If you begin daydreaming about your fall makeup looks well before September 1, you’ve officially found camaraderie here. Sure, we all adore the easygoingness of summer beauty trends like no-makeup makeup and popsicle-stained lips. But it's hard to recover once bitten by the fall beauty bug. In our opinion, we believe the best makeup for autumn should encourage your fearless self-expression, whether that’s with sculpted eyebrows, loud lips, dramatic eyes, or something else entirely. So, we’re cooling off from the heat of the summer by rounding up the hottest fall makeup ideas for 2023.
Fall Makeup Trend #1: Autumnal Smokey Eyes
A smudged, rock-and-roll vibe tends to immediately come to mind when you think about the smokey eye trend. And that’s certainly a tried-and-true favorite, but there are plenty of other variations of the smokey look that don’t require an entire pan of black shadow. Burgundy, navy, brown, grey, and metallic fall eyeshadows are just a few ways your peepers can commemorate the moodiness of the new solstice. Plus, armed with the right products, achieving a pro-level smokey eye is easier than you think. Just grab a few of your fave fall colors and follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Select Your Fall Color Palette
The smokey eye technique seamlessly blends three shades ranging from light to dark to achieve its iconic gradient effect. An eyeshadow palette with a wide array of colors can help you create this sought-after makeup look for fall. We’re partial to the Ultimate Color Palettes. Available in four colorways, each contains 16 velvety pressed eyeshadows to help you craft a unique smokey look. Not to mention, the palette gives you the freedom to try a new combination every time until you find the one that’s just right.
Step 2: Shade Your Lids and Blend Well
Use a fluffy blending brush to sweep the darkest of your chosen colors across your lid, concentrating the shadow along your lash line. Buff the eyeshadow upward in swift strokes so it extends to the crease of your eyelid.
Next, dip a blending brush into your medium shade, and use it to carve out your crease. Blend it with the darker shade for a dark-to-light effect.
Dust any excess shadow off your blending brush and dip it into the lightest eyeshadow shade of your selected trio. Sweep it above your crease and diffuse it to your brow bone for a soft, smoked-out look. If desired, add a bit of this lighter color onto the inner corners of your eyes to help them pop.
Step 3: Add Your Finishing Touches
Choose an eyeliner shade similar in hue to your smokey eyeshadows, and trace it along your upper lash line. Our Epic Smoke Liner comes in 12 daring shades like Nude Haze, Slate Smoke, and Mocha Match to complement smoldering looks beautifully. Another solid option is the Jumbo Eye Pencil. This creamy, versatile stick can be used at every stage of smokey eye creation, whether it’s for your shadow, liner, or primer. Take your pick from 16 shades.
Fall Makeup Trend #2: Metallic Eye Accents
Another eye-catching contender topping the list of our favorite fall makeup ideas is metallic shadow. These playful, shimmery accents make your eyes pop and help you appear more awake, especially when those darker mornings have you fighting for a few extra minutes of sleep. The best thing about metallics, though, is that they pair exceptionally well with any skin tone.
Several cool-toned metals are available in the Vintage Jean Baby Ultimate Shadow Palette. Gunmetal, ice white, and denim blue will help play up the cool undertones of fair and light skin. For a warmer take on metals, the Paradise Shock palette has got you covered. You’ll be mesmerized by the shades of gold, copper, and bronze, which are especially stunning on those with olive and deep skin tones. We recommend using a fluffy brush to lightly sweep the color over your lids for a light wash of glitz. Alternatively, you can dampen the shadow with your fingertip for an extra-saturated result.
If you prefer a quicker application, opt to line your upper and lower lash lines with a creamy metallic eye pencil instead. It yields the same bold, eye-opening effect in less time. Our Jumbo Eye Pencil in Frosting, Iced Latte, or Yogurt is a good place to start.
Fall Makeup Trend #3: Bold Lip Colors
Fall is the perfect opportunity to make your lips as broody as the weather. Luckily, playing up a dark pout is a simple fall makeup look that’s basically timeless. Like clockwork, vampy shades and dark harvest-inspired berry colors come back around to get us excited for spooky season and to match the overall vibe of shorter, gloomier days.
