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For many of us, this fall will probably be unlike any other we’ve experienced. The world seems to be dishing out unprecedented events, and though we’re here to talk about makeup—don’t worry, we’ll get to that—we can’t deny that the uncertainty we’re experiencing is impacting our beauty-related decisions. “I find myself between extremes at the moment,” says makeup artist Alex Levy. “Clients either want to feel comfortable with themselves—polished but without straying from their established beauty norms—or want to completely push the boundaries and transform.”

What does this look like in practice? First, it means the minimalist, no-makeup makeup aesthetic isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “Most of my clients just want to feel like themselves, but enhanced,” says makeup artist Kelli Anne Sewell. “They don’t want to be overly sculpted or contoured.” The industry’s obsession with skin care has also shifted makeup preferences in a major way, explains makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran, with skin prep taking precedence and skin tints and concealers continuing to replace full-coverage foundation for many beauty lovers.

However, makeup artist after makeup artist has told us that while the so-called clean girl aesthetic is here to stay a while longer, the look is also evolving. “There’s more intentional color, interesting shapes, and overall, more fun being had,” says Jaikaran. “They want to express themselves but still feel like themselves, whatever that may mean for them.” This can be as simple as adding a sparkling blue in the water lines, or as bold as a full-on burgundy lip—all on a base of fresh, radiant skin, with subtle contours and naturally groomed brows.

On the other end of the spectrum, pros are seeing a resurgence of goth and grunge makeup. With the rise in tightlining, smudged and smoky eyes, oxblood lips, and spiky lashes, it appears many of us are trying to express an underlying feeling of angst, assertion, and defiance. “I think politically and socially, makeup is being used more to provoke and unify—either as a middle finger to social norms or a way to connect with other like-minded folks who see beauty in a similar way,” says Levy. “It’s really become a way of connecting people with similar inspirations, rather than something solitary.”

So, grab your eyeliner pencils and check out all the ways we can (cosmetically) come together and rage against the machine this fall.

Meet the experts:

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Carolina DelRio is a general manager of beauty at CO Bigelow in New York City.

Nikki DeRoest is a Los Angeles-based makeup artist and Bobbi Brown artist in residence.

Raisa Flowers is a New York City-based makeup artist.

Todd Harris is a New York City-based makeup artist and founder of the Trans Beauty Clinic.

Jaleesa Jaikaran is a makeup artist working in New York City and LA, and a member of the Ulta Beauty Pro Team.

Alex Levy is a New York City-based makeup artist.

Vincent Oquendo is a New York City-based makeup artist and host of the YouTube series, Backseat Beauties.

Vanita Parti is the founder of Blink Brow Bar salons in London.

David Razzano is a New York City-based makeup artist and Sephora beauty director.

Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury is a London-based makeup artist and global artistry director at Charlotte Tilbury.

Kelli Anne Sewell is a New York City-based makeup artist.

Tightlined eyes

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It’s tricky to call tightlining a trend because, for makeup artists, it’s Eye Makeup 101. But a new generation of beauty lovers has discovered the technique, at least the angsty, early-aughts version of it, and they’re embracing it with abandon. They’re also adapting it to today’s more refined makeup aesthetic: less indie-sleaze, more mainstream chaos.

Tightlining has always been a way to signify rebelliousness through makeup, whether you’re pulling inspiration from Debbie Harry’s punky, feline line or Avril Lavigne’s inky, emo, smoky eyes. But remove the heavy eye makeup around the lids, and it’s simply a way to define the eyes by intensifying the lash lines. “If you look at beautifully applied eye makeup, you’ll always see this shaping of the inside of the eye,” says makeup artist Todd Harris. “It’s a way of getting definition on camera. If your eyes are tightlined, when someone takes a photo, even if it’s from farther back, they still stand out.”

For fall, people are taking inspiration from the grunge era of messy, undone eyeliner and filtering it through a 2025 lens, when less is more and makeup formulas are more refined. They’re ditching super-smudgy liner and cloggy mascara and keeping the pigment along the water lines crisp and sharp. Makeup artist Vincent Oquendo has even been leaving the bottom lash lines completely bare on clients like Jurnee Smollett. “It gives this sexy, sleepy-eyed effect,” he explains, “a bit like Marilyn Monroe.”

The secret to a crisp tightline is using a waterproof eyeliner formula that’s been okayed for use in the water line. We have a list of our favorites, but Oquendo keeps Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner and L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in his kit. After you’ve applied it along your top and bottom water lines, the trick is not to blink. “Normally, when you do a rock-and-roll eye, you apply your liner in the water lines and squeeze your eyes shut,” says Oquendo. To keep it tidy, you have to resist the urge to blink right away. If that’s tricky, he suggests working in small sections, allowing yourself to blink in between each one. When you’ve finished tracing the water lines, then go back and wiggle the point of your liner gently between each lash to fill in the gaps, says Harris: “If you do this on one eye and look in the mirror, you won’t believe the difference.”

