At Rabanne, The Sunburn Blush Trend Is Still Going Strong

Marilyn Monroe was the makeup muse of Rabanne’s Spring/Summer 2026 show, but not the Old Hollywood star’s signature full-glam look that probably initially comes to mind. Instead, the mood board had a 1950s image of a young, smiley Monroe on the beach, with her hair pulled back, slightly sun-burned cheeks, and hint of red on her lips.

This pared-back, relaxed look of Monroe’s fit the vintage beach theme of creative director Julien Dossena, which included metallic palm leaf-sprouting shoes, 1960s scuba mask plastic-rimmed mirrored sunglasses, and a color palette of vibrant pastels reminiscent of the Miami Design District’s art deco buildings. “The main inspiration for the makeup was Marilyn Monroe on the beach, so we didn’t to do anything too retro with the look,” lead makeup artist Diane Kendal tells TZR backstage at the show. “We’re doing a sun-kissed almost sunburned look on the cheeks, freckles, and staining the lips with a red color.”

Fresh, luminous skin was the base of the look, so Kendal started by prepping the skin with Rabanne V.I.P Glow Primer, then applied the Fresh Touch Foundation all over and the Everywhere Concealer on any blemishes. She then used a combination of the Mini Blushy Palette in Incompatibles and Feel The Heat for the blush. “We’re just applying it to the apples of the cheeks, coming up to the bridge of the nose, and then diffusing it so it looks very summery,” she says. For the freckles, Kendal used the Colorshot in Sorry Not Sorry or My Bad depending on the model’s skin tone. She applied the dots with a brush, then used her fingertip to flatten them out for a more natural finish.

Since the focus was on the cheeks, the eyes were kept minimal. Kendal brushed up the brows, curled the lashes, applied a coat of the Famous Mascara Primer, and then added the eye balm from the Mini Palette in All Lights On Me to the lids. As a final touch, Famous Lipcolor Matte in Red Seal or Silencio was swiped onto the lips and then wiped off to create a lived-in, stained effect.

Lead hairstylist Duffy kept the beachy theme going by making the models’ hair look like they’re always in the vicinity of the beach. Think that undone bendy or curly texture you get after taking a dip in salt water and letting your hair air dry.

Even if you’re landlocked, this carefree look will make you feel like life’s a beach next spring.