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(Beauty Hero Awards)

The 24 Best Fall Makeup Products To Refresh Your Routine For The Season Ahead

Swipe, swatch, and blend with ease.

by TZR Beauty Team

Sep. 13, 2023

Courtesy of Brands

the best fall makeup products

TZR Beauty Heroes are vetted products out of the dozens that land on our editors’ desks throughout the year. This month, TZR’s beauty team shares its favorite fall makeup picks.

Whether you want to admit it or not, summer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Laundry days are more frequent because you sweat through all your clothes, and the heat and humidity make it tough to wear a full-on smoky eye or your favorite matte red lipstick, or both. Because, let’s face it: Applying makeup in the morning is a giant waste of time if it’s going to melt off by noon. The silver lining? Crisp, breezy days are just around the corner, and soon, it will be primetime to experiment with your looks. As you start to map out your fall makeup mood boards, you might come to the conclusion that your product collection needs a refresh, too.

With so many makeup launches hitting virtual and physical shelves throughout the past year, it can be easy to get swept up in the hype of pretty, shiny products, but also tough to decipher what’s worth purchasing. However, no one tests as many products as beauty editors, so when one earns a spot in their permanent rotations, you know it’s good.

Whether you’re in the market for an elevated version of a staple, like a liquid eyeliner, or iridescent eyeshadows to partake in the ever-popular mermaidcore trend, TZR’s beauty team is here to guide you in curating your routine this season. Ahead, find our 24 favorite fall makeup products to suit every aesthetic.

Best Foundation

Stretch Fluid Foundation

Stretch Fluid Foundation

Skin care first, makeup second, indeed. The first foundation from the Internet’s favorite brand is formulated with 89% skin care ingredients for a hydrated, second-skin finish that doesn’t cake or oxidize throughout the day. The gel-cream comes in 32 shades, divided into seven categories with five undertones to simplify finding your perfect match.

Best Blush

Divine Blush: Legendary Glow Colour Balm

Pat McGrath Labs

Divine Blush: Legendary Glow Colour Balm

What do so many of Dame Pat McGrath’s best-ever makeup looks have in common? Her brilliant blush application — but fortunately, it’s now easily achievable for models and mortals alike thanks to McGrath’s twist-up balms. Offering a dewy finish, blendable pigment, and second-skin texture, it’s the next-best thing to sitting in the makeup artist’s legendary chair.

Best Concealer

Swipe All-Over Hydrating Serum Concealer

Swipe All-Over Hydrating Serum Concealer

When serum-foundations were having their moment in the sun, Tower 28 was hard at work on the next great innovation: a serum concealer formulated to flatter even the driest skin types. Thanks to a blend of hydrating niacinamide, calming centella asiatica extract, and lysine to prevent further dryness, the concealer works beautifully under the eyes to minimize feathering and creasing all day.

Best Highlighter

B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops

B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops

Part skin care, part complexion-glorifying highlighter, Drunk Elephant’s latest hit can be worn about a million different ways. Try mixing the niacinamide-enhanced drops into sunscreen or foundation for extra radiance, wear it alone for some all-over shine, or strategically place it across cheekbones for just a hint of golden glimmer.

Best Contour

Contour Stylus

Victoria Beckham Beauty

Even contour beginners have no trouble at all excavating cheekbones and jawlines with VBB’s easy-to-use stick, which feels crayon-comfortable in the hand. Available in four shades to suit a range of undertones, the mercifully natural colors and finish never look harsh or muddy on the skin.

Best Radiant-Finish Concealer

Shape Tape Radiant Concealer

Shape Tape Radiant Concealer

How do you improve upon best-selling perfection? Make a radiant-finish version for the dewy-skinned fans. Tarte’s remixed take on Shape Tape features everything fans loved about the original (giant doefoot applicator, full-coverage formula, all-day staying power), now with a creamy, natural-looking finish.

Best Setting Powder

Real Flawless Luminous Perfecting Pressed Powder

Real Flawless Luminous Perfecting Pressed Powder

It’s the sort of powder that makes you believe in powder again, you know? Even the most dedicated dewy-finish devotees can appreciate the subtle blurring power of this light-as-air compact. A custom pearlescent blend offers soft-focus radiance that manages to simultaneously obfuscate large pores and lines.

Best Multitasking Base Product

It’s Like Skin 2-in-1 Concealer + Tint

It’s Like Skin 2-in-1 Concealer + Tint

Alicia Keys’ homegrown brand has always made honoring oneself as-is a priority. That approach extends to her cosmetics, which are all designed to simply enhance the skin you’re already in. This hybrid tint-concealer comes in a whopping 40 shade options, all infused with blurring pigment, perfect for spot-treating and all-over coverage alike.

Best Eyeshadow

Solo Shadow

Merit has created the anomaly of matte eyeshadows. These single-shadow pots have a unique, cream-to-powder formula that’s uber pigmented without the dreaded fallout or creasing of powders. Use a brush to add a sheer wash of color to the lids or swipe it on with your fingertip for an opaque look — the choice is yours. The brand has carefully curated a range of eight everyday neutral and statement shades.

Best Mascara

Fan Fest Fanning Volumizing Mascara

Benefit Cosmetics

Fan Fest Fanning Volumizing Mascara

Expect to be asked if your lashes are extensions whenever you wear this mascara. The 24-hour formula volumizes, defines, and fans lashes to create the illusion of fullness. It’s all thanks to a custom-engineered wand with a curved brush that coats lashes at just the right angle (40 degrees, to be precise), so they’re lifted root-to-tip and no hair is left behind.

