There are typical trends that tend to crop up for fall and winter. Deep, wine-stained lips, cat-eyeliner, and matte skin tend to be the looks du jour. And while there's always something to love about these classic looks, it's always good to shake things up again. Luckily, if these New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2020 makeup trends are any indication, it seems like things might actually be changing.
At the Fall/Winter 2020 shows in New York, things were taking a cooler, brighter turn. The makeup artists keying the shows seem to have skipped over the cooler months completely, instead reaching for color palettes and painterly techniques that you tend to see more in the spring and summer.
Instead of the typical cat-eyes, we're seeing punky twists on liner, with graphic lines and smudges galore. Wine-stained lips have given way to bright pops on the eyes. And it's a welcome change, considering the rainy, chill temps that have accompanied these shows. The weather outside the shows are frightful, but inside, they're more than delightful.
So if you're looking for makeup looks to completely oust you from your winter beauty rut, then you're in luck. Because if there's one thing you can already say about the fall/winter 2020 makeup trends, it's that they're anything but expected.
Fall/Winter 2020 Makeup Trend: Punky Liner
Seen at: Christian Siriano, Rag & Bone
Get the look: Punky eyeliner looks took center stage early on in new York, with designers like Christian Siriano and Rag & Bone sending bold, smudgy eyes down the runway. At Siriano, Maybelline lead makeup artist Erin Parsons called her makeup look a five-minute eye. She applied a line of Maybelline's TattooStudio Eyeliner Pencil to a bare eye before smudging it out to give the illusion of shadow. A few coats of mascara, and the look was complete.
At Rag & Bone, the punky influence took an intergalactic turn. MAC lead makeup artist Lynsey Alexander sketched on the flattened winged liner with MAC Brushstroke Liquid Liner. "It's the easiest liner to uses for this," she tells TZR. "The felt tip does the work for you." To add to the edginess, she also sketched on a series of lines under a handful of girls' eyes, giving them a more bionic flare.
Fall/Winter 2020 Makeup Trend: Bright Eyes
Seen at: Tadashi Shoji, Monse, Chromat, Prabal Gurung
Get the look: Say goodbye to your muted neutrals. Your highlighter shadow hues are just as at home in the fall as they are in the summer, if these shows have any say in it. At Monse, Mary Kay lead makeup artists Luis Casco cited punk as the inspiration. He kept the faces bare, save for a streak of neon across models' brow bones. Some models got either bright pink or electric orange, sketched on in a less-than-perfect swipe.
There was a similar loose vibe over at Tadashi Shoji, where the bright color of the day was blue. Honest Beauty Creative Color Consultant Daniel Martin, who keyed the show, swept a bright blue pigment across the eyes in a smudgy, painterly way. He then topped the look off with a few coats of Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer to frame.
At Prabal Gurung, MAC lead makeup artist Diane Kendal opted for a bright but sheer wash of color across the eyes from lash line to brow bone. On a handful of models, she swept a new MAC eyeshadow in a shade called Mint Condition across the entire eye. The shade launches in spring/summer 2020 — just in time for you to rock this trend in the warmer months.
Fall/Winter 2020 Makeup Trend: Fresh, Glowing Skin
Seen at: Self-Portrait, Christopher John Rogers, Bevza
Get the look: While fresh skin seems to always be a trend during fashion month, there was something decidedly different about the looks this season. Instead of just smearing moisturizer on models' skin and sending them down the runway, makeup artists actually used product to achieve these dewy complexions. At Self-Portrait, Skin Inc's lead artist debuted the brand's new CC serum, which is launching in April. It's a post-moisturizer step that color corrects, and as "uncovers your best skin."
Over at Christopher John Rogers, MAC lead makeup artist Marcelo Gutierrez didn't shy away from makeup, either. "We're using MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Palette to really contour the face," he said. But instead of focusing on intense shadows and highlights, he used the palette to heighten the shapes of the models' faces, giving them a freshness that wasn't blunted by the amount of makeup Gutierrez used.
Fall/Winter 2020 Makeup Trend: Valentine's Day Red Lipstick
Seen at: Brock Collection, Christopher John Rogers, Jason Wu, Longchamp, Carolina Herrera
Get the look: New York Fashion Week wraps up the day before Valentine's Day, but makeup artists are already giving us heart eyes with these classic, romantic looks. At Longchamp, makeup artist Pat McGrath used a trio of crimson shades from her MatteTrance collection: Elson, Guinevere, and Full Blooded. Her trick to keeping your red lips put? Pop some foundation on your lips before application to prep your pout.
At Jason Wu, MAC lead artist Diane Kendal had a similar trick for keeping the scarlet lips in place. She applied Maybelline's Super Stay Matte Ink in Pioneer to each models' lips without lip liner. "It's already pretty matte," she said. "But I like to blot it with a tissue after I apply it, just to make sure I'm getting rid of any excess."
And at Carolina Herrera, lead makeup artist Lauren Parsons opted for a mix of lipstick shades from the brand's new makeup collection that's set to launch in mid-March. Inspired by Spanish baroque paintings, Parsons applied a neon red lipstick, along with an orange and a pink, for maximum impact.
Fall/Winter 2020 Makeup Trend: Gold Accents
Seen at: The Blonds, Adeam, Gabriela Hearst, Christian Cowan
Get the look: Gold eyeshadow is always a look to love, and makeup artists took their gilded inspiration a step further, swapping shadows for gold glitter and literal gold leaf. At The Blonds, MAC lead makeup artist Kabuki opted for an "ethereal and radiant" eye look. That entailed loading up models' lids with MAC Gold glitter, which was strategically placed in the center of the lid and at the tip of the winged-out shadow he sketched on.
At Adeam, NARS Global Artistry Director Sada Ito wanted to create something a little more abstract. "I'm using gold leaf to create an imperfect liner," he told TZR. "It complements the gold in the collection." Each model got tiny pieces of gold leaf applied to their lids, creating a fuzzy, yet shiny wing that was beyond gorgeous.
The lids at Christian Cowan were equally gilded. But instead of the brand's glitter, MAC lead makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench swept a new shade across the eyes — Klimt Dazzleshow Extreme, landing in spring/summer 2020. The look was inspired by pure glamour in order to complement the collection.