Gray eye shadow

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Cool tones continue to captivate makeup lovers. Just look at MAC’s disruptive “nudes” campaign featuring Martha Stewart and Julia Fox, or Dakota Johnson’s character in The Materialists, where makeup artist Emma Strachman stuck to ’90s-inspired, cool-toned hues throughout the film. While there are plenty of ways to wear the trend, makeup artists are particularly loving gray and gunmetal eye shadows for this fall.

Makeup artist and Sephora beauty director David Razzano thinks the fascination with cool, gray tones comes as a response “to the oversaturated, warm eye shadow palettes that dominated the beauty landscape for almost a decade.” The return of gray shadow feels “elevated and chic,” he adds, “creating more of a natural 'shadowed' look.”

Looking to the fall/winter runways for inspiration, there are no limits on how you can play with gray shadow, from the shade you choose to how you apply it. Deeper gunmetal hues were smudged across lids at Altuzarra (Bobbi Brown Cream Eye Shadow Stick in Stone) and Roberto Cavalli (Kiko Milano Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick in Dark Taupe and Anthracite) to create a rock-and-roll vibe. At Luar, makeup artist Terry Barber used two shades of gray—MAC eye shadows in Print and Scene—and white to craft a graphic, maximalist eye look he described as “late-’80s supermodel meets Stonewall-era drag.”

At Tory Burch, makeup artist Diane Kendal blended a vintage-y, dove gray color (Nars Total Seduction Eyeshadow Stick in Don’t Touch) from the lash lines all the way to the brows for a look that felt fresh and sporty. It’s a color that seems like it wouldn’t work for deeper skin tones, but makeup artist Raisa Flowers explains, it’s all in how you apply it. “If you want a pale, cool color to not look ashy or washed out, start with an eye shadow primer so the color sits boldly on the skin,” she says, “or intensify the color with a darker hue.” (Kendal bumped up the shadow at Tory Burch with the Nars Koh Rong Quad Eyeshadow.)

Spiky lashes

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It’s been a huge year for lashes: Brown and colored mascaras made a comeback, and people have been having fun with false lashes again. This fall, though, the focus isn’t on tone or fullness but shape, in the form of graphic, spiky lashes. “Spiky lashes are a personal favorite of mine,” says Razzano. “For me, the look feels like a nod to iconic ’70s divas like Cher, Diana Ross, Marisa Berenson, and Liza Minnelli. It’s sexy and a bit camp, which is so fun.”

But spiky lashes don’t have to go full-disco decadence. Add extreme length and lots of eyeliner, like at Harris Reed’s fall 2025 show, and you get a subversive, goth effect. Pair a set of spiky strips with gold shadow and a dark lip, like Tems wore for the 2025 Met Gala, and the look takes on a glamorous edge.

It probably goes without saying, but you’ll need false lash strips to achieve dramatic looks like these. Razanno recommends Lilly Lashes Everyday Faux Mink Lashes in Miami, and Flowers loves the dramatic look of Katiely Beauty Dream Lash FX19 strips.

The spiky-lash trend might seem over-the-top off the runway, but if you substitute lash strips for individual clusters and mascara, you can get a similar effect in a subtler way—which is how makeup artist Allan Avendaño interpreted the trend on actor Isabela Merced. You can even achieve this effect with just mascara, using the tip of the wand to clump lashes together into thick spikes (the trick is not to deposit too much pigment—you want spikes, not spidery clumps). The results are striking however you do it. “It allows the lashes to be a major statement in your look,” says Razzano, “but it doesn’t swallow your entire lid space, so the eye doesn’t look weighed down.”

Natural, structured brows

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“The laminated brow look is on the decline, for sure,” says Harris, adding that “people are getting back into a more natural-looking, structured brow instead of that look where the hairs are groomed to sit straight up.” Vanita Parti, founder of the Blink Brow Bar salons chain in London, is also seeing fewer requests for lamination: “People have returned to fuller and softer brows,” she says.

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To achieve a natural, soft-brow effect, Oquendo is currently obsessed with the 3-in-1 brow products entering the market. His favorite is the Valentino Brow Trio Eyebrow Liner, a product that many professional makeup artists hoard in their kits, and one that Oquendo has been using on all his red carpet clients. This product is one of the only multitaskers on the market to include a mechanical pencil, a spoolie brush, and a felt-tip marker, which has just the right amount of pigment to allow you to build up your brows in a very natural-looking way.

Oquendo also turned us onto the stackable Subtl Beauty 3-in-1 Brow Pencil, which features a stubby pencil and a clear brow gel that is revealed when you twist off the spoolie brush on the other end. Having multiple components is great, but the pencil is especially good because its thicker point and powdery finish enable you to draw hair on and fill in empty patches.

Garnet lips

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Whether matte or glossy, this fall’s dark red lip revival feeds into the greater shift toward counterculture nostalgia. “The deep, glossy garnet lip is a huge part of the return of goth style, specifically the whimsy goth of the late ’90s,” says Razanno. “The fresh take on this trend comes from the glossy texture, which adds a touch of sexiness to a bold lip.” For Harris, the matte texture can give a grungy vibe, especially if you stay within the natural lines of your lips, the way Julia Garner and Sophie Aylis-Ellis have both worn the shade on the red carpet.

