If you’re a Sims fanatic, you probably have folders upon folders of mods for your game taking up a lot of space on your computer. In addition to mods that are used to add more traits or preferences, you can use them to beautify The Sims 4.
Let’s be honest: Sims don’t always look as good as they could. That’s why cosmetic mods are a blessing. There are many amazing CC creators who make great mods like clothes, hairstyles and much more to make your Sims look more attractive. These are just a few of the best.
Updated May 26, 2023 by Jouanna Bondakji: The Sims 4 is still being updated and getting packs that push its limits. But no one knows what Simmers wants more than their own community. Mods often go even further than the official packs for one reason or another. Even with all the new CAS cosmetics that the updates offer, they can’t significantly change the appearance of the Sims. Modders have long since mastered the art of creating different Sims. Whether you want to make their skin more realistic, add some interesting details, or just have more choices in the hair category, cosmetic mods are for you.
14 Face details
No Sim is complete without some much-needed facial detail. From scars to freckles to even face masks that completely change the shading of the nose, eyes, and lips, there’s so much to choose from to give any Sim an extremely realistic look. No more waxy looking Maxis!
Some of the prettiest freckles for example are Ellen Freckles N13 by Pralinesims. Not only do they look great, but they also accommodate many different skin tones. If you want something more modest, Subtle Freckles & Moles by wildlyminiaturesandwich offers more options for face and body.
13 Facial hair
There isn’t that much good Maxis facial or body hair for Sims, which is a shame. Facial hair can really make or break a Sim’s appearance, and the better it is done, the better it looks on the character. Fortunately, hundreds of creatives participated to create beautiful beards.
If you prefer your game’s art style to be pretty close to the original Maxis, the Commander Facial hair from Xalder is downright awesome. They look Maxis Match and match all base hair colors in the game. Otherwise, Seleng’s Beard N36 is just as awesome, while giving your Sims impressive beards in a more realistic style.
12 Nails
It’s a wonder that Maxis hasn’t worked on nails for its Sims in recent years. Considering how much nails are trending right now, it would be a small but very welcome feature in the game to have more customization options for them, including toenails. Custom content creators come to the rescue again!
The Nail It! Set by Joliebean looks vibrant and comes with two different nail styles and many different colors. You can even choose whether you want a glossy or matte finish. For something more unusual, Short Mismatched Nails by kissyck has a selection of fun patterns to choose from, and there’s even a long nail version if that’s more your style.
11 World lighting
The last thing you need when playing any game is to struggle to see what’s on your screen. When you first run The Sims 4, you may have found yourself confused as you check your screen configuration. The lighting in the game became dark and gloomy and had a very noticeable blue tint, especially at night.
Fortunately, Wrixles’ No Blu mod fixes much of this by getting rid of the weird blue. Additionally, Astral Lights by BrntWaffles is a wonderful way to light up the world that not only fixes the blue, but goes one step further to create a beautiful sky for you to enjoy.
10 Eyes
Eyes are the most distinctive feature of humans and Sims. By changing this, Sims can take on a more realistic quality or even a more magical element when creating Sims’ fantasy creatures. The default swap changes the eyes of all Sims in the game, but you can also choose contacts that change the eyes of just one Sim.
Encore Eyes by dangerouslyfreejellyfish gives your Sims a beautiful, starry-eyed look that makes them stand out. They can look even more unique with Pralinesims’ Heterochromia Eye Collection, which gives them two different eye colors.
9 Cover
The very definition of clutter is merely cosmetic decor. Although these items are not functional, they add a lot to the game. Clutter comes in all forms, from plants to makeup and even decorative food. Some creators make seasonal and holiday decorations if you want to celebrate annual events with your Sims.
Clutter can also be used to make the game feel more realistic. For example, the Laundry Decor Set by DaraSims has everything Sims need to do laundry. Or you and your Sims can simply admire some wall art, like Rosanne’s Kitchen Prints mod.
8 hair
If there’s one thing in the entire Sims 4 game that needs custom content, it’s hairstyles. Many of the basic game styles are dull or generic, and the hair colors are even more shiny. CC creators greatly help with this by creating a wide variety of different hairstyles and colors.
