E! illustration/Courtesy of Milani CosmeticsIt's official! 2010s makeup is so back and so are the products you know and love, but with a 2025 refresh.
We have plenty of evidence to support this hypothesis (King Kylie, anyone?), but we're predicting that one of the OG makeup trends will come out on top—baked makeup.
Popularized by brands like Laura Geller, these products are easy to spot at a distance thanks to their 3D-appearing, frequently spherical, baked shape.
But what are they? What makes them different from the rest of the powders out there? And how do they help us achieve a pigmented, blurred, and glowy look on everything from our eyelids to our cheekbones and even down our necks?
Keep scrolling to read what makes these products stand out from the rest, and shop our favorite baked makeup options.
What Is Baked Makeup?
Baked makeup is named after its unique manufacting process where pigments start as a liquid, turn into creams, and are then baked.
It's different from powders, which are milled and compressed into compacts. You'll notice the difference mostly in the texture and pigment of these poducts. Powders won't have the color payoff and silkiness that baked ones can achieve.
Most baked products are manufactured in Italy, just like the famous (and beloved) Laura Geller baked powder where "swirls of cream pigments are baked on terracotta tiles for 24 hours."
Due to that silky texture, it's ideal for dry and even mature skin. The baked process allows different pigments to mix together into one product, which can be why you'll see a swirl of different tones in one pan.
Baked products are known for their lightweight texture and luminosity, seen in plenty of top-rated highlighters, blushes, and bronzers over the years.
According to a New York Times article from 2013, these products promise to deliver "denser and truer pigmentation, longer wear and easier blending."
Not all baked makeup looks like typical baked makeup, though. While that 3D shape is popular, there are plenty of products that are "baked" but don't use the term in the name.
The easiest way to spot baked makeup in the wild is its texture, and the effect that it gives on the skin. We've found a bunch of top-rated baked makeup products below that will give you the coveted blurred, glowy baked look you're going for.
Top-Rated Baked Makeup Products
Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey
The OG herself! Laura Geller (both the founder and brand) is the queen of baked makeup, and the Gelato Swirl Illuminator in the golden shade Gilded Honey is the princess of the brand. Back by popular demand, the formula is transformed into a silker smoother finish, made especially for mature skin (but it's also perfect for anyone).
Ofra Cosmetics Shimmering Baked Swirled Highlighter
A 2010s makeup favorite, the Ofra Baked Highlighter hasn't gone anywhere. This baked highlighter provides a glow-from-within that mels into your skin for a real pop of a shine. This shade is perfect for a bronzer topper with its multi-dimensional pearl tones, but it also comes in lighter and blushier shades.
Milani Baked Blush
Another classic product from the era of OG Beauty Youtube, this Milani baked blush is iconic. Incredibly pigmented and shimmery, this shade is a glowy rosy color that's perfect for a blush topper (or just a glowy blush)!
ILIA The Ethereal Baked Face Palette
Baked makeup is back in a big way with this new Holiday limited-edition baked palette by clean beauty brand ILIA. This four-pan palette features a blush, bronzer, and highlighter with warm tones and buildable pigment.
Saie Slip Tint Undetectable Baked Setting Powder
Saie is another trendy brand right now that has its own baked product. This baked setting powder features hydrating and oil-absorbing ingredients while still being noncomedogenic and luxuriously creamy. Choose from five shades.
Kosas Blush is Life Baked Talc-Free Dimensional + Brightening Blush
Kosas is another brand that loves the baked makeup trend, they have a variety of it, but its bestseller is this talc-free brightening blush. Made with squalane and hyaluronic acid, this blush (with different tones baked into it) will leave your skin glowing and blushed without highlighting your dry spots. Plus, it comes in 11 gorgeous shades.
Laura Geller The Delectables Baked Eyeshadow Palette – Timeless Tones
The biggest indication that baked makeup is back is that Laura Geller will be coming to Sephora on Sunday. There aren't many baked eyeshadow palettes in the market anymore (yet!), so if you're seeking some baked shadows to create a whole look... as always, Laura Geller is your girl with these 14 neutral matte and shimmer shades.