We know what you’re thinking: deep, burgundy lips for fall? Big surprise there. “Deep reds, berry tones, and glossy garnets are back with intention,” says Jaikaran. Yes, red lips are an autumn staple, but according to all of the makeup artists we spoke to, you can freshen up the look by contrasting it with a pared-back complexion. “With the movement toward super fresh skin, it’s fun to balance that by focusing on bold makeup,” says Sewell, adding that she likes the juxtaposition of a bold red lip paired with bare lashes.

Finish is key when talking about claret-colored lips for fall, and it’s all about extremes. “It’s either gloss or matte,” says Harris. “I’m not seeing a lot of satin finishes.” Sewell likes a vampy red lip topped with thick coats of clear gloss. She reaches for MAC Lipglass over lip liners (we like Pat McGrath’s new Legendary Longwear Lip Liner in Rebel Rose). For a one-step alternative, Jaikaran recommends Neutrogena High Shine Glossy Lip in Black Dahlia. We like Maybelline New York Super Stay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipcolor in Royal because it stays put. And Razzano prefers the Merit Shade Slick Hydrating Tinted Lip Oil to “quickly get a beautiful, deep, glossy lip that feels wonderful to wear.”

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Garnet lips in soft, matte finishes feel “plush and sophisticated,” says makeup artist Nikki DeRoest. She looks for formulas that can give her the option of full-coverage wear or be blotted down for a stained effect, like Bobbi Brown Luxe Cashmere Matte Lipstick in Ruby. You can also reach for Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Walk of No Shame, which has a creamy texture that dries matte. Says makeup artist Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury, “For a just-kissed look, use a small smudging brush and tap it into the bullet, then sweep across the lips for a sheer finish.”

Skin silking

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Whether your skin looks like glass or a cloud, like butter or a dewy dumpling, one thing is clear about makeup in 2025: a skin-first makeup approach is in. “Fresh skin that’s not too dewy and not too matte is leading the way right now,” says Sewell. For Jaikaran, “skin is always the star” of the looks her clients request. “I call it ‘snatchural’—glowy in the right places and softly sculpted.”

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What’s new for fall 2025 is the growing number of skin-prep products that help you put your best face forward with minimal steps. This is likely a response to the “skin flooding” trend on TikTok, where people layer up to 12 toners to “flood” the skin with moisture.

Harris calls this new method “skin silking,” and all you need is a hydrating, milky toner to do it. “With these thick, milky toners, you’re providing all that hydration with one product,” he says. “And because you’re not putting on 5,000 products, you don’t have to worry about your foundation creasing or your concealer moving.” Harris recommends Bubble’s new ceramide-spiked Bubble Cosmic Silk Hydrating Milky Toner (for which he teamed up with the brand to launch), but you also have Byoma’s viral Hydrating Milky Toner, Ilia’s The Base Face Milk, and the product that played a big part in making Americans aware of these types of formulas: the Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid.

When doing a client’s makeup, Harris applies one layer of a milky toner and lets it sink in while he works on eye makeup. Once the toner is absorbed, he pats on a second layer; if you have dry or mature skin, he adds moisturizer on top. “I often find these milky toners provide enough moisture for certain people, and they’re not tacky or sticky,” he notes. “They have a texture that allows foundation or tinted moisturizer to work in synergy.”

Smudgy, smoked-out liner

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A return to grunge wouldn’t be complete without some form of a smoky eye, and this fall, you only need one product to achieve it. Harris says smoky eyes made with liners are on trend for the season. “Brands have launched new, long-wear eyeliner formulas that offer plenty of playtime, allowing you to smudge them and create these ’90s, grungy eye looks,” he explains, “but with a bit more elegance.”

With the addition of new colors, the trend feels fresh. “That heavy, grungy, smoky eye from the ’90s really just came from black eyeliner in the water line and around the eye,” says Harris, noting that today’s formulas are available in a wider range of hues.

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“We will see accents of espresso, burgundy, forest green, and navy on the eyes,” says Carolina DelRio, a general manager of beauty at CO Bigelow in New York City, who always gets an early look at upcoming launches. But there are also plenty of excellent existing lines on the market that are perfect for this look, including Kulfi’s Underlined Kajal Clean Waterproof Long-Wear Eyeliner (a Best of Beauty winner) and Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Eyeliner (a makeup artist favorite).

The easiest way to transform an eyeliner pencil into a soft, smoky eye is with a blending brush. Scribble the tip along the top lashes and halfway up the lids, and buff the color up to the brow bones with your brush. Repeat these steps along the lower lashes if you want.

Cream shadow sticks are another way to achieve a similar effect. “They’re ideal for quick application with lasting impact—no fallout, no fuss,” says DeRoest. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick is a classic, as is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Cream Eyeshadow, both of which come in a wide variety of shades.

Read more about the latest trends:

The Best Makeup Trends of 2025 Reinvent the Classics

Fall’s Top Fragrance Trends Welcome the Witching Season

This Fall’s Nail Art Trends Are All About Touchable Textures

Now, watch Mariah Carey break down her most iconic beauty looks.