Cloud Dancer: The Best White-Washed Beauty

Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026, Cloud Dancer, is the soft, airy white set to define style for the year ahead. Chosen for its ability to bring calm, clarity, and a sense of spaciousness to an increasingly overstimulated world, Pantone calls it “a symbol of calming influence” — a billowy, weightless white that encourages reflection, focus, and a feeling of lightness. It’s clean without veering clinical, warm enough to feel inviting, and adaptable enough to slip into almost any aesthetic.

Its real power lies in how it behaves in beauty. Cloud Dancer is a structural shade: it isn’t there to dominate, but to elevate. Think of it as the polish that makes everything else look sharper. On its own, it reads soft and subtle; paired with colour, it amplifies whatever sits beside it, helping bolder tones look brighter, crisper, and more intentional. For us, it’s the makeup equivalent of good lighting.

If you’re ready to bring Cloud Dancer into your routine, we’ve rounded up the best beauty buys washed in next year’s essential shade.

About-Face Matte Fluid Eye Paint in White Noise

About-Face’s Matte Fluid Eye Paint is for anyone who loves impact. This bold, liquid pigment sweeps onto lids in a smooth, opaque layer that dries down fast and refuses to smudge. It feels soft and comfortable on the skin while still delivering serious staying power, whether you apply a wash of colour or build it into a full, graphic moment. White Noise is our shade of choice — a clean matte white that’s ideal for crisp accents, sharp eyeliner shapes, and high-contrast looks.

OPI Nail Polish in Funny Bunny

Funny Bunny is OPI’s softest take on white — a fluffy, sheer wash that looks clean, fresh, and effortlessly polished in any season. The signature ProWide brush makes application easy and streak-free, while the lightweight formula glides on, dries quickly, and holds up for up to seven days. We love it worn solo as a milky neutral, but it also layers beautifully over other shades for a softly brightened, tailored look.

Fenty All-Over Diamond Veil in How Many Carats

Want a highlighter that’ll give you that next-level glow? Fenty’s Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil delivers, with a hyper-reflective, glassy gleam that melts into skin with a cool, jelly-soft touch. The bouncy, weightless texture sweeps over the face and body, creating a smooth, crystal-lit sheen with zero grit — just pure, liquid-looking shine that plays beautifully on every skin tone. How Many Carats?! is a platinum silver that diffuses into an icy, almost white shimmer the moment it hits your skin, giving you that just-stepped-into-a-spotlight glow.

Glossier No. 1 Pencil in Canvas

Glossier’s No. 1 Pencil in Canvas — a pure white — is made for sharp definition. The texture hits the sweet spot: creamy enough to glide without tugging, yet firm enough to stay precise. It lays down smooth colour that you can blend out or build up in seconds, with waxes and emollients giving it that easy slip while still leaving a bit of playtime before it sets. Once it does, the demi-matte finish hangs on for up to 12 hours, resisting water and transfer.

Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer in Enlighten

This weightless, second-skin highlighter delivers an effortless, dewy glow in Enlighten, an off-white champagne shade. The liquid formula layers seamlessly over creams, liquids, and powders, with light-reflective pearl pigments that give skin an ethereal, luminous look that won’t fade, crease, or settle. It is even infused with lotus, gardenia, and white waterlily to help calm and nourish the skin.

Isamaya Lip Balm in Justice

Sheer, glossy colour meets serious nourishment in Isamaya’s lightweight Lip Balm. This bestseller melts into the lips with a smooth, emollient texture, and its blend of special waxes and vitamin E provides long-lasting hydration to keep everything soft and comfortable. We love Justice — a frosty, iridescent shade that adds dimension and serious shine.

Manucurist Green Natural Nail Polish in Fairy

Fairy is Manucurist’s prettiest whisper of white shimmer, delivered through the brand’s signature Green formula — a 9-free, vegan, and bio-sourced blend made from potato, corn, cassava, and cotton. The polish glides on with rich, even pigmentation and a professional-quality brush that keeps application effortless. Once air-dried, it leaves an extreme, glassy shine that looks fresh for days and removes easily with a gentle remover.

Kiko Milano Eyeshadow Stick In Mountain Moonlight

Kiko Milano’s Snow-Kissed Holiday Icy Charm Eyeshadow Stick in Mountain Moonlight gives lids an instant hit of icy shimmer. The gel formula feels cool the moment it touches the skin, gliding on in one smooth pass and leaving a metallic white sheen that brightens and lifts whatever look you’re wearing. You can blend it out for a soft wash of radiance or keep it at full intensity for a more striking, frosted finish. It’s creamy, comfortable, and crease-resistant, so it stays put without smudging or streaking. And because it’s a stick, it’s as simple as swipe, tap, and go — perfect at the mirror or out the door.

Chanel The White Gold Body Oil

Looking for an elevated way to wear scent? Allow us to introduce Chanel’s N°5 The White Gold Body Oil. Giving skin a soft, shimmery glow without feeling heavy, the formula sinks in straight away, leaving a satin sheen and that unmistakable jasmine-and-rose scent. As you move, the white-gold pearly pigments catch the light, giving your skin a quiet, luminous radiance that feels oh-so luxe.

Drowsy Akoya Pearl Silk Sleep Mask

If you’re serious about beauty sleep, your nighttime routine needs this cult favourite silk mask. It creates true blackout darkness — the kind that actually helps you drift off and stay there. The plush, cloud-soft padding cushions your eyes without leaving marks, while the smooth 22-momme silk keeps skin calm and crease-free till morning. The clever wrap-around, strap-free design is a win for your hair too, cutting down on friction so you wake up without tangles or kinks.

Rituals The Ritual of Karma Fragrance Sticks

The Ritual of Karma Fragrance Sticks deliver a fresh, airy blend of lotus flower and white tea that quietly lifts any space. The cloud white column diffuser releases scent non-stop, creating a soft, balanced backdrop that works just as well in a bedroom as it does in a hallway or bathroom. An easy, quick upgrade for anyone who wants their home to smell gorgeous.

Silke The Sofia Hair Wrap

Made from 100% mulberry silk, the Silke Hair Wrap is all about protecting your hair while you sleep, cutting down the friction and moisture loss that cause breakage, frizz, and split ends. The lightweight silk cocoons the hair without tugging, helping styles last longer, keeping blow-dries smooth, and leaving lengths glossy by morning. It even helps balance oily roots and dry ends, supporting healthier growth over time. Oh, and it’s giving major Cloud Dancer energy.