The 2026 EYEVOS Summer Makeup Contest:We Asked 30 Artists What Summer Looks Like —— They Painted the Answer on Their Faces.

By EYEVOS Editorial · July 9, 2026

In June, we asked one question: what does summer makeup look like, to you?

People from all over North America answered. Some sent us the ocean. Some sent us a memory. Some sent us a version of themselves they had been keeping quiet for a long time, and finally wanted someone to see.

Throughout June, our team chose one finalist a day from the submissions — thirty in total. In July, the public vote and the EYEVOS Creative Council review ran in parallel. The two winners now have their names.

But before we get to those names, we want to pause for a moment. There isn't really a right answer to this question. Everyone who pressed "submit" in June was answering it in their own way.

Grand Champion — @milkthoney_

The EYEVOS Creative Council reviewed all thirty finalists independently, scoring across creativity, impact, theme, and technical execution. When the scores were added up, one look sat quietly at the top.

@milkthoney_ is the Grand Champion of the 2026 EYEVOS Summer Makeup Contest.

Her inspiration came from somewhere unexpected — the mandarin fish, a small tropical fish whose spawning season falls in summer. She translated its markings and underwater colors onto her face. The result feels natural, and also a little from somewhere else. She didn't paint the surface of summer. She painted the way summer looks beneath the water.

From the Creative Council:

"The technique and the feeling are both fully realized, and the balance between them is rare. Nothing here is accidental. Nothing here is extra."

People's Choice — @beautybyhannahmr

Among the thirty finalists and 1,352 verified voters, one look received the most votes.

@beautybyhannahmr is the People's Choice Winner of the 2026 EYEVOS Summer Makeup Contest.

In her own words:

"Summer makeup is bright and colorful — the perfect time to showcase creativity in a way that feels genuinely happy."That happiness is easy to feel. Her look isn't the kind you admire from across the room. It's the kind that walks toward you, and asks you into summer with her.

The Thirty Finalists

These thirty artists were selected, one at a time, from a much larger group of submissions. They made it here because their work made us stop scrolling — because what they created spoke about summer in a voice that belonged only to them.

Below, in the order they were selected through June, are all thirty finalists — their submission, their concept, and the account behind the work.

1.  @arialovesjesse

2.  @sushi_gurrly

3.  @spookybabeex

Concept: “Makeup is my favorite form of self-expression. I love transforming myself through face paint, SFX makeup, fake blood, and contact lenses to create gothic, eerie, and imaginative characters. Every look tells a story, and for me, makeup isn’t about beauty standards — it’s about creativity, transformation, and bringing my darkest ideas to life.”

4.  @milkthoney_

Concept: “Entry for @eyevos_official summer makeup contest with colors inspired by the mandarin fish, a tropical fish whose peak spawning season is summer”

5.  @myspacequeen

Concept: “don’t be afraid to be yourself and have fun”

6.  @cooki3slut

Concept: “I did a fun sparkly mermaid look to show off the mythical beauty of summer”

7.  @genibeauti

Concept: “My look captures a beachy summer day, using complementary colors inspired by the sea and the sun. Like the ocean, creativity has no limits; art flows as far as your mind is willing to go. Keep creating!! 🌊☀️”

8.  @rinadiamant

Concept: “In my opinion, summer starts in your heart. When you carry joy, confidence, and a little bit of magic within yourself, you can shine brightly no matter what”

9.  @doll_em_up

Concept: “Summer through a thermal lens☀️🌡️

for this look, I wanted to capture the intense heat and energy of summer and mimic the way heat is visualised through infrared cameras☀️

this look is inspired by the feeling of standing in the summer sun, feeling the warmth against your skin and the intensity of a heatwave! (this how the sun feels against skin for vampires like me!🤣🙈)”

10.  @4ngel.s1nner

Concept: “i connect my makeup-look with summer because of my friends, some of them use to always tell me how heavenly and angelic my summer outfits look, so that i started to associate summer with angels. also because i absolutely love looking at the sky and for me the sky also has a connection with angels 😣”

11.  @naiababybabu

Concept: “My summer makeup philosophy is to take inspiration from what’s around me! Summer is vibrant, colorful, and fun, which is what I want to express with my makeup! I love to make face charts out of any flowers or creatures I find as inspiration. It’s one of my favorite parts about the process! Summer gives me the free time to be creative and experiment, so I take advantage of that and push out my most fun looks 😸💕☀️🔥🌞”

12.  @whimsiicalt

Concept: “My summer makeup philosophy is to let your true self shine through all of your artwork!”

13.  @alyssaramakeup

Concept: “For this look, I wanted to incorporate what comes to mind when I think of summer, and it really begins to feel like summer when I go to the beach. This makeup look evokes the waves crashing against the ocean sand and the warmth of the sun on my skin, over the palm trees. I also incorporated a Hibiscus flower because they are a staple of summer and one of my favorites. 🌊🌺🏝️”

14.  @sfx.kitty

Concept: “My Rainbow snake! Inspired by how when the sun hits the glass in the summer it makes the pretty prism colors!”

15.  @gothlomen

Concept: “ i wanted to show the beauty of a sunset and a starry summer night. The eyeshadow represents the warm colors coming from the sun and the rest of the face shows the beauty of a starry night after sunset🌅🌌 ”

16.  @thewatercoloredeyegirl

Concept: “My makeup was illustrated around the documentary my octopus teacher that highlights on the deep human animal connection that can be created. I wanted it to feel like you’re looking above into the water and seeing a tentacle slip by. I was born next to the water and have always found it to be the place I feel most at home.”

