Expert approved make up trends for autumn 2023

Change up your make-up with these seasonal palettes.

Woman in autumn make up

by Samantha Price |
Updated on

Autumn is a time for change where we tentatively put away our short-sleeved t-shirts and summer dresses, and bring out the cosy jumpers and winter coats. The leaves turn, the temperature drops and as the seasons change, so does our make-up with the latest make up trends autumn 2023. The best make-up for older women allows you to transition your looks effortlessly through the seasons. So, if you're wondering how to change your make-up for autumn, be sure to read on.

Tricia Cusden, beauty vlogger, founder of online beauty brand Look Fabulous Forever and author of 'Living the Life More Fabulous: Beauty, Style, and Empowerment for Older Women' says, 'We are moving from one season to the next and autumn is a great time to take stock of your make-up and ask yourself: 'Is this the best my face can look?' In autumn, it’s a good idea to move away from summer’s bright and light shades to the colour palette of autumn leaves, plums, and berries.'

Best make-up for autumn shortlist:

Best foundation for autumn - Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Best contour for autumn - NYX Professional Makeup Matte Bronzer
Best eyeshadow for autumn - NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Eye Shadow Palette
Best lipstick for autumn - Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick

With the harsher, colder weather comes dry skin which needs nourishing. Before putting on your makeup, you may want to lay a base with a moisturiser, or the best primer for mature skin to bring some hydration back into your face. Doing this can bring some freshness to your look, as well as allowing your make-up to stay on for longer.

During autumn, we tend to start experimenting with different colours as we move away from the brights of summer to an earthier palette. You may be wondering how to find your perfect lipstick shade as the seasons change, or whether to change the shade of your foundation. Here are some products we'd recommend wearing through the new season for a transitional shift.

The best foundation for autumn

Let's start with the base! After applying your chosen primer, we'd advise using a brush to apply your foundation, BB cream or CC cream. Try to avoid using a thick foundation, as this could make your skin appear more aged as it settles in wrinkles and lines. During autumn, select a hydrating foundation that has a lightweight consistency, maybe even with a little glow to help boost the appearance of dull skin which we can all get in the darker months. Here's actress Cate Blanchett showing us how to glow in the autumn months wearing Armani Luminous Silk foundation.

Cate Blanchett foundation

The best BB cream for autumn

How to change your make-up for autumn

Rrp: £11.99

Price: £9.41

Description

The best BB creams provide an ultra-lightweight base that brings hydration back to the skin. We

Pros

  • Works to colour correct and even out complexion
  • Enriched formula that nourishes the skin
  • Lightweight consistency

Cons

  • Some skin tones might find it a bit too orange

The best CC cream for autumn

How to change your make-up for autumn

Rrp: £20.50

Price: £13.29
Alternative retailers
Allbeauty£13.85View offer
Boots£18.50View offer
Escentual£20.50View offer
Sephora£20.50View offer

Description

The best CC creams are designed to target those who suffer from any redness or rosacea to correct

Pros

  • Works to colour correct and even out complexion
  • Enriched formula that nourishes the skin
  • Lightweight consistency

Cons

  • Some skin tones might find it a bit too orange

The best foundation for autumn

Description

The best foundation we could find is Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation. With one of the

Pros

  • Available in 40 shades
  • Hydration lasts all through the day
  • Lightweight consistency

Cons

  • A more premium product

The best contour for autumn

If you want to keep your skin looking glowy, especially if you're worried about your skin feeling dull once the sun has disappeared, you can use a number of products to help your skin radiate. One way to add some colour to your face is with some contouring on mature skin, and there are some brilliant products to help you achieve this look.

Using the concealer or a highlighter, apply the product on top of your cheekbones, along the bridge of the nose and along the brow bone. To add more structure and shape to your face, use a bronzer for mature skin around your bone structure to create shadow and enhance luminosity. Here's Amal Clooney showing us how to do a perfect bronzed look using bronzer, highlighter and blush that works year round, particularly on more olive skin tones.

Amal Clooney

Best contour for autumn

Description

NYX is a brand that's seen popularity due to its affordability, and these matte bronzers are one

Pros

  • Available in 5 shades
  • Affordable price point
  • Cruelty free brand

Cons

  • Some skin tones might find it a bit too orange

Best highlighter for autumn

Description

The Touche Éclat Illuminating Pen by Yves Saint Laurent acts as the best concealer and the best

Pros

  • Available in 9 shades
  • Highly rated
  • A bestseller

Cons

  • Limited shade range

Best blusher for autumn

How to change your make-up for autumn
Price: £7.95
Alternative retailers
Beauty Expert£5.99View offer
HQhair.com£5.99View offer
Sephora£5.99View offer
Boots£5.99View offer

Description

Among some of our favourite blushers for autumn are Rimmel's Maxi Blush Powders. Whether they're

Pros

  • Buildable formula
  • Affordable price point
  • A bestseller

Cons

  • Limited shade range

The best eyeshadow for autumn

Autumn is a good time to play with some eye-make up looks for older women to include warmer, smokier or earthier tones than usual. At this time of year, you may want to apply brown eyeliner or mascara. You could even experiment with an aubergine-coloured eyeliner to bring those autumnal colours around your eyes.

