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I’ve always noticed that the most chic woman in the room is the one who looks most like herself. It’s a quality that’s hard to define, but unmistakable when you see it. She moves through the world with an ease that suggests deep self-knowledge—an intimacy with her own tastes, preferences, and presence.
What gives her that quiet magnetism isn’t trend fluency, but intention. Everything she wears and does feels considered and personal, from the shade of her lipstick to the shape of her manicure. More often than not, she has a signature—something recognizable that doesn’t shift with the season, but evolves slowly over time.
In 2026, I’m on a mission to become that woman. Or at least, to get closer. For me, that begins with beauty—not as performance or constant reinvention, but as expression. I want a signature makeup routine that feels distinctly mine, including a dramatic look I can return to again and again. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how rarely we’re taught to build beauty routines this way in the first place—which is exactly why finding a signature look can feel harder than it should.
Featured image from our interview with Odette Annable by Michelle Nash.
Why a Signature Look Matters More Than Trends
We were, in many ways, misled about makeup. Most of us learned the same techniques from magazines, beauty counters, or online tutorials—approaches that prioritized what was popular over what was personal. Something eventually stuck, and instead of evolving, our routines stayed largely unchanged. The result? A look that feels familiar, but not necessarily flattering—or even reflective of who we are now.
That stagnation is something Bobbi Brown, renowned makeup artist and founder of Jones Road, sees often. “I think people get stuck in a rut and do the same thing over and over again,” she says. “Some people don’t even know what to do anymore. They look in the mirror and think, I look tired—but they don’t know why.”
The issue isn’t a lack of products—it’s too many of the wrong ones. According to Renée Loiz, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Color May Vary, “We all have products we bought because they looked cool or trendy—but never actually wore them. Lip colors or shadows we’re too intimidated to use.”
It’s why trends so rarely stick: they aren’t designed to account for individuality. A signature look, on the other hand, is built around your features, preferences, and lifestyle. It evolves with you—but never feels arbitrary. Ahead, Bobbi and Renée share how to strip back the noise and build a makeup routine that feels intentional, expressive, and unmistakably your own.
Common Mistakes That Keep Your Makeup Routine From Feeling Like You
One of the most common reasons a makeup routine feels slightly “off” has nothing to do with technique—and everything to do with tone. When the base isn’t right, even the most thoughtful look can feel disconnected from the person wearing it.
“Wearing the wrong foundation shade or formula is one of the biggest mistakes I see,” says Loiz. “It’s so important to test foundation in natural light. What looks good indoors can look completely different outside.”
Brown echoes that sentiment, noting that base makeup is often where people lose confidence. “People don’t always use the right color—or enough concealer,” she says. “And when the foundation looks unnatural, everything else starts to feel off.”
It’s why finding your correct shade—and the formula that actually suits your skin—isn’t a minor detail. It’s the foundation (quite literally) of a makeup routine that feels like you. When your base works in harmony with your skin, the rest of your look becomes easier, more intuitive, and far more personal.
Another common misstep is assuming that all makeup advice is universal. In an era of endless tutorials and viral techniques, it’s easy to forget that most of what we see online is designed for a specific face, lighting setup, and aesthetic—not real life.
“Rather than forcing techniques you’ve seen online, follow your natural structure,” says Loiz. What flatters one person’s bone structure, eye shape, or proportions won’t necessarily translate to another’s—and trying to replicate it can leave a look feeling more like a costume than an expression.
Trends like contouring or boyfriend blush can be fun to experiment with, but a signature look is built differently. It comes from enhancing your own features rather than attempting to reshape or imitate someone else’s.
“Enhancing what’s already there will always look better than trying to change your face,” Loiz adds. “Subtle contour where shadows naturally fall, brows that follow your natural growth, and lip lining that refines rather than redraws the lips tend to look more polished—and far more wearable.”
How to Identify the Features You Want to Highlight
So how do you decide which features to highlight—and how? The starting point is simpler than it sounds. Like any ritual meant to last, it should begin with what you genuinely love, not what you think you should emphasize or what looks good on someone else.
According to Loiz, this is exactly how makeup artists approach their work. And it’s the same mindset she encourages clients to adopt when building their own routines.
“A signature look starts with identifying one feature you truly love and leaning into it consistently,” she explains. “That might be your brows, lashes, eye shape, cheeks, or lips. A signature isn’t about doing everything—it’s about doing one thing intentionally and returning to it again and again.”
That restraint is what gives a look its confidence. When you stop trying to highlight everything, what remains feels clearer, more personal, and unmistakably yours.
The same philosophy applies to color. Rather than searching for shades that transform your face, the goal is to echo what’s already there. Your features have their own built-in palette—and enhancing it tends to look more natural, and far more chic.
“I look for shades that mimic a person’s natural lip color and then choose a blush in that same color family,” says Renée Loiz. “When lips and cheeks live in the same tonal range, everything looks harmonious and effortless. It’s one of the easiest ways to look pulled together without overthinking it.”
A simple way to find that palette is by paying attention to how your face naturally responds. Notice the color that rises in your cheeks when you flush, or the tone of your lips when you’re not wearing makeup—those cues are often more accurate than any shade chart.
Brown echoes this approach. “Find something that looks like your cheeks when you pinch them,” she says. “Then find something just a bit brighter that you can layer on top.”
The result is color that feels intuitive rather than imposed, and a look that enhances your natural expression instead of competing with it.
