Kylie Jenner dropped the King Kylie Collection, Justin Bieber headlined Coachella, and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made its return — was the world finally healing? In 2025, the Earth decided to have fun again. After years of anxious minimalism, the industry leaned back into its glamorous side, this time with self-awareness. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned for the second year in a row, and this one felt like the real comeback: bigger, smarter, and finally part of the cultural conversation again.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
The brand, once criticized for narrow standards of beauty, came back transformed, diverse, inclusive, and evolved. On the runway: pregnant Jasmine Tookes, WNBA star Angel Reese, and trans model Alex Consani, alongside women of every ethnicity, body type, and generation. The casting finally celebrates difference, not erases it. Even though the production got smarter with significantly reduced single-use decor and minimal waste. The message was subtle but clear: beauty can shine without leaving a footprint.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
Before the show, TikTok was already buzzing with the “Find Your Victoria’s Secret Model Twin” filter: an algorithm that matches you with a VS model and suggests recreating her look. The trend went viral not for the “game,” but for the idea that every woman already fits the aesthetic, so there’s no need to chase it.
Victoria’s Secret is about classic beauty, not loud or avant-garde, but fresh, polished, and timeless. That’s what makes this revival the perfect inspiration for many brides, as it allows them to look like the best version of themselves. These beauty looks don’t age, don’t fall out of trend, and always feel relevant. The kind of makeup you’ll still love in every photo, years from now.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
The Aestetics of 2025
This year, under creative director Adam Selman, the goal was to redefine “angelic” not as fantasy, but as reality refined. Makeup direction came from Pat McGrath, the woman who has shaped fashion’s visual language for decades. Hair was led by Jawara Wauchope, stylist to Beyoncé and FKA Twigs, known for turning texture into luxury. That balance of glamorous yet grounded, seductive yet wearable — is exactly what makes the new Victoria’s Secret aesthetic feel made for brides. It’s polished but real, elevated yet effortless.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
Selman’s brief to McGrath was simple: “Every girl should glow inside and out.” Hair followed the same principle. Wauchope revisited the signature bombshell blow-out but gave it a 2025 update: sleek gloss — a polished shine with soft root volume. “We’ve got every kind of hair this season, and I love that,” Jawara noted. “Real beauty lives in variety.”
Photo: Getty Images / Angela Weiss, Photo: Miss Bottega
Skin
The Victoria’s Secret glow always starts with prep — that signature glass-skin effect where light seems to move beneath the surface. It’s a complexion that looks lit from within: healthy, smooth, and radiant, never matte or over-powdered. Many artists now mix foundation with a few drops of serum to achieve that light-catching sheen, think of it as blending skincare into your coverage. A great bridal-friendly option is Rhode Glazing Milk, mixed into foundation for instant dew and that translucent glow brides love on camera.
Photo: Getty Images / Dimitrious Kambouris, Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
The Angels don’t contour — they bronze. Rather than carving out cheekbones, they add warmth and dimension across the face. Even though the models are naturally fit and sculpted, their faces aren’t “slimmed down” with makeup. Instead, the features are gently rounded, diffused, and softened. This lack of sharp edges is intentional, it keeps the look youthful and fresh. Harsh lines tend to age the face, while soft warmth restores that angelic, healthy fullness. To achieve this sun-touched finish, bronzing drops are key. The cult-favorite Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi is an effortless way to get that vacation-level glow without stepping into the sun.
Photo: Miss Bottega
The same principle extends to the body. Backstage, models were prepped with Brunel Body Oil, founded by Jasmine Tookes, a formula that gives the skin a hydrated, glassy finish without glitter. Under stage lights or camera flash, it catches just enough luminosity to look like silky skin.
Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Shutterstock
Cheeks
That signature angelic warmth comes from blush. The trick that makeup artists swear by and that’s been circulating online for years is using red blush. It might sound unconventional, but once it melts into the skin, it gives that natural flush of youth. It instantly adds dimension, freshness, and that “just came back from vacation” energy without bronzer overload. Red tones sit closer to the true undertones of real blood flow. That’s why when blended correctly, they look believable from every angle, even in close-up.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
In 2025, the team reached for Pat McGrath Legendary Glow Color Balm, a creamy, light-reflecting formula that melts into skin instead of sitting on top. It’s that barely-there blush that catches light as you move, giving the cheeks a satin sheen. For brides, it’s a perfect middle ground: romantic and radiant, yet elegant enough to stay timeless in photos.
