You Heard It Here First: Bare Skin and Bold Color Team Up for the Best Fall 2026 Makeup Trends
A statement lip might be all you need.
It’s officially the first day of fall, which is all the encouragement I need to start planning makeup for occasions that aren’t on my calendar yet. A blue smokey eye for a holiday party? Already saved. Frosted lipstick for dinner with the girls? I’ll spam the group chat. My everyday routine could use a little seasonal adjustment, too, and the best fall makeup trends offer plenty to work with before the invitations arrive.
The place to start is skin. Even with all that eye and lip inspiration, there’s no need to go heavier on foundation for fall. “Even in fall and winter, people still want skin to look fresh and alive rather than overly matte,” says makeup artist Kelly Zhang. Keep the base light and let a dark lipstick do most of the work, or add a smudge of liner that doesn’t need to be perfectly drawn.
Between the runways and the Zendaya looks makeup artist Ernesto Casillas keeps supplying (his Instagram is my 2026 beauty bible), I’ve narrowed down the seven makeup trends I’m most excited to wear this fall. Fair warning: You might want to locate your blue eyeliner.
Skin That Looks Like Skin
Foundation should leave a little room for your actual complexion this fall. “People still want glow, but they want it to look natural—healthy, fresh, and almost like you can’t tell where the foundation starts and the skin ends,” says Zhang. Casillas’s makeup on Zendaya during The Odyssey press tour captures that balance in all its stunning, glowing glory. Application makes a difference here. Zhang recommends brushing on foundation in very thin layers, then adding coverage only where needed. Her fall pick is the Tower 28 Swipe Serum Foundation, which she loves for its super natural-looking finish and lightweight feel.
Muted Blush
A dusty rose or soft brown blush feels particularly pretty once the fall wardrobe comes out to play. Tibi’s spring 2027 models wore brown-toned cheek color, a vibe that fits Zhang’s prediction: “I think we’re going to see blush become a little more muted and sophisticated for fall.” Muted is relative to your complexion, of course. A shade that subtly warms one face might disappear on another, so choose enough depth for the color to register. Blend pretty well around the edges with a fluffy makeup brush for a diffused flush.
Smudged-Out Eyes
My daily smokey eye feels particularly well timed for fall. At Tory Burch’s S/S 2027 show, dark liner had a blurred, softened look that made eye makeup look a little sultry. You can get there immediately with a creamy eyeshadow stick and a small blending brush. Work close to the lashes, softening the line before the formula sets, and keep the deepest color at the roots. Brown makes an easy daytime option; charcoal is good for a night out.
Blurred Lips
A berry lipstick becomes surprisingly easy to wear when you soften its edges. “The blurred lip is a romantic, almost cinematic take on a lip stain,” makeup artist Sir John previously told MC. “It feels like the aftermath of something—like you’ve been sipping tea, eating berries, or kissing someone you shouldn’t.” REFY’s blurred liner is the easiest cheat code to this look. For fall, try a plum or rosy brown, keeping the color strongest in the center of the lips and tapping it outward with a fingertip. Let the pigment fade toward the border rather than drawing a sharp outline.
Frosted Over
Consider this permission to bring out the frosty lipstick before winter. The r.e.m. beauty look pictured here pairs pale, pearly pink lips with silver-toned lids, offering plenty of inspiration for wearing shimmer all over. In the Di Petsa S/S '26 image (middle), we get a little more color: a pink-lilac highlighter catches the light across the upper cheeks and along the nose. Both make a little frost fit right in for the colder weather. Start with a sheer layer of reflective lip color or a subtle shimmer, or try a cool-toned highlight applied sparingly to the cheekbones. The full combination can wait for party season.
Lips Only
This fall is saying: One lipstick, very little else. Models at the Marc Jacobs S/S '27 show wore dark lips with bare eyes, letting their colorful pouts dominate the face. An oxblood shade makes an easy way to borrow the look, particularly against glowing, healthy-looking skin. Play with the blurred trend or go all out with a sculpted lip.
Blue Eyes
Thomas de Kluyver and Casillas (again) are supplying just about all my eye makeup inspo right now. Casillas plays up Zendaya's glam, which covers both ends of the blue spectrum: a pale shadow with long, fluttery lashes, and a deeper smokey eye with brighter blue shimmer underneath. The second is already on my list for holiday parties, but there’s plenty to borrow from either look, even if you’re easing into color. A blue pencil along the upper lashes is a simple starting point; blending shadow over the lid and beneath the eye gives you a more dramatic result. Keep the lip understated and let the blue shine.
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Meet the Expert
Kelly Zhang is a makeup artist and the founder and CEO of Kelly Zhang Agency.
