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We coasted through the heat of summer with yummy-sounding aesthetics and delicious-looking makeup trends. With fall upon us, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t stay on a similar path, given the many other food items and beverages symbolic of the season.
If summer was the era of blush reigning supreme, autumn is bronzer’s time, and pumpkin spice makeup is the fall beauty look to get into. A monochromatic look that’s both accessible and glamorous, it uses different tones of brown to create subtle definition to the face. Makeup artist Matt Wulff explained to Glamour, “Brown tones complement a wide range of skin tones and offer a simple method to enhance your daily makeup.” It’s reminiscent of the previous season’s latte makeup, albeit a tinge warmer with its orange and red tones to match the moody feels of fall. It’s like having a natural sepia beauty filter on your face, with shades of cinnamon, coffee, and caramel on the eyes, cheeks, and lips.
You can go light with your pumpkin spice makeup for the day then switch up to a fuller coverage at night, the way Gigi Hadid, Florence Pugh, and Lori Harvey have on red-carpet events. If the idea of monochromatic brown makeup sounds intense and harkens too much to the ’90s, deftly applied highlighter adds a cozy, softening glow to this look and brings it to the 21st century.
Find your perfect bronzer
Not all bronzers are made equal. Since pumpkin spice makeup hinges on this product, consider your skin’s undertone first. “If you have fair skin, you want to stay away from anything too orange-toned or too gray,” makeup artist Chloe Majidpour shared with Real Simple, adding that warm-looking bronzers look much better on medium skin tone. If you have dark skin, she advised looking for a product with a warm red undertone. “This will bring color to the face and enhance a healthy sun-kissed glow.” TikToker Alex Pavlova (@beautyforeverybody) also shared a quick tip that might work: If a bronzer can also double as a flattering lipstick, keep it.
@beautyforeverybody Exactly! 🙌🏻 #choosingabronzer #perfectbronzer #perfectbronzershade #choosingmakeup #choosingtheperfectshade #fyp
Majidpour also recommended going with a formula that works best with your skin type. Powder bronzer like the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Powder is better for oily skin since it reduces the shine from excess sebum while dry skin looks dewier with either a liquid or cream form (such as what’s included in the Natasha Denona Tan Bronze & Glow Palette).For combination skin, the makeup pro suggested using a baked bronzer, which, according to Beauty Directory, is actually a cream product that has been baked in an oven until it turned dry. The website noted that while this is a more expensive option, baked bronzers are more versatile than pressed ones especially when you have an effect you want to achieve due to their “softer, more velvety texture.”
Be a smoke show with smokey eye makeup
Pumpkin spice makeup’s glam factor comes from the smokey application of warm brown on the upper and lower lids. In his quick tutorial for Good Morning America, makeup artist Neil Scibelli advised going for coral and gold-toned eyeshadow (or bronzer) to make the color of your eyes pop. “If you feel that orange might be a little too much [for you], you can lean more towards maroon or a champagne tone.” Use the pads of your fingers to apply color to your lids. You can also use a brush to create a wing shape on the outer corners of the eyes the way celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo did for Karlie Kloss. “Buff out your eyeshadow along your crease with a fluffy eyeshadow brush, and use a precision brush to smoke some out along your lower lash line, too,” The Every Girl instructed. For extra definition, apply a swipe of eyeliner and coat your lashes with mascara.
Glow up by setting off bronzed cheeks and lids with highlighter
Lightly contour your cheeks with your bronzer to bring out your cheekbones. Mind Body Green shared makeup artist Asta Jurksaite’s technique of drawing a diagonal line from the top of your ear down toward your nose then buffing or blending your bronzer upward to “lift” your cheekbones. Next, follow Mat Wulff’s suggestion in Glamour: “Apply a highlighter over the bronzer base on the eyes and cheeks to add a subtle shimmer and glow.” In choosing a highlighter, take heed of L’Oreal‘s tip to select a natural-looking one that’s about two shades lighter than your skin tone. Use it on your brow bones right beneath your eyebrows and on the inner corners of the eyes for a brighter, fresh-from-eight-hours-of-sleep radiance.
Top off the look with brown lips that have berry, mauve, or plum undertones. While matte lipstick is a fine choice for your pumpkin spice look, something with a creamy finish like the Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Berry Brown, as suggested by Scibelli, creates a softer, more youthful effect. You can also go with Wulff’s tip to use a brown lip liner like the MAC Lip Pencil in Chestnut to fill in your lips then add shine with clear lip gloss.