Best Eyeliner Pencil

Eye Love Eye Pencil

Westman Atelier

Eye Love Eye Pencil

Despite looking effortless, there is an actual technique behind grungy lived-in eyeliner. Luckily, Westman Atelier’s kôhl eyeliner pencil is foolproof. The creamy formula glides on without any slip and instantly smokes out when you smudge it with your fingertip.

Best Liquid Eyeliner

Infinity Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen

Thrive Causemetics

Infinity Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen

A precise cat-eye never goes out of style, but despite its timelessness, the look can be tough to master. Using the right liquid eyeliner makes the job easy, which is where Thrive Causemetics’ inky pen comes into play. The waterproof liquid liner has an ultra-fine tip so you can draw sharp lines with ease. As for the actual formula, it’s infused with fan-favorite skin care ingredients biotin and sodium hyaluronate to condition the eyelids and lashes.

Best Eyeshadow Palette

Industrial Colour Pigments 2.0

Industrial Colour Pigments 2.0

Mermaidcore, ethereal alien, disco shimmer. Isamaya’s Industrial Palette serves as the “choose your own adventure” of viral eye makeup looks. Stacked with 14 superbly pigmented shades ranging from velvet metallics to iridescent pearls, this palette allows you to mix and match the light-reflecting shadows for your own custom take on current trends, or simply swipe on a single one for a pared-down version.

Best Everyday Lipstick

Lip Veil Wild Mustang Collection

Lip Veil Wild Mustang Collection

Your search for the perfect everyday lippie ends here. Somewhere between a balm and lipstick, Chantecaille Lip Veil smoothly covers your lips with a wash of pink that’s natural and soft. As if the perfect everyday color isn’t enough, each tube sold helps raise funds to keep wild Mustang horses protected thanks to efforts with the American Wild Horse Campaign.

Best Lip Liner

Speak Love Lip Liner Pencil

Speak Love Lip Liner Pencil

Too often, lip liner pencils can be hard to apply. Even worse, they can flake and feather throughout the day. You can leave these two issues at the door when reaching for the Speak Love pencil. The creamy matte formula glides on smoothly and delivers excellent color payoff — just in case you want to forgo lipstick.

Best Tinted Lip Balm

Lip Blush

What exactly is a “lip blush,” you ask? The balm-meets-stain adds a subtle punch of color that blurs away fine lines and ultimately enhances the shape of your lips. Though most of the available shades are natural, the product is meant to be buildable, so you can shift from sheer to subtly daring in just a few layers.

Best Matte Lipstick

Infallible Matte Resistance Liquid Lipstick

Infallible Matte Resistance Liquid Lipstick

The latest addition to the brand’s beloved Infallible collection is a powdery matte liquid lipstick that offers the same long-wear finish you’ve come to expect from the brand. In 12 bold shades that fall between rose, mauve, and berry hues, the cushiony formula hugs your lips and douses them in moisture.

Best Lip Gloss

Moistureglow Plumping Lip Color

Makeup By Mario

Moistureglow Plumping Lip Color

Each Makeup by Mario product puts the beloved makeup artist’s techniques into your hands. Take this lip plumper that’s formulated with encapsulated H2O to create the illusion of fullness, plus high-shine oils that reflect light for an extra glossy finish — no overlining or sticky gloss required.

Best Multitasking Lip Product

Liquirosso 2-in-1 Soft Matte Liquid Lipstick & Blush

Valentino Beauty

Liquirosso 2-in-1 Soft Matte Liquid Lipstick & Blush

The power of a two-in-one product is never lost on makeup enthusiasts and minimalists alike. Housed in Valentino’s chic packaging, the soft matte color can be used a lip stain or liquid blush. Whether you like a touch of color on your lips and cheeks or opt for a bold finish, this little powerhouse is the perfect choice for the job.

Best Brow Pencil

Brow Pop Nano

The key to achieving a full, natural brow look is the right tool, which is where Kosas Brow Pop Nano enters the chat. One side of the sleek pink pen features a slanted nano tip for drawing laser-precise, hair-like strokes, while the other is a slim spoolie for brushing up the brows.

Best Brow Pen

Microfeathering Brow Pen

Microfeathering Brow Pen

The pen from celebrity brow artist Kristie Streicher’s line is inspired by her signature feathered brow technique. The ultra-fine, flexible tip mimics the look of real hairs, so you can fill in sparse spots with the most natural finish.

Best Brow Gel

Major Brow Lamination Gel

Major Brow Lamination Gel

As a celebrity makeup artist, Patrick Ta has worked with brows of all shapes and sizes, so he infused his expertise into this brilliantly designed gel. The secret is in the comb-like brush, which has small plastic teeth rather than a traditional spoolie. This helps it firmly sweep up even the most wayward brow hairs and shellack them in place without any crunch or flakes.

Best Tinted Brow Gel

Tint & Texture Brow Perfecting Gel

Tint & Texture Brow Perfecting Gel

Thin or patchy brows are no match for the fibrous pigment in Iconic London’s bestselling gel. It acts more like an eyebrow mascara, using a tiny tapered spoolie bent at a 45-degree angle to grab and pump up every single hair.