Apply a darker shade in the socket line and outer edges of the eyes. Keep lighter shades to the eyelid to create highlight in the centre. Then, make sure to blend the eyeshadow so that it gives a natural finish.

If you are warm-toned, shades like oranges, golds and browns allow your complexion to really pop. If you are cool-toned, shades like grey, blue and purple create cohesion among your complexion. Here's Priyanka Chopra with a perfect warm brown smokey eye with a warm lip to match that's perfect for the autumnal season.

Priyanka Chopra make up

Best eyeshadow for autumn overall

How to change your make-up for autumn

Rrp: £16.00

Price: £14.99

Description

One of the bestselling palettes on Amazon, NYX Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette in warm neutral is ideal

Pros

  • Highly rated
  • Includes shimmer and matte shades
  • Cruelty free brand

Cons

  • Lighter shades may not be as pigmented

Best eyeshadow for autumn for all undertones

How to change your make-up for autumn

Rrp: £11.25

Price: £6.66

Description

The Magnif'eyes range from Rimmel London has a number of palettes available, ranging from cool to

Pros

  • A variety of palettes available
  • Covers cool undertones and warm undertones
  • Includes shimmer and matte shades

Cons

  • Too shimmery for some

Best eyeshadow for autumn for warm undertones

How to change your make-up for autumn
Price: £9.99

Description

For such an affordable price, you can't argue with getting 32 shades that are absolutely spot-on

Pros

  • Comes in 32 shades
  • Includes shimmer and matte shades
  • Affordable price point

Cons

  • Not very pigmented

Best eyeshadow for autumn for cool undertones

How to change your make-up for autumn
Price: £18.99

Description

Ideal for those with cooler undertones, especially for autumn, this palette ranges from pale

Pros

  • A compact size
  • Includes shimmer and matte shades
  • Affordable price point

Cons

  • Not very pigmented

The best lipstick for autumn

Especially when it comes to autumn, you'll want to apply a rich, moisturising lipstick for mature skin. Start by applying a lip primer to seal the edges of your lips to prevent any bleeding or feathering of the colour. Then, apply your lip colour.

Bring the colours of autumn in with your lipstick. Think autumn leaves if you are warm-toned, from orange reds to caramel browns. If you are cool-toned, think the colour of berries with dark reds or plum shades like Lisa Eldridge is wearing here.

Lisa eldridge lipstick

Best lipstick for autumn overall

Description

The shades Carmine Bolero and Brun Sulpice from Yves Saint Laurent's Rogue Volupté Shine Lipstick

Pros

  • High shine lipstick
  • A luxury product
  • Highly rated

Cons

  • Shades selling out quickly

Best lipstick for autumn with shade variety

How to change your make-up for autumn
Price: £13.12

Description

At an affordable price point, the L'Oréal Colour Riche Satin Smooth Lipstick has an extensive

Pros

  • Available in 41 shades
  • Affordable price point
  • Enriched formula that hydrates all day

Cons

  • Colour may not be exactly as pictured

Best lipstick for autumn for all undertones

Description

This lipstick is the perfect antidote to thin, lacklustre lips. Made with moisturising jojoba oil,

Pros

  • Available in 22 shades
  • Covers cool undertones and warm undertones
  • Colour match quiz advice

Cons

  • May need to reapply often

Editor's Choice

Description

**Tried and Tested by Beauty, Fashion and Wellness Product Writer, [Samantha

Pros

  • Available in 29 shades
  • Hydration lasts all through the day
  • Shades cover cool undertones and warm undertones

Cons

  • Not many reviews

How to change your make-up for autumn

Below, you'll see that Look Fabulous Forever has put together a helpful tutorial on creating the perfect autumn look for older women. Sally uses neutral tones on her eyes but adds a warmer lip shade to bring the autumn in. Here are their top tips on how to change your make-up for autumn:

Samantha 'Sam' Price is a Beauty, Fashion & Wellness Products Writer at Bauer Media, working across a number of brands including Closer, heatworld, Grazia, Yours and Spirit & Destiny amongst others.

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