After a long summer of wearing minimal makeup, partaking in fall makeup trends is always a welcome activity. There's something about fall that makes me feel excited about putting on a face of makeup—maybe it's the fact that there's less of a chance of sweating it off or maybe it's because fall always feels like the first day of school.
This fall, makeup is truly taking center stage. After the last few years that prioritized the "clean girl" aesthetic, makeup is finally having a moment again. We'll be playing with makeup in full force this fall, and the trends couldn't be more fun to follow. Keep reading for fall's best makeup trends, straight from seasoned makeup artists who worked backstage at this season's New York Fashion Week.
1. Latte Makeup
"Latte makeup is going to be this fall's pumpkin spice latte in makeup form," says Elyse Reneau, the executive director of global beauty at Too Faced. She says latte makeup is warm and super wearable, and the whole look centers on brown-toned makeup products. For the perfect face of latte makeup, she recommends opting for a chocolate-toned bronzer, a brown mascara, and a latte-toned lipstick.
2. Simple Smoke
Smoky eyes are taking over. This season, it's not about the intricate, multicolored smoky eyes of years past—it's all about simple sophistication. Laura Mercier’s global beauty director, Tayaba Jafri, has coined this the "naked smoky eye." "This is not about the using multiple shades or looking overly ‘done,'" she says. "This is a clean, effortless look that says luxury."
3. High Gloss
High-shine lips will continue to reign, according to Reneau. "This season is all about juicy mirror shine." Opt for one of this season's best lip glosses, which are high-shine, tinted, and even moisturizing and plumping.
4. Blush Bomb
Twenty twenty-three will go down in history as the year that we were all a little overzealous about blush, and I'm not mad about it. Blush has been having a major moment, and Reneau predicts it will still be a huge beauty trend throughout the rest of fall. Don't limit yourself when thinking about blush, either—it's not just for the apples of your cheeks. Blush also looks amazing swept up into your temples and brushed across the bridge of your nose.
5. New Matte
You may have seen cloud skin popping up more and more on your For You page on TikTok, and it's no surprise—it will be everywhere this fall. Cloud skin is essentially the new-age version of matte skin. "The sheen of dewy skin shows through a powdered finish like sunshine through clouds," says Jafri.
6. Ultra Feminine
Jafri says that hyper-feminine makeup will take center stage this fall thanks to trends like coquette makeup and Douyin makeup that have been gaining momentum. "It combines all femininely strong elements in makeup—the flushed cheeks, flirty eyeliner, sexy and slightly blurred matte lips," she explains.
