Instead of no-makeup makeup, runways this season were showcasing in-your-face eye looks with bright colors and big, bold shapes—a great excuse to dip into the cerulean blues and canary yellow eye shadows in your palette that haven’t been touched. Better yet, go all-in on a spicy red shadow with lips to match, a look championed by designers and brands like Elisabetta Franchi, Matières Fécales, and Litkovska.
Glue some gemstones on your face and cosplay as a fairy princess again. Or, for something a little more understated but equally as nostalgic, try the ’90s-inspired, frosty finishes seen at Weiderhoeft, Balenciaga, and Blumarine, alongside smudgy, “I applied this with my fingers” lip liner. Get tactile and have some fun. You deserve it.
Just ask yourself: What would 10-year-old you do? Would you be concerning yourself with neutrals and daytime office looks? Or would you dig deep into a pot of glitter and pink eyeliner? I think we all know the answer to that. Beauty experts are breaking down winter’s biggest makeup trends that a younger version of yourself would undoubtedly approve of.
Eyemaxxing
Someone once said that less is more, but beauty professionals beg to differ. Sometimes, the most is more. London-based makeup artist Rachel Hill-Cherry notes a collective shift in the industry. "I feel like everyone this year was desperate for makeup to make a comeback," she says, emphasizing a desire for "more eyeliner, more mascara, more colour, more creativity, and more fun."
The name of the game this season is eyemaxxing—a trend prominently featured on the Antonio Marras, Kim Shui, and Givenchy runways—which involves going big and bold with shapes and intensity. If you are not sure where to start, working your way out from a smudgy eyeliner is a reliable way to get those creative juices flowing. Hill-Cherry recommends starting with a kajal eyeliner, looking for something super creamy and blendable that stays put once it dries.
She points to products like Charlotte Tilbury Rock ’N’ Kohl Eyeliner pencils, which come in a range of jewel tones, and Marc Jacobs Beauty Drawn This Way eyeliner, which offers a smooth, blendable texture in punchier colors like yellow and aqua. Wrapping it around the entire eye and using an eye shadow brush or your finger to blend and buff creates the ultimate cool-girl, lived-in eye, which can be repeated until the desired intensity is reached.
Soft-Focus Lip Liner
A smudgy-edged lip harkens back to a simpler time when you experimented with affordable drugstore lipsticks and liners, but lacked the steady hands and precision that come with years of practice. The result is a modern, cool, smudgy, soft-focus lip.
Hill-Cherry describes the look as having no harsh lines and no obvious colors, resulting in something intentional, low-level, and effortless. "A lip you don’t have to worry about," she calls it, noting that it is great for everyone, especially those looking to create the illusion of fuller lips naturally.
To achieve this, she recommends products like the Rhode Peptide Lip Shapers, where a thicker pencil takes the guesswork out of blurring the line, or the Refy Blur Lip Liner, which features an even wider tip to discourage tightly hugging the natural lip outline. Filling in the center with a blush lipstick or nude balm and blotting it outward creates a true soft-focus effect.
Frosty Finishes
Fashion and beauty enthusiasts are traveling back to a simpler time when school dances and red carpets were marked by crimped hair, silver eye shadows, pearly lipstick, and iced highlighter. Fortunately, no time machine is needed, as frosty finishes are back and firmly planted in modern aesthetics.
Los Angeles-based makeup artist Brandy Allen notes that people are currently looking for more personality in their makeup. Frost is all about a beautiful, pearlized, light-reflecting finish, making winter the ideal season for texture play. Allen highlights an upcoming wave of everything from soft champagne and rosy frosts to deeper chocolate, plum, and burgundy metallics, alongside MAC’s recently rereleased frost lipsticks.
New York City-based makeup artist Laura Mele looks to the ’90s-inspired eye shadows seen on Chanel’s runways, anticipating washes of silver, icy blue, champagne, and pearlescent white. She recommends Urban Decay 24/7 Moondust Glitter Eyeshadow, while a more dramatic snow queen finish can be achieved with R.E.M. Beauty Starlet Liquid Eyeshadow in Lab Coat.
