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Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear’s own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.
In case you missed it, angels, cherubs, Cupid, and other whimsical fairylike creatures have be on the rise lately. Perhaps its our shared desire to bury ourselves deep in the nostalgia of our childhoods, or frequently associate images of these winged figures with art museums and history books, but I’m all for taking cues from their unique aesthetics. So, what better way to look at the trend than through beauty-centered lenses? Edwardian and Victorian-inspired beauty may currently be taking over Instagram feeds as movies set in those time periods take to the screen, but cherubs (and other similar angelic beings) have been lingering in our psyche longer than we may realize.
As Who What Wear’s resident art history obsessed beauty editor, I’ve challenged myself to take a closer look at the influence of these figures in modern-day beauty, and how to interpret they’re most recognizable features and overall angelic aesthetic through fragrance, makeup, skincare, and more.
(Image credit: @frida.cashflow)
Delicate Dewiness
Dieux
Instant Angel Lipid Rich Facial Moisturizer
Dieux describes their deeply moisturizing, nourishing face cream as, “your skin barrier’s protector,” and I would have to agree that it comes in handy when my skin needs extra support. Designed with dehydrated skin and compromised skin barriers in mind, the bestselling product uses a blend of nourishing ingredients for instant hydration and an ethereal glow. Your skin will feel revitalized with no residue left behind.
Customer Review: “As someone with dry skin, I’m always on the hunt for truly hydrating facial moisturizer! Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer is my new go-to! I love this for so many reasons! It’s instantly highly moisturizing, and is ultra nourishing on my skin. It’s loaded with lipids, ceramides, and other skin loving ingredients which my skin seems to drink up!”
Chantecaille
Rose de Mai Cream
I began incorporated rose water-based products into my skincare routine following my cross-country move from New York City back to Seattle, and I swear by using skin revitalizing products like this moisturizer to ensure my skin stays dewy year-round. Chantecaille’s Rose de Mai Cream uses a modern, gel cream texture infused with skin smoothing botanicals (such as sweet pea stem cell extract, wild pansy extract, and raspberry stem cells extract) combines with an essence extracted from the world’s rarest roses.
Customer Review: “The Rose de Mai Cream is a lightweight cream with a lovely texture. Your skin will feel hydrated. The barely perceptible scent is a delight. It is suitable for day or night, although some might want a heavier cream at night. Perfect for summer.”
Mara
Pearl Peptide Glaze Hydrating Facial Essence
As a beauty editor, I’m introduced to hundreds of products. While I do love having the opportunity to test them as standalone finds, I always pay extra attention to the ones that elevate my routine. Mara’s Pearl Peptide Glaze Hydrating Facial Essence has a unique, three-in-one essence-toner-serum formula with pearl powder, algae, and collagen peptides that deeply hydrates your skin while balancing redness, pH levels, and restore natural luminosity.
Customer Review: “I really love this product. I feel like I’m giving a drink to thirsty skin when I use it. It feels like water going on but leaves the skin feeling very moisturized. I usually use it around the house and let it dry for a while before putting on anything else to go out. My skin feels a little tacky for a short bit, in a good way. I love it so much.”
Oak Essentials
Balancing Mist
Facial mists have only just received viral recognition over the last couple of years (perhaps due to a veil of mystery over their many benefits). Recently, I’ve fallen in love with Oak Essentials’ Balancing Mist, which boasts a blend of antioxidant-rich rose water and aloe juice to instantly hydrate and soothe irritated skin. While I use this one morning and night, I’m drawn to using it in the A.M. the most to wake up my skin and energize my body.
Customer Review: “Absolute must have! Wakes me up in the morning, calms me midday, and gently eases me into sleep come bedtime. Leaves my skin refreshed, beyond soft, and lightly-scented with the most heavenly fragrance.”
Cherubic Makeup
Westman Atelier
Lit Up Glassy Gel Highlighter Stick in Nectar
Cherubs are frequently depicted with mischievous smiles, bright eyes, and flushed cheeks on some skin tones that helped establish the playful, winged guardians in European artwork through the Italian Renaissance Baroque period, and beyond. To adorn my cheeks with an artistic flush of color similar that would make artists like Raphael or Rubens proud, I reach for this glow-boosting highlighter stick. My skin is always left looking dewy with a stunning glassy finish.
