Meghan Markle's skin literally glows, and so can yours. (Getty)(Leon Bennett via Getty Images)
The "rich mom" trend — a style that showcases the classic, understated aesthetic of a certain class of wealthy women — shows no signs of slowing down. This minimalist look embodies quiet luxury: Think sleek button-downs, tailored trousers and crisp linen dresses. Despite the dumb name, I'm drawn to rich-mom clothes for their simplicity, effortlessness and versatility — they work at almost any age and for most any event.
As a beauty editor, I've been thinking about the rich-mom trend in terms of makeup, skin care and hair care too. The truth is, most middle-aged moms like me are no longer experimenting with bold makeup and out-there trends. We want streamlined, foolproof routines that can quickly make us look pulled together. Fortunately, rich-mom beauty is particularly good for this stage of life because it involves easy, dewy skin, neutral makeup and one-step hair — but the really great thing about this look is that it works no matter what your age.
Below, I've identified the top rich-mom beauty trends and the products you can use to achieve them. I've also included affordable alternatives you can swap in to replicate the results, because let's be real: The goal is to look as expensive and chic as a rich mom without spending like one.
Let's be honest: Most truly rich moms are doing a lot more to their faces than slathering on a cream. Still, you don't need a seven-figure bank account or a 21-step skin-care regimen to achieve a dewy glow. Ample sleep, regular water consumption, a healthy diet and consistent use of quality hydrating skin-care products will go a long way toward making your skin look effortlessly lit from within. Here are two products that will help your skin look like a million bucks, both of which are favored by American royalty (and well-known rich mom) Meghan Markle.
For summer, I've been on the hunt for lightweight, effective moisturizers. This K-beauty "jelly" moisturizer, a fave of Meghan Markle, fits the bill. It's infused with niacinamide and collagen, and it has a similar texture to the famous (but much pricier) Tatcha Water Cream. When I tried it for a few days earlier this month, it left my skin hydrated, plump and gleaming without breaking me out. That's a true boon during the hottest months, especially at just $15.
This award-winning face cream is a bestseller for a reason: It's clinically proven to increase skin's hydration, reducing fine lines, making it instantly softer and giving it that healthy, dewy rich-mom glow. It's a longtime favorite of the luxury class and is used on some the world's most famous faces, including Markle's.
Ilia's multi-purpose stick for lips and cheeks is beloved for its subtle "no-makeup makeup" effect — a tell-tale rich-mom sign if we've ever seen one. Actress Julianne Moore even famously applied the award-winning blush in the 2023 film May December. It glides on effortlessly and blends easily, leaving a natural-looking flush. Perhaps best of all, the clean beauty brand’s nontoxic, cruelty-free formula doesn't settle into fine lines, making it an excellent choice for mature skin.
If you don't want to spend rich-mom money but still want a subdued rosy glow, E.l.f.'s multi-stick is a near-perfect swap for Ilia's version — it's vegan, cruelty-free, subtly pigmented, creamy, smooth and just 5 bucks.
This coveted luxury lip treatment (a favorite of the Vogue set) is packed with hyaluronic acid, shea butter and peptides to condition and plump your pout and leave behind just a hint of shimmery, pretty, natural-looking color.
Knemo's moisturizing lip serum is made with many of the same ingredients as U Beauty (including peptides and collagen), but you can pick it up for roughly a fourth of the price.
Rich moms like Cameron Diaz, Martha Stewart, Hailey Bieber, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jenna Lyons are all fans of award-winning brand Merit. Its highly pigmented mascara (one of our best of the year) is known for lengthening and defining lashes in a way that looks natural and chic.
Merit's formula is especially good for women over 40, whose skin and hair tend to be drier, as it contains nourishing ingredients like olive oil and vitamin B5. As the name suggests, it goes on clean and it stays put — no flaking, smudging or clumping.
Like Merit's formula, this no-smudge, zero-flake mascara gives users a high-end experience by lengthening and thickening lashes without being a hassle to apply (we're talking next to zero globs on the applicator brush). All that and it's available for less than the cost of a bougie rich-mom matcha latte.
One of the hallmarks of the rich-mom look is natural, bouncy, shiny, effortless hair — an effect often achieved with this weightless, in-demand styling mousse by Crown Affair.
Popular on TikTok, this hair-styling potion lends hair volume and texture, keeping your waves bouncy without any of that too-much-product crunchiness or stiffness.
The strategy with this look is simple: sophisticated, subtle makeup that's not too "done" and lets your natural beauty shine through. That means lightly rosy cheeks, plumped-up neutral lips and lashes that appear long, dark and sleek.
The look here is all in the cut: a simple bob, or razor-cut layers for an effect that seems effortless but leaves you in control. It's created with a single high-quality product — and certainly without hours of styling.