Photo: Miss Bottega, Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
Eyes
The Victoria’s Secret eye look is all about luminous champagne and golden-beige tones that mirror the warmth of the skin. Lids are kept creamy and radiant, with shimmer that feels diffused rather than defined. The glow isn’t limited to the moving lid — it extends toward the brow bone, softening the entire upper eye area. Artists often add the same shade beneath the lower lash line and into the inner corners, so the shimmer moves seamlessly across the eyes instead of sitting in one spot.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott, Photo: Miss Bottega,
Makeup artists use brown pencils or powder lines, gently blurred along the lashes to create definition without weight. The only harsh black appears on the lashes themselves: fluffy, feminine, and airy. Most artists build them with individual clusters, giving that feathered, angel-wing effect that feels flirty yet natural. Brows follow the same softness. They’re brushed up, lightly filled, and fixed with transparent gel.
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
Lips
The signature combination: a nude liner slightly deeper than the natural lip shade, blended softly to blur the edges, topped with a warm gloss that catches light. The Angels’ go-to is Pat McGrath Lust Gloss in Earth Angel — a golden-rose nude that shifts between pink and champagne depending on the lighting. It gives lips that “wet-light” effect, glowy but soft, sensual but never sticky. The gloss sits like a veil rather than a layer, letting the natural lip tone peek through.
Photo: Getty Images / Arturo Holmes
Hair
In 2025, Victoria’s Secret found the perfect balance between effortless and elevated. Hairstylist Jawara revived the iconic bombshell blow-out, but reimagined it for the modern era. The classic “angel waves” became smoother, shinier, and more intentional. Most models this year wore a side part, not a center one. This added instant sensuality and structure while making volume easier to achieve. Flipping the part creates a natural lift at the roots, so hair looks fuller without teasing or heavy styling. The blow-outs had soft root volume and a sleek gloss through the lengths, that liquid shine that catches light with every movement. Jawara described it simply: “We wanted movement, not chaos.”
Photo: BFA / Sansho Scott
Another key evolution this season was texture inclusivity. Alongside the signature glossy waves, the runway featured natural curls, coils, and straight finishes all styled to look healthy, rich, and touchable. Models like Imaan Hammam walked with their natural curls diffused and defined, showing how real texture can look luxurious without being altered.
Photo: Getty Images / Dimitrious Kambouris, Photo: Photo: Miss Bottega
Nails
Even the nails at this year’s show followed the same radiant logic: clean, translucent, and light-reflective. The backstage brief was “nothing opaque, nothing heavy.” The look, now called Lip Gloss Nails, mirrors the same idea behind the makeup: glow without glitter, shine without distraction.
Nails were short to medium length, softly oval, coated in sheer pink or beige tones with a jelly-like finish. It’s the kind of manicure that doesn’t announce itself, but quietly completes the look — hydrated, healthy, and quietly luxurious.
Photo: Getty Images / Dimitrious Kambouris
Confidence
The last step isn’t a product — it’s a feeling. Let’s take Adam Selman’s line literally: every girl should glow inside and out. That glow isn’t all about makeup, it’s about energy. If you watch the Angels walk, you’ll see it right away. They smile, blow kisses, laugh, flirt with the crowd. They enjoy the walk. That’s what makes them magnetic; you can feel how much fun they’re having, and it pulls you in, too.
And just like on the runway, things can go wrong. A shoe might slip, a dress can catch, something might not go as planned. But they don’t look upset. It’s not about pretending nothing happened, it’s about not letting it matter.
For brides, it’s exactly the same. You’ve already done everything: the prep, the planning, the makeup. Now the only thing left is to live it. Because when you’re truly having fun, everyone can feel it. And that’s the glow no product can recreate.
Photo: Getty Images / Gilbert Flores