Customer Review: “It has the perfect balance between color and glow, giving the skin a very subtle, natural-looking radiance. The shine is refined and smooth—there’s no chunky glitter or sparkly particles at all, just a soft luminosity that melts into the skin. I would definitely repurchase it.”
Isamaya
Skin Enhancing Duo in Marta
Designed for cheeks, lips, and eyes, Isamaya’s Skin Enhancing Duo offers a multi-use blush and highlighter pair for the most natural-looking flush of color. It has a nourishing formula with a unique solid-to-cream texture to leave the skin glowy, hydrated, and radiant with skin-loving ingredients to lock in hydration levels and brighten skin all while fighting hyperpigmentation.
Customer Review: “I like this blusher and highlighter it’s great for shine and adding highlight. I use this on eyes, cheek and forehead and nose. I like the pink on my cheek and I apply a little on my eyelids. I like the highlight on my Cupid bow as I have thin lips.”
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Glidr Shadow Stick in Dusty Rose
Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Glidr Shadow Stick glides on effortlessly, delivering 12-hour wear that’s smudge-proof, water-resistant and non-flaking with a blendable, creamy formula. This multipurpose product can be used as an eyeshadow, eyeliner and eye highlighter for mess-free makeup in a matte, shimmer, and metallic finish with 12-hour wear. I can’t think of an easier way to cut down the time you spend on your eyeshadow.
Customer Review: “The glider stick is exactly how its named and designed! It’s easy to apply on your eyes, you can even brush it on your higher cheek bone to give yourself some color. It’s super pretty and shimmery. Easy to build on and apply other colors!”
Dior
Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss in Rose Nude
This luxurious lip plumper is crafted with volumizing hyaluronic spheres and nourishing oil to create an instant plumping effect with 90% natural ingredients. Lips are left looking smooth and shiny for up to 24 hours of hydration in 47 shades in three eye-catching finishes: Glittery, holographic, and iridescent. I’m the most drawn to this one in the shade Rose Nude: a brownish, pink shade that looks like my natural lip color but better.
Customer Review: “I have a handful of these little beauties and they are great to wear alone or on top of your favorite lipsticks. Many hours of wear without having to touch up. Love the wide variety of colors and finishes!”
(Image credit: @emmahoreau)
Ethereal Glow
Brunel
Golden Hour Glow Body Oil
If I had to name one of the most angelic-looking human beings, it would be model Jasmine Tookes. From the moment she opened the show in a “Mother of Pearl” ensemble with a pearl-adorned outfit and glowing skin, I knew I needed to begin using Brunel’s Hour Glow Body Oil to give my skin a similar, sun-kissed glow. The fast-absorbing, antioxidant-rich body oil includes golden shimmer enhanced with the delicate scent of jasmine petals and sandalwood.
Customer Review: “I absolutely love this body oil! It absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving a greasy residue, and it leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft and hydrated all day. The scent is light and luxurious—not overpowering, just enough to feel fresh and pampered. I’ve noticed a visible glow to my skin since using it regularly. Perfect for after a shower or before bed. Definitely a staple in my self-care routine!”
Tom Ford
Soleil Neige Shimmering Body Oil
Here’s. silky, lightweight oil that illuminates the skin with platinum leaf to recreate the sultry effect of a light-reflective, glowy complexion. While this one offers deep hydration for the skin, it also possesses a citrus floral scent with juicy bergamot, grounding carrot seed and powdery fresh jasmine grandiflorum with a warm, benzoin base set alight by cistus. It’s silky, lightweight, and layers beautifully with other skin-conditioning favorites.
Customer Review: “From the moment I see the stunning, heavy glass bottle, i know i’m in for a treat. The scent is absolutely breathtaking – it’s like a mix of cold air, white florals, and a hint of vanilla; it’s both uplifting and sophisticated. The oil itself has a beautiful, lightweight texture that absorbs surprisingly quickly without feeling greasy. The shimmer it leaves behind is very fine and elegant, giving just a subtle, radiant glow to the skin.”