Around this time, beauty enthusiasts often ponder, “What are fall colors for makeup?” The answer is pretty subjective, but we’re all about deep cranberries, raspberries and elderberries. We also love playing with inky gothic blacks, 90s-inspired browns, and experimenting with fashion hues like navy blue and plum. Our article How to Find the Best Lip Color for Your Skin Tone can help you find your most flattering dark lip shade. Your perfect match is also a few clicks away with our Virtual Try It On tool. Use it to test drive a few familiar or adventurous colors.
Opting for a saturated matte lipstick can amp up the drama of your fall makeup looks. We recommend Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick for the truest matte finish. Available in 31 vivid hues, you’re sure to find one that matches your fall vibe (check out shades like Sizzlin, Strip N Tease, and Straps Off for some autumnal inspiration). Don't worry if you’re wary of coloring outside the lines, either: each Lip Lingerie has a precise applicator tip to help you shape and fill your lips.
If glosses are more your jam, look no further than the Shine Loud High Shine Lip Color range. Swipe on one of the 36 pigment-packed bases for loud color, then layer on the glossy top coat for a shiny, non-sticky finish. The formula is also infused with lip-loving oils and vitamins, helping to moisturize and nourish your lips with every wear. It’s a win, win.
Fall Makeup Trend #4: Warm-Toned Makeup and Glowy Skin
The summer sun may have faded, but a warm glow can still linger in your fall makeup looks and beyond. Certain beauty products can help you fake that bronzed, dewy goddess look, even when the night starts rolling in at 4 P.M. A good rule of thumb when choosing your face makeup for fall is to opt for radiant-finish foundations. These formulas contain luminescent particles that catch and reflect the light to give you the appearance of lit-from-within skin.
Here’s another way to pretend you’re not spending your days cuddled up under a pile of blankets: “sunburnt” blush. This cute fall makeup look imitates the way the sun would kiss your skin after a day of splashing around in the ocean (sans the potential damage). Simply apply a few strokes of a creamy blush like Wonder Stick Blush to the tops of your cheekbones, across the bridge of your nose, and around the perimeter of your forehead, blending well. Add a bit of highlighter to the high points of your face, and they’ll be none the wiser that you didn’t, in fact, just touch down from a tropical vacation.
Fall Makeup Trend #5: Autumnal Natural-Looking Earth Tones
Fall is arguably one of the most beautiful seasons, so why not tap into Mother Nature to inspire your fall makeup looks? Look toward the earth and seek out hues such as terracotta and taupe, which are equally stunning on the eyes and lips. You can also take a cue from the more vibrant aspects of autumn by mimicking gorgeous foliage, a sight we wistfully dream of all year.
A word to the wise: If you want to play up your own inner beauty with a natural fall makeup look, pick only one feature to spotlight and keep the others in neutral territory. Our Ultimate Shadow Palette in Warm Neutrals is perfect for creating earthy eyes so that punchier lip colors, like crimson or orange, are fair game.
Fall Makeup Trend #6: Structured Eyebrows
While low-key brows exude effortless summer vibes, sculpted brows are ideal for completing bolder fall makeup looks. If the thought of carving out precise, structured eyebrows has you ready to run for the apple-picking hills, enlist the help of an eyebrow stencil. They come in different molds and sizes to suit a variety of facial shapes and features.
First, discover how to find your most flattering brow in our Eyebrow Shaping Guide. Once you’ve ID’ed your ultimate shape, hold a corresponding stencil over your eyebrow and use a brow pencil to shade light strokes in the direction of hair growth. We prefer pencils here because the waxier, more blendable formulas are great at building coverage and adding dimension to brows. Don’t forget to use a spoolie or a clean mascara wand to blend, blend, blend for the most seamless result.
Is there a fall makeup trend we haven’t covered here? Show us what we’re missing on Instagram! Tag us in your inspirational autumnal look @nyxcosmetics.
Next: It’s almost spooky season! Check out our article on Trending Halloween Makeup Looks for 2023 to help you get costume-ready.
PRODUCTS USED
Jumbo Eye Pencil
Multi-use eye crayon
Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick
16H Full-Bodied Matte Liquid Lipstick
ULTIMATE SHADOW PALETTE
Pro-Level 16 pan Palette