The hair created for Sims is the most varied, with hair like Nelli Hair LeahLillith. However, there are still many styles for male Sims, such as Ant’s Blackout Hair. Hair mods also give more natural hairstyle options for black Sims, such as kieran hair by greenllamas and RAEKWON by simstrouble.
7 Disguise
If you care enough about making your Sims look good, downloading an alternate skin should be your top priority when starting a new game. Although detail and skin color have improved greatly over the past twenty years, there is still much room for improvement. Skins, like eyes, have default and non-default replacements.
Cleavage Detail Overlay by JSSims is good if you’re into fine details. For regular high resolution skins, Lazarus 2 Skin by akalurky is available. And if you simply want a more refined version of the original skin for the base game, the Luumia Vanilla Skin can do it. It includes all ages and comes with lots of finer details for parts like hands and noses.
6 Skitones
There are many types of skin tones in real life. While The Sims 4 CAS lets you customize a lot of things, it didn’t initially have as much skin tone variety as you’d expect. Black Simmers did not find this acceptable and worked to make their voices heard. Their efforts paid off, as 2020 saw the release of a much wider range of skintones.
But even with the choices you have now, they may seem strange and unnatural. The creators of CC seem to agree, as they’ve made a lot of great replacements for your Sims. Luce Skin by ThisIsThem, for example, is much more realistic and pleasing to the eye, and has 30 patterns. Vitiligo is also an underrepresented skin type in the media, but Marcus Skin by sims3melancholic looks great and offers a few different vitiligo patches.
5 Sliders
In The Sims 4 launch trailer, the most amazing innovation was undoubtedly grabbing and pulling Sims’ faces to perfection. However, one glaring detail that was missing was the ability to change Sims’ height. Fortunately, there are CC creators who have developed ways around this.
Luumi’s Height Slider allows you to change not only the body height of your Sims, but also the height of their necks. As a bonus, you can also customize the shape of your Sims’ hips, further adding to the diversity of their body types.
4 To make up
If there’s one cosmetic mod that makes your Sims look better, it’s custom makeup. The best thing about it is that you can be as wild or subtle as you want. Even makeup as simple as blush can change a Sim’s features without having to redo them.
Others, like lipstick and eyeshadow, can give a freshly polished look. Screaming Mustard’s Glossy Lip Balm gives your Sims’ lips a lovely touch of gloss, while Katverse’s Phoebe Eyeshadow creates a bold look. And if you’re looking for something a little less realistic, mods like RemusSirian’s Cyborg Set are available.
3 tattoos
Tattoos introduced in The Sims 3 were an artistic and expressive way to decorate your Sims. Continuing with this popular addition to gameplay, there are countless designs available thanks to the creators of CC.
As with real tattoos, there are many tattoo designs to choose from in any style. From cute, quirky like Razbie’s Gamer Girl Tattoos to bohemian, earthy like MaruChanBe’s Mandala Butterfly Chest Tattoo, you can find a variety of designs to suit your taste. There are even ones that are hyper-realistic and highly detailed, like Reevaly’s skull tattoo 3.
2 Accessories
Variety is the spice of life, and just like in real life, The Sims 4 needs to download add-ons that add visual appeal. The base game offers very few mode categories, with only generic jewelry, regular style hats, and modest glasses. Thankfully, the creators of CC have taken the opportunity to create stunning adornments, such as the luxurious RedHeadSim jewelry earrings.
Mods like this and Pralinesim’s DIY nose piercing kit are prime examples of the sparkle and shine that The Sims 4 desperately needed. But accessories are not limited to jewelry. You can find mods that help make your Sim look extraterrestrial and add a magical element, like Lucifer’s Magnolia-C wings.
1 Teeth
Unique tooth styles were added in a free update in early 2017, featuring an interesting but modest selection of glitches. The braces were a very welcome addition for story purposes and just for the relatable aspect in general. Still, there weren’t many styles to choose from.
That’s why the creators of CC also made their own versions. Pyxiidis’ Braceface Teeth Overlays work perfectly with default teeth and are available in many different elastic colors. Another real tooth mod is Buck 3D Teeth by PickyPikachu, which lets you give your Sims something other than perfectly straight teeth for once. These kinds of mods help us celebrate our differences instead of trying to fix them.