The 7 Best Fall Makeup Trends We Saw During Fashion Month

“Per brands like Thom Browne, Molly Goddard, and Richard Quinn, punchy, bright red lips are back in full force,” says celebrity makeup artist Tomy Rivero. “Women now feel empowered to wear a red lip throughout the day, leaving behind the idea that a bold red lip should be reserved for evening wear or special occasions. Plus, the accent fits right in with the trendy mob wife aesthetic.”

Prefer to go the darker route? Vampy, deep, scarlet lips also earned a spotlight during New York Fashion Week, including at L’Agence.

Nostalgia for decades past is still going strong, so it comes as little surprise that grungy, ’90-inspired beauty looks are returning to the zeitgeist. Romero Jennings, MAC’s Director of Makeup Artistry, helped lead the charge at Prabal Gurung, using MAC’s Eye Kohl Pencil in Smolder and Feline and MACStack Mascara on models’ top and bottom lashes to create a Kate Moss-like vibe. “This look typically involves using dark, smoky, and earthy tones like deep browns, grays, and blacks to create a disheveled and lived-in look on the eyes,” suggests celebrity makeup artist Brandy Allen. “Grunge makeup is often characterized by its messy and effortless appearance, with blended, smudged liners and shadows creating a rock-inspired feel.”

Alice & Olivia founder Stacey Bendet has been sporting the smoked-out eye for years, but hers is a softer take on the traditionally sharp, angular look. For the brand’s fall 2024 runway, Too Faced executive director of global beauty, Elyse Reneau, channeled Bendet’s signature look by creating a rounded shape with gel liner and swaths of sparkly black eyeshadow. Celebrity makeup artist Etienne Ortega, who counts Lana Del Ray, Christina Aguilera, and Kris Jenner as clients, says vampy, moody lips will reign supreme this fall season. Mastering the look comes down to a basic understanding of undertones.

“I am so excited to see a return to deeper tones and lip colors. Those chocolate browns for deep complexions, the earthy brick tones for medium complexions, and the cool earth tones for fair skin,” he says. First, hydration is key. “To create a fall lip, I like to do my signature look by hydrating the lip with a balm. Then, line the lip with a deep shade, like our Soft Contour Liner in Xola. Start by lining the cupid’s bow and drawing a line down the middle, then underlining the bottom of the lip. This will help to create a guide to the slightly overlined pouty look.” From there, fill in the rest of your lip with the liner for an "ombre effect" or use a brush to diffuse the color across your lips.

“Then, fill in the center of your lips with a slightly lighter color, like the Agave Color Stick in Petals, and blend that into the liner with a brush, creating that ombre effect. Top off with a gloss for that high-sheen finish!” he adds.

Don’t be afraid to wear this look during the day, either, adds Rivero. “Feel free to play with a smoky, smudgy finish any time to push up the eyes,” he says. You can balance out the heaviness of the look by opting for a vibrant outfit; Helmut Lang’s edgy orange sweater and patchwork pants ensemble (as seen on Irina Shayk) offers some great inspiration.

A more subdued alternative to the ’90s grunge look, “messy, textured eyeshadow is another super cool trend for fall 2024,” says Allen. “Imagine a brush or fingertips sweeping wet or dry shadow across the eyelid. This style is perfect for creating a sultry, slightly unkempt look that adds a touch of coolness and attitude to the eyes.”

To complement her vintage-meets-contemporary-chic collection, Anna Sui made a case for faintly smoky shadows effortlessly swiped across lids.

While bold eyes and lips had a moment on fall 2024 runways, minimalist, clean-girl looks also made a big appearance. The key tenants are no-makeup makeup and balanced skin. “We’re moving away from the super juicy, just-out-of-a-facial wet skin look,” notes Rivero. “I love this because it not only gives people who are on the oilier side permission to be semi-matte without looking ‘out of trend,’ but it’s also a low-maintenance way to look polished and fresh.”

As shown on Paloma Elsesser at Tory Burch, “There’s also a shift towards monochromatic faces with pops of terracotta and natural bronze for definition—no frost or high pigment in sight,” adds Rivera.

And at Sandy Liang, barely-there makeup proved to be the perfect accoutrement to the modern girlhood trend.

Long, luscious lashes will always be in, but they’re receiving a next-level treatment for fall. Inspired by paper dolls and Diana Ross’s iconic Supremes looks, Kendal used layers of black nail polish atop Duo false lashes to give models ultra-chunky, glossy fringe during Marc Jacob’s show. “The look is disco married to rock ‘n’ roll,” says Allen. White grease paint was also applied to the corners of the eyes and underneath to make them pop even further.

Similarly, Reneau drew inspiration from the ’60s to create spidery lashes at Alice & Olivia. “The theme is Twiggy meets Better Than Sex Mascara,” she notes. According to Reneau, the trick to creating the illusion of oversized doll eyes is through strategically placed eyeliner. In addition to creating a wing up top, she drew faux lashes on the waterline with liquid black eyeliner and traced a brightening, golden-y shade of gel liner (specifically, the Too Faced Killer Liner in Cashmere) on the waterline as well. Adding to the doll-like effect, she chose playful touches of blue and pink for the lids, cheeks, and lips, utilizing highlighter below gloss to “make the lips literally pop under light.”

Rivero says natural brows will also be a main trend for fall 2024. “It’s time to put away your brow fixing gel,” says Rivero. “Fluffy, not overly-worked or filled-in brows are back in, and we are here for the ’90s nostalgia.”

Still prefer a high-glam look? Play up your eye makeup with sleek eyeliner, fluttery lashes, and some face gems à la models at Christian Cowan. Makeup artists Lori Taylor Davis and Doniella Davy worked together to apply Half Magic’s decals at the inner corners of eyes for a glitzy, three-dimensional effect.