Osea
Undaria Algae Body Lotion
My skin may not be naturally hydrated and dewy (it certainly takes some smart layering of skin barrier-supporting products), but the Undaria Algae Body Lotion by Osea almost single-handedly restored my New York City-era dry skin to it’s healthiest state with a lightweight body lotion formula powered by clinically tested ingredients including Undaria seaweed and hyaluronic acid, to deliver lasting hydration for radiant skin.
Customer Review: “Finally, a body lotion that delivers. My crepey skin looks so much smoother and feels wonderful. The lotion absorbs quickly and I could actually watch these ingredients smooth the skin. It was that quick! Love this product.”
Oak Essentials
Luminous Body Lotion
Another luminosity-boosting body lotion I have in constant rotation as I transition form the cooler winter weather to springtime humidity is this non-sticky, glowy Oak Essentials favorite. Formulated with aromatherapy benefits and enriched with with antioxidant-rich Blue Tansy to calm inflammation. It formula also includes ultra-hydrating rose oil to nourish and revive tired-looking skin, and turmeric root extract to reduce signs of aging.
Customer Review: “Love this! At first it took a few days to adjust to the dominating turmeric scent it has, but it smells so fresh and clean. Not greasy at all. Will be making this a part of my daily routine”
Halo Hair
Shu Uemura
Moya Hold Finishing Hold Spray
To give your tresses a weightless, picture-perfect finish, weightless micro-fine mist finishing hair spray. The Shu Uemura Moya Hold Finishing Hold Spray defines styles (specifically slicked back styles, high hold updos and texturized blowouts) with a long-lasting buildable hold. It uses the brand’s signature amber musk scent with what the brand describes as, “relaxing florals and energetic pepper.”
Customer Review: “This product was amazing! It sprayed out so finely and evenly over my hair. I love that it can be used on wet or dry hair, too. My hair is very straight and fine and has trouble holding a style. However this spray worked perfectly to keep my style without making my hair feel stiff or crunchy. I’m a fan!”
Kérastase
Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops
Glossy strands don’t require a trip to the salon. Kérastase’s crowd favorite Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops high-gloss oil is formulated to deliver up to four days of anti-frizz protection. It has hydra-glazing technology wild rose in oil rich in vitamins A, C, and E. Its fragrance is the epitome of romance with sparkling citrus accented by a bouquet of soft florals, warm vanilla, and smooth sandalwood.
Customer Review: “I’ve been using the Kérastase Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops Anti-Frizz Hair Oil, and I’m really impressed with how it makes my hair look and feel. The texture is lightweight and non-greasy, yet it gives my hair instant shine and smoothness. It tames frizz without weighing my hair down, and just a few drops go a long way.”
Crown Affair
The Signature Scent
This award-winning hair perfume notes of sparkling yuzu, lemongrass, and Italian bergamot brightened with crisp calla lily, fresh water lotus, green tea before being warmed by sandalwood, cedar, and amber. For a refreshing scent that enhances your strands while wearing beautifully on the skin. The unique formula used for this hair perfume is gentle, non-drying, and will not weigh down strands.
Customer Review: “I really liked this hair perfume! It’s the original scent of the other hair products which is very fresh to me. It has a lot of citrus and bergamot notes. I like that it’s a healthier way to make my hair smell nice and you can’t feel the product sitting there.”
Emi Jay’s award-winning Halo Hair Oil is created to bee the last step in a haircare routine, but the first product that comes to mind when I think of products that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are effective for all hair types. Sure—I had my reservations about using this on my 4c curls and knotless braids when I was first introduced to it, but it only took one application to completely win me over. It’s scent, Angel Wings, combines amber with a light musk, and lingers on hair long after the first initial spritz.
Customer Review: “I have thin, brown hair, and this oil adds the perfect amount of shine without making it greasy or heavy. It smooths flyaways and gives my hair a soft, healthy look. The scent is light and clean, and a little goes a long way. Such a great finishing touch after styling!”