17.  @xbruised_beautyx

Concept: “My summer look was inspired by pushing the norms of summer makeup and seeing how sweet and colorful I can get. Because you can never be too much! ”

18.  @beautybyhannahmr

Concept: “summer makeup has a bright and colorful feel to it! It is the perfect time to showcase your creativity in a way that genuinely feels happy!”

19.  @sfxryah

Concept: “makeup is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression. I believe in being original and never being afraid to create something that’s uniquely you. I love experimenting with bold colors and Summer is a perfect time to do that.”

20.  @babyp1nkprincess

Concept: “Makeup has always been more than just getting ready for me—it’s an outlet that helps me feel empowered and express what I can’t always put into words. Summer gives me the freedom to make my makeup louder, bolder, and more me. I believe no girl should feel limited by beauty standards. I believe every girl deserves the freedom to create her own version of beautiful.”

21.  @layyluvrr

Concept: “wear your makeup like a sunset, vibrant and unforgettable!”

22.  @0_naya_07

Concept: “Golden heat, soft rebellion, and radiant self-expression.

This look embodies the feeling of a summer sunset melting into twilight—warm terracotta, burnt coral, and sun-kissed amber blending across the face like the last light of day. The makeup rejects conventional beauty boundaries, transforming the face into a living canvas where artistry takes precedence over perfection.

Summer beauty here is not about looking effortless; it is about embracing bold creativity. It celebrates heat, color, texture, and emotion.

23.  @xxdeffnotsofiaxx

Concept: “Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, I hope to leave the old version of me behind.

I don’t want to stay stuck in what’s been heavy for so long. I’m learning, slowly, as the summers pass, how to move toward something lighter-toward a life I’m pleased with”

24.  @cosmicchiko

Concept: “Makeup should be fun, period. To me, summer makeup is vivid, fearless, and full of energy. Wear it as a second skin, not a mask. Let it amplify who you are instead of hiding what makes you unique. ⭐️🌷🦋🍉”

25.  @nefairiaaa

Concept: “Summer can be such a fun time of year but that doesn’t mean everyone enjoys it, so I wanted to create a dichotomy where you have bright colours against a porcelain doll, melancholic vibe 💗”

26.  @kawii_ivy

Concept: “For thìs summer look I chose sunset inspired colors to represent a beautiful view in life when summer comes around. The heart is displaying for love for summer. And clouds accentuate the sunset look!”

27.  @softymwilk

Concept: “The idea behind my makeup stems from the bursts of energy I feel from being in the sun, hanging out with loved ones and finally feeling like myself again.”

28.  @ukiyooct

Concept: ”I LOVED doing this apocalyptic frutiger metro makeup cuz summer should be thiss colors music blasting your ears and MORE colors, for me specially the green and pink combo is such a summer vibe and combined with the frutiger aesthetic i just knew it had to be done”

29.  @c30smakeupgallery

Concept: ”makeup is about creativity and having fun😋there is no right or wrong way to do it”

30.  @avaruschmeyer_official

Concept: ”Summer is the only season I feel like my creative self. Half of my makeup includes the bright beautiful colors of summer and shows how it inspires my makeup to be more creative and go out of my comfort zone to try new things. While the skeleton half represents how empty it can feel during the rest of the year without the sunshine and colors inspiring me.”

About EYEVOS, and This Contest

EYEVOS is a stage—not one that seeks to define anyone, but one that exists to carry every spark of genuine passion: the love for makeup, the yearning for self‑expression. From this event, we took away three lessons. First, passion has no hierarchy; every participant’s dedication is equally profound. Second, art thrives in diversity, not conformity—thirty styles, thirty unique perspectives. And third, what moved us most: when people are offered a safe space to express themselves, the authenticity they return often surpasses all our expectations. To every one of you—thank you for teaching us that.

Thank you to everyone who submitted in June, whether or not you were selected. Thank you for handing us a piece of your summer.

And thank you, too, to everyone reading this who didn't enter — the followers who've been watching from the side, the people who found us through a friend's post, the strangers who came across EYEVOS for the first time today. This gallery is here because someone stopped to look. You're here too.

What Comes Next

Something new is slowly taking shape here.

We can't tell you what yet. But we do want to say one thing — someone, somewhere, is always waiting for an opening. Next time, whether you're one of the artists who submitted in June, a follower who's been quietly watching, or someone who's just heard the name EYEVOS for the first time today, we want to leave that opening a little wider, so that everyone who hasn't been seen yet has somewhere to walk in.

Keep an eye on @eyevos_official. When there's news, it will reach you first.

A Note on Fairness

Both winners were selected between July 1 and July 5, 2026, through two parallel and independent processes.

The People's Choice Winner was determined by verified public vote via Typeform, with 1,352 voters casting 1–3 selections each; duplicate and late submissions were excluded.

The Grand Champion was determined by the EYEVOS Creative Council through anonymous, independent scoring across four criteria: creativity (35%), impact (25%), theme (25%), and skill (15%).

The full public vote breakdown is available at https://form.typeform.com/reports/01KWV5ASMMGWGHAEGK5XNJ273C.

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