Trendy makeup doesn’t have to mean “makeup for teens and twenty-somethings.” There is no age limit when it comes to trends, although some of the more intense, dramatic makeup trends may be best toned down if you’re wearing them to the office or during the day and feel self conscious. The great news about this fall’s eye makeup trends is that there are so many of them and they are as different as can be. Even better: most are wearable — and look amazing on women of all ages and in different settings.
If you’re in the mood to jump on board a makeup trend and aren’t sure where to start, these five eye makeup trends are everywhere this fall.
Brown Smokey Eyes
We often associate smokey eye looks with grays and even black shadow and eyeliner. But a more neutral version of the look can be accomplished with different tones of brown eyeshadow. Jennifer Lopez does this look justice by contouring her eyes with shades of neutral brown, slightly metallic browns, and darker cocoa shades. To complement her eye makeup, she keeps her brows soft and full and uses similar neutral shades on her cheeks and lips. The result: she’s glowing (as usual).
One brown eyeshadow palette that can help you create smokey eyes:
bareminerals Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palette, $20.30, Bare Minerals
Metallic Eyeshadow
How pretty is Gisele’s pink metallic eyeshadow? The key to making metallics work for you at any age is to use the shadow as a “pop” of color in the center of your lid, rather than all over the lid. This little pop of light brightens the eye and draws attention to your eye color, especially if you’re wearing a complementary shade (on Gisele, for example, pink brings out her blue eyes). Keep the rest of your makeup neutral and toned down so that it doesn’t compete with your eyes.
One metallic eyeshadow palette that will get the job done:
Pat McGrath Labs Mothership X: Moonlit Seduction, $128, Pat McGrath Labs
Colorful Mascara
Give your mascara yet another job to do (in addition to creating voluminous, lengthy lashes): choose a colorful mascara that can help bring out the color in your eyes. As Lupita Nyongo shows us with a swipe of blue mascara, this fun, playful look can also be sophisticated if you match your mascara to your eyeshadow. Blue and green mascara works beautifully on dark eyes, copper and brown colors bring out blue eyes, purple makes green eyes pop, and burgundy or dark green mascara helps uncover the undertones in hazel eyes.
Doe Eyes
Sultry, smokey eyes have been a thing for the past few years, but doe eyes — a more innocent-looking effect — are quickly taking over. Doe eye makeup creates a rounder, wider-looking eye (as opposed to the fox eye trend of recent years). To replicate Sydney Sweeney’s look, apply a neutral shadow all over your eyelid and a lighter shade in the center of your lid. Instead of flicking your eyeliner out at the outer corner of your eye, apply it to the top lid and bring it down just a bit at the outer corner to create a rounder shape. Add highlighter to the brow bone and inner corner of the eye and don’t forget to line your bottom waterline with a nude liner to really open up eyes.
Pastel Eyeshadow
Rihanna is forever a trend setter in fashion and makeup, so it comes as no surprise that she would swap a smokey eye for pastel eyeshadow in lilac to complete her nighttime going-out look. If you’re in the mood to try something different too, keep the base of your shadow neutral when creating contrast between your upper and lower lids and add a pop of pastel color with lilac, light green, pink, or blue shadow. This playful look stands out against neutral lips and cheeks.
One pastel palette to try:
Natasha Denona Mini Pastel Eyeshadow Palette, $27, Ulta