How to Build a Simple, Repeatable Makeup Routine
The familiar “new year, new me” impulse often shows up in beauty as a rush to replace everything at once—new products, new techniques, a totally new look. The result is usually an overstuffed makeup bag and a routine that feels more complicated than before. Instead, both experts recommend starting with something far more practical: what you already own.
“The first step isn’t buying new makeup,” says Loiz. “It’s editing what you already have.”
That edit can be surprisingly clarifying. “Throw out anything that’s broken, smells off, or is a color you haven’t worn in a year,” advises Brown. “Then look closely at what you reach for every day. Set those pieces aside and spend some time noticing why they work for you.”
Once your favorites are visible, patterns tend to emerge. Maybe you’re drawn to a certain texture, a specific color family, or products that make you feel polished with minimal effort. That information becomes the foundation of a routine that’s easy to repeat—and genuinely enjoyable to return to.
“I always tell people to stick with what makes them feel confident and familiar, then build from there,” Loiz adds. “If someone is attached to certain products, I’d rather show them new ways to wear those, or suggest similar shades and formulas. That way, it feels like an evolution—not a total reset.”
A signature routine doesn’t require constant reinvention. It’s built through thoughtful edits, small refinements, and a willingness to let what already works lead the way.
Adapting Your Signature Look for Day, Night, and Special Occasions
Finding your signature makeup look doesn’t mean wearing the exact same face every day. Instead, think of it as a foundation—something familiar that you can adjust depending on where you’re going and how you want to feel.
A signature look gives you a baseline. From there, small shifts can completely change the mood without requiring a full reinvention. A neutral lip becomes a statement shade. Blush is layered a little more generously in summer for a sun-warmed effect. A clean daytime eye deepens into something bolder at night.
Those tweaks are what make a routine feel both personal and versatile. “For evening or special events, I’ll usually add more mascara than I wear during the day,” says Brown. “I’ll play with a bit of sparkle on the eyes, and sometimes I’ll skip the natural blush altogether and go straight for a brighter one.”
The key is that these changes build on what already works. When your everyday routine is grounded in familiarity, dressing it up—or paring it back—feels intuitive rather than stressful. The look stays recognizably you, just tuned to the moment.
Adapting Your Signature Makeup Look as You Age
A signature look isn’t static—it shifts as you do. Changes in skin texture, tone, and hydration are a natural part of life, and it’s normal for products that once worked beautifully to need rethinking over time.
If a longtime foundation suddenly feels heavy or no longer sits quite right, that’s not a failure of technique—it’s simply a cue to adjust. Loiz notes that many people naturally move toward a lighter approach as they get older, trading full-coverage routines for something more breathable and skin-forward.
“Makeup benefits from a lighter hand over time,” she says. “Creamier, more hydrating formulas melt into the skin and give a healthier finish, while dry or heavy products tend to emphasize texture and fine lines.”
As the years go on, the focus often shifts from coverage to freshness. When skin looks well cared for and luminous, everything else—color, definition, confidence—tends to fall into place. A signature look, at any age, is less about holding onto what once worked and more about honoring what feels good now.
The Core Products Every Signature Look Needs
A signature makeup look doesn’t come with a fixed formula. For one person, it might mean a full, expressive face; for another, it’s as simple as mascara and a great lip. What matters isn’t how much you use, but how intentional it feels.
That said, there’s one non-negotiable foundation every expert agrees on: skin care. According to Loiz, a signature look begins long before makeup comes into play. “Proper, hydrating skincare is essential,” she says. “Makeup always looks better when it’s sitting on skin that looks fresh and cared for.”
When skin feels balanced and nourished, everything layered on top becomes easier—lighter coverage, softer definition, less need to correct or conceal. It’s a philosophy that echoes what we’re seeing across beauty right now: the shift away from heavy perfection toward ease, health, and presence. In other words, the biggest flex isn’t doing more—it’s letting your skin (and your routine) breathe.
From there, your core products should support what already works. A signature look isn’t built through accumulation, but through thoughtful restraint: choosing a few essentials you trust and returning to them again and again.
“From there, foundation and concealer help create an even, healthy-looking base,” says Loiz. “Once that’s in place, you choose the feature you want to emphasize and select the product or color that supports that decision. That becomes your signature moment.”
Brown echoes that flexibility. “It’s different for everybody,” she says—and even from day to day.
“For some people, it’s a bright lip and they’re done,” Brown explains. “For me, it’s more pared back. I brighten under my eyes, even out any redness, and decide what my skin needs that day. Some days it’s foundation, other days it’s just a tinted moisturizer. I’ll use bronzer to add warmth, blush for a little color, and define my eyes. Whether I finish with a gloss or a lip stain depends on my mood.”
That adaptability is the point. A signature look isn’t rigid—it’s responsive. It offers a familiar framework you can return to, one that flexes with how you feel while still feeling unmistakably your own.
“The best makeup look is the one you’ll actually wear,” she says. “If it feels intimidating, overly complicated, or uncomfortable, it won’t become part of your routine. Confidence, ease, and repetition are what turn a collection of products into a true signature.”
The Takeaway
A signature makeup look isn’t about locking yourself into one version of beauty—it’s about returning to what feels most like you. When you strip away trends, excess products, and the pressure to constantly reinvent, what’s left is a routine built on confidence, familiarity, and care. By paying attention to your features, your lifestyle, and how you actually want to feel, makeup becomes less about correction and more about expression. Over time, those small, intentional choices add up—not just to a look you recognize in the mirror, but to a deeper ease in how you move through the world. That’s the real magic of a signature.