Skin can also be frosted as an ode to middle school body glitter, but with significantly less stickiness. Los Angeles-based makeup artist Ernesto Casillas suggests using a high-impact highlighter all over the eyelids, browbone, cheeks, and even the sides of the forehead, recommending products like Karla Cosmetics Multichrome Loose Pigment in Insomnia or Kosas Shiny Objects Wet Glisten Highlighter in Opaline for a cool blue-green shift.
Red All Over
Eye shadow palettes offer an array of options, but users often hit pan on neutral shades much faster than punchy commitment colors like red. However, completionists will be pleased to find that a cheeky, monochromatic, red-on-red look is warming up winter trends.
Approaching this look can start with an eyes-only application. Los Angeles-based makeup artist Sarah Walsh calls it a fun way to switch up a traditional smoky eye, recommending that people ease into red-on-red with moodier tones like burgundy. She starts with Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner in Bordeaux smudged along the lash line, followed by a red shadow buffed all over the lid using palettes such as the KimChiChic Jewel Collection Palette in Ruby or the Colourpop Wine and Only Eyeshadow Palette.
The next level involves adding red lips to match. While they do not need to be an exact shade match to the eye shadow, keeping them within the same cool or warm red family is key. Fashion Week makeup artists prefer blurred, bitten reds over classic painted-on lipsticks. Stains like About Face Blurred Matte Lip Plump or Violette_Fr Bisou Balm provide a just-kissed, diffused hue.
Winter Flush
A full, flushy red blush creates a sporty, "just off the slopes" look. While heavy blush is not entirely new, Walsh points out that the defining characteristic of this season’s trend is that it is matte, mimicking a real après-ski cheek without a shimmery finish.
Sticking to red or orange-red blush captures a cold-weather aesthetic. Allen advises blending the product across the apples of the cheeks and lightly over the bridge of the nose rather than concentrating it solely on the cheekbones, aiming to make the color look as though it is coming from within the skin. Recommended products for this approach include LYS Beauty Higher Standard Satin Matte Cream Blush or Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder in Red Velvet for those who prefer a powder formula.
Face Gems
Embracing sparkling ornamentation, face gems and sparkle have dominated red carpets, concerts, and runways, with high-profile appearances ranging from Zara Larsson performances to Met Gala looks worn by Eileen Gu, Tyla, and Rihanna.
For everyday wearability, Walsh recommends a small smattering along the cheekbones or accenting the corners of the eyes using self-adhesive options from Half Magic or Lavaa Face Gems. Alternatively, chunky glitter products like Lemonhead LA Spacejam or Unicorn Snot Macro Glitter achieve a similar gem-like effect without precise glue placement, allowing users to swipe it across their lids with their fingers for diamond eyes.
Blue Eye Shadow
Nostalgia for childhood beauty experiments often points straight to blue eye shadow, and this winter offers a second chance to make that statement. Mele states simply that blue eye shadow has returned, backed by runway collections from Gucci, Proenza Schouler, and Valentino that featured palettes ranging from deep denim smoky eyes to soft baby blue washes.
New York- and Los Angeles-based makeup artist Billie Gene favors a navy smoky eye as a soft grunge approach to color. By applying a dark pencil close to the upper lash line, smudging it outward, and pressing a dark blue shadow—such as Merit Solo Shadow in Midnight or Kiko Milano High Pigment Eyeshadow in Metallic Blue—over the top, artists can build depth before diffusing the edges. For a lighter touch, a sheer blue wash can be applied using Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Cream Eyeshadow in Tailored Denim or Lancôme Idole Goddess Dimension Eyeshadow in Lunar Glow.
Sheer Foundation
With so much focus on vibrant color experimentation, this season’s base remains natural and pared back to let the features shine. Gene explains that winter makeup can easily become heavy when layered over dry skin, making a lighter base feel fresh and modern when paired with dramatic features.
Consumers are seeking controllable coverage that preserves skin character, leading to a preference for sheer foundations and strategic concealer. Freckles, spots, and texture remain visible, while redness and blemishes are addressed through spot-concealing rather than heavy full-face layers. Gene suggests starting with a moisturizer, letting it settle, and applying a skin tint from the center of the face outward. Options like Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint and Milk Cosmetics Hydro Gel Skin Tint provide a sheer, healthy finish, which can be lightly powdered in areas requiring shine control while leaving the rest of the complexion luminous.