(Image credit: @emmaleger)
Angelic Fragrance
Diptyque
Eau Rose Eau de Toilette
Scent Type: Green floral
Notes: Rose damascena, rose centifolia, lychee accord
Inspired by the many different scents rose takes on throughout its lifetime this elegant scent is an homage to the Damascena and Centifolia roses. The velvety florals are accented with bright fruit before giving way to green notes. Refreshing, crisp, and elegantly floral, this is a meaningful floral eau de toilette that smells heavenly.
Customer Review: “This is a fresh rose and lush fruit composition; linear and simple with musk peeping out behind the curtain. I can imagine several occasions where this would work perfectly, especially suited for warm weather. It’s light and easy, and projects with a natural disposition.”
Fugazzi
Angel Dust Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aromatic woods
Notes: Transparent wood, cashmere, white amber
If you’re on the hunt for a skin scent that still smells fresh, enticing, and grounded, consider snagging Fugazzi’s Angel Dust Eau de Parfum. I have a tendency to fall for unique sheer, woody notes of this blend, but I’ve recently fallen in love with this nostalgic perfume. While i will always hold a special place in my heart, I do like trying things I’ve never don e before with my fragrance combinations and this perfume is at the forefront of changing my approach..
Customer Review: “I feel like this perfume was made for me. It’s my new signature scent. If I had to choose just one fragrance to wear forever, it would be this one. It’s ethereal, soft-girl, angelic, magnetic, everything that’s right in a single bottle. The sillage is incredible. Beyond perfection in a bottle!”
Santa Maria Novella
Angeli de Firenze Eau de Cologne
Scent Type: Fruity marine
Notes: Peach, orange, marine notes, jasmine, blackcurrant, sandalwood, vanilla, musk
I don’t just love this perfume for it’s title… I’m quick to conduct research! Many of my favorite angel-inspired fragrances include a gourmand or a soft floral element as the opening notes, but I truly enjoy how Santa Maria Novella takes everything you would expect from an “ethereal” perfume, and challenges it. The opening notes of peach and orange immediately transports me to Northern Italy, where the history of the family homes and wineries extend back hundreds of years.
Customer Review: “Like the brush of an angel’s wings: charming, airy, delicate, and almost imperceptible. An exceptionally gentle, almost ethereal composition with a subtly sweet fruity opening. A safe and classic fruity-floral feminine fragrance. So far, the most delicate Santa Maria Novella perfume I’ve experienced.”
Parfums de Marly
Meliora Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Floral green
Notes: Blackcurrant, raspberry, lemon, rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine tea, vanilla, musks, praline
This is another example of a floral, green fragrance that’s balanced nicely with sugary sweet praline, musks, and a bouquet of fresh florals. The perfume opens with blackcurrant, crisp and earthy, before transitioning into an warm and playful heart of mouthwatering raspberry, lemon, and powdery rose. From there, we dive in to the world of tea in fragrance complemented by vanilla, musks, and praline.
Customer Review: “Youthful, dewy melon. This reminds me of the bluebonnet soap my grandmother would put in my childhood bedroom mixed with the cucumber melon shampoo I used in the second grade. This to me is a melon floral, so if that sent profile appeals to you, then this is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s clean and down to earth and very early 2000’s.”
Romantic Details
Lelet NY
Juliette Scrunchie
This romantic scrunchie by Lelet NY combines playful polka dots with a a sheer cram base. I’m obsessed with how this accessory trend came to bye and what i’s worth.
Emi Jay
Mini Cloud Clip in Grey Smoke
There’s something incredibly nostalgic about this claw clip (I wore niche and oddly shaped claw clip designs until I fell in love with silk hairbands). Playful designs like this have hit the market recently, and I’m loving the quiet nod to the clouds cherubs are always pictured with.
Ettika
Noble Nugget Hair Tie
If you’d want want to be too on-the-nose with your hair accessories, consider choosing a minimalistic hair tie with chrome details like this one by Ettika that resembles the playful cloud claw clip.
Lelet NY
Allison Crystal Mini U Pin Set
Cherubs rarely wore any hair accessory (to be honest, they weren’t frequently displayed wearing much more that olive branch crowns and billowing white fabrics), but these delicate barrettes are sweet, romantic, and whisper elegance.
