Makeup in Spanish: A guide to cosmetics, from lipstick to nail polish

Makeup in Spanish

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The world of beauty is diverse and fascinating, and language should never be a barrier when it comes to expressing oneself through makeup or taking care of your skin or hair. In this post we’ll unlock the language of cosmetics in Spanish, providing you with the essential words and phrases to confidently navigate the beauty aisles.

From makeup to skincare and hair and nail products, let’s explore the colorful lexicon that adds flair to your beauty routine.

So get ready to receive some compliments, since it’s time to put on some makeup in Spanish!

Makeup products – Productos de maquillaje

First of all, the word for makeup in Spanish is maquillaje. In this section we’ll unravel the vocabulary essential for your Spanish makeup routine. Along with the products necessary for a stunning look, we’ll also include the names of tools to apply them, to make sure you have all the vocabulary for doing your makeup in Spanish.

You’ll see a few colors and body parts in the following list of Spanish makeup vocab, but for more variety you can check out our posts on body parts in Spanish and colors in Spanish. While we’re at it, you may also want to refer to our posts on clothes in Spanish and on physical descriptions in Spanish.

Makeup products Productos de maquillaje
Primer La prebase
Foundation La base
Concealer El corrector
Beauty blender La esponja de maquillaje, La esponja
Setting powder El polvo fijador
Brush La brocha
Eyeshadow La sombra de ojos
Eyeshadow palette La paleta de sombras
Eyeliner El delineador de ojos
Glitter La brillantina, La purpurina, La escarcha
Lash curler El rizador de pestañas
Mascara La máscara, El rímel
Fake eyelashes Las pestañas postizas
Lash glue La pega para pestañas, La goma para pestañas
Lip balm El bálsamo de labios
Lip liner El delineador de labios
Lipstick El labial, El pintalabios
Lip gloss El brillo labial
Blush El rubor, El colorete
Bronzer El bronceador
Contour El contour, El contorno
Highlighter El iluminador
Setting spray El spray fijador, El fijador de maquillaje

Skin care products – Productos de cuidado para la piel

Part of a great look is having healthy skin, which is why we’re including this next section with essential skin care products in Spanish. Let’s take a look!

Skin care products Productos de cuidado para la piel
Makeup remover El removedor de maquillaje, El desmaquillante
Cotton pads El algodón, Las almohadillas de algodón
Cleanser El limpiador
Toner El tónico
Moisturizer La crema hidratante
Sunscreen El protector solar
Serum El sérum
Exfoliator El exfoliante
Face mask La mascarilla
Anti-aging cream La crema antienvejecimiento, La crema antiedad
Eye cream La crema de ojos
Under-eye patches Los parches para ojos

Hair products – Productos para el cabello

Knowing the vocabulary about hair products is an excellent complement to makeup in Spanish. In this section we’ll go from basic products, such as shampoo and conditioner, to hair styling tools.

Hair products Productos para el cabello
Shampoo El champú
Conditioner El acondicionador
Hair mask La mascarilla capilar, El baño de crema
Styling gel El gel para el cabello
Mousse El mousse
Hair spray El fijador, La laca
Hair oil El aceite capilar
Heat protectant El protector de calor
Comb El peine
Hairbrush El cepillo
Blowdryer El secador
Straightener La plancha para el cabello
Curling iron La rizadora
Hair clips Los ganchos, Las vinchas, Las horquillas, Las pinzas
Headband El cintillo, La diadema
Hair tie La liga, La goma, La cola

Nail products – Productos para las uñas

We already covered hair products, skin care, and makeup in Spanish, so now we’ll focus on the nails. There are many styles, products, and tools when it comes to nail care, so we’ll keep our focus on those most commonly found in a nail salon.

Nail products Productos para las uñas
Manicure La manicura
Pedicure La pedicura
Manicure bowl El cuenco de manicura, El tazón de manicura
Nail polish El barniz de uñas, La pintura de uñas, El esmalte de uñas
Gel polish El esmalte de gel
Glitter La brillantina, La purpurina, La escarcha
Nail polish remover El removedor de esmalte, El quitaesmalte
Cotton balls Las bolas de algodón
Cotton swabs Los cotonetes, Los bastoncillos, Los hisopos
Base coat La capa base
Top coat El brillo
Nail art La manicura artística
UV lamp La lámpara ultravioleta
Tweezers Las pinzas
Orangewood sticks Los palitos de naranjo
Cuticle oil El aceite para cutículas
Nail brush El cepillo de uñas
Nail clipper El cortauñas
Nail file La lima
Nail buffer El bloque pulidor de uñas
Cuticle knife El cortacutícula
Cuticle pusher El empujador de cutícula
Cuticle remover El quitacutículas, El removedor de cutícula
Foot bath La tina para pies
Foot cream La crema de pies
Callus remover El removedor de callos
Pumice stone La piedra pómez
Toe separator El separador

Spanish makeup verbs

Now that we’ve covered all the nouns related to makeup in Spanish, let’s take a look at some of the most common verbs used in the context of beauty. As it happens, nearly all of these are -ar verbs.

We list the regular verb forms here that you’ll hear people use in a beauty salon, but remember that if you’re doing these actions to yourself you can use the reflexive verb form. Maquillarse is a very good example of a reflexive, meaning to put makeup on oneself.

English makeup verbs Spanish makeup verbs
To put on makeup Maquillar
To take off makeup Desmaquillar
To apply, To put on Aplicar
To moisturize Humectar
To blend Difuminar
To apply liner Delinear
To dye, To paint Pintar
To remove Remover
To straighten Alisar, Planchar
To cut Rizar
To cut Cortar

Conclusion: Makeup in Spanish

Fantastic! Now, armed with this newfound vocabulary for cosmetics and makeup in Spanish, you’re ready to look better than ever!

We began our exploration by uncovering that maquillaje is the term for makeup in Spanish. From there, we delved into a diverse array of products and tools spanning makeup, skin care, hair, and nails. The journey culminated with a glance at essential verbs that come into play when discussing makeup in Spanish.

This comprehensive guide not only familiarized you with the nouns but also highlighted crucial verbs essential to effortlessly articulate your beauty routine in Spanish.

We hope that you had fun learning these words! Now you have a guide you can always come back to if you ever need to review your vocab for makeup in Spanish. As you navigate the diverse landscape of beauty aisles, armed with this vibrant lexicon, may your journey be as enriching as the variety of products and tools you’ve discovered. See you in the next post!

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