the center of the face only, so the glow stays on the cheekbones.
A pink coral powder blush. Press it over your cream blush to set the color for hours.
A soft rosy nude for the structured lip. Line just outside the corners for a fuller look.
A peachy nude balm with a soft shine. Wear it over the liner for an easy version of the glossy lip.
Two quick notes. The first blush layer was the new Winter Kissed Lip & Cheek Glow Balm, and her eyes used the new Winter Kissed Eyeshadow Palette. Both launched on October 21 on Kylie's own website, so they are too new for me to recommend yet. Any creamy pink balm will do the same job. She also wore Kylash Volume Mascara, but reviewers often mention flaking, so I would use the Dark Star mascara from the runway kit instead.
On a budget? The Milani Baked Blushin Luminoso is a peachy coral with a little shimmer, and it makes a lovely powder layer over cream blush for a fraction of the price. For the whole soft-glam routine, see Victoria's Secret Angel makeup on a budget.
Watch Kylie's artist teach his soft glam:
Megan Thee Stallion's Soft Smoky Glam for Deeper Skin
If you have deeper skin, Megan Thee Stallion's performance look is the one to save. Her makeup artist Diana Shin described it as "soft, smoky, sultry," and it is a great example of the Angel glow done with warm, rich colors.
Here is how to get it. Smoke a warm brown pencil along the upper and lower lash line, then blend a bronze or chocolate shadow over it. Add a shimmer on the center of the lid. For cheeks, layer a cream blush first and then a warm powder blush on top, the same double blush trick as Kylie's look. Press reported she wore the YSL Make Me Blush Powder Blushin 12 Honeymoon, a caramel shimmer that glows beautifully on deep skin. Finish with a brown lip liner and a nude gloss like the YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stickin 44 Nude Lavalliere.
Pick a highlighter with a gold, bronze, or copper base, never a white or icy one. Icy highlighter sits on top of deep skin and looks gray. Not sure about your undertone? Check my guide on how to find your skin undertone.
Watch a warm brown smoky eye with pencil and shadow:
The Bombshell Blowout That Finishes the Look
Let's be honest, half of the Angel look is the hair. Guido Palau led hair for the first time this year, and he mixed big, bouncy blowouts with natural curls and texture. Backstage, the models sat in big rollers while their makeup was done.
To copy it at home: rough dry your hair with a volumizing product at the roots, then blow dry in large sections with a round brush. Wrap each warm section around a big roller and let it cool fully. When you take the rollers out, flip your head over, shake out the curls with your fingers, and finish with a light hairspray. The backstage team used Color Wow Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer and L'Oréal Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Hair Spray.
Watch the bombshell blowout:
VS Angel Makeup Myths, Busted
"Angel makeup means heavy contour and full coverage."
Tap to revealThe 2026 skin was thin and luminous. Pat McGrath wanted it polished but never heavy. The drama comes from lashes, blush, and glow.
"Drawing the wing with pencil first gives a cleaner line."
Tap to revealPencil is easy to fix. Once the shape is right, liquid liner just traces it. This is Pat McGrath's own advice.
"Body glow should stop at the neck."
Tap to revealThis year the whole point was to bring the body glow up to the face, so skin looks like one warm, even glow.
"You can layer cream and powder blush."
Tap to revealCream first, powder on top. The cream gives the glow and the powder makes the color last. Kylie's look used exactly this.
Make the Angel Look Work in Real Life
Runway makeup is built for bright lights and cameras. Here is how to fix the most common problems when you wear it to dinner or a party.
Highlighter shows my texture
Use a liquid highlighter under your base, not a powder on top. It glows through without sitting in pores.
I look oily by 9 pm
Blot the center of the face only, then press a little powder there. Leave the cheekbones alone so the glow stays.
My wing smudges onto my lid
Draw the wing with your eyes open, looking straight ahead, and set the pencil with a matching shadow.
The blush looks clownish
Start high and blend up and back, never into the center of the cheek. Sheer it out with a clean sponge.
Body oil gets on my dress
Apply it 10 minutes before you get dressed, and use less on areas that touch the fabric.
Shimmer looks too much on my mature skin
Keep shimmer on the center of the lid only and use satin highlighter on the face. See my makeup mistakes that age you guide.
Want the look over 40? This one is lovely:
Test Your Angel Makeup IQ
5 questions. Are you ready for the runway?
Frequently Asked Questions About Victoria's Secret Angel Makeup
Pat McGrath led the makeup for the 2026 show, her second year in the role. Guido Palau led hair. Some walkers and performers had their own artists, like Ariel Tejada for Kylie Jenner and Diana Shin for Megan Thee Stallion.
For the 2026 runway, the team used Pat McGrath Labs, including her PermaGel eye pencil. Celebrity walkers sometimes wear their own brands. Kylie Jenner wore Kylie Cosmetics.
Build thin, glowing skin, then draw a small wing with pencil and trace it with liquid liner. Add lots of mascara, bright blush blended up to the temples, highlighter on the cheekbones, a nude lip liner, and gloss. Finish with body oil on the collarbones.
It is luminous skin where the glow from the body continues onto the face. Backstage, the team used lots of highlighter and added a dab of moisturizer on the cheekbones so the face matched the bronzed, glowing body.
She wore two layers. First the Kylie Cosmetics Winter Kissed Lip & Cheek Glow Balm, then the Hybrid Blush in Cheeky Mood, a pink coral powder, pressed on top to set the color.
Victoria's Secret left color makeup in 2014 to focus on its core lines, and it kept fragrance and body care. That is why the show uses outside artists and brands like Pat McGrath Labs.
The Bottom Line: Glow First, Then Drama
The 2026 Victoria's Secret Angel makeup is not about hiding your face. It is about thin, glowing skin, a soft smoked wing, a lot of lashes, real blush, and a glow that runs from your shoulders right up to your cheekbones. Get the glow right first, then add as much drama on the eyes as you like. If you are new to glowy skin, my glass skin guide is a good next read.
Glow like an Angel, and keep your wings for the eyeliner.
