As a beauty director, it never feels quite right to be thinking about the beauty trends for Fall/Winter 2025 in fashion month, February. Unlike my colleagues in the fashion industry, who always think at least one season ahead, the ever-changing nature of beauty trends requires me to always be present in the here and now. Fashion trends are set in stone from the runway to the closet, but beauty is different. We beauty consumers find inspiration in our everyday lives. Beauty trends have long since ceased to fit into run-of-the-mill seasons.
That’s why, about six years ago, I stopped paying much attention to runway trends. In fact, I stopped writing fashion-focused trend reports altogether. Instead, I focused exclusively on the cultural zeitgeist and social media in my seasonal trend reports. But then, last year, something changed. It became nearly impossible to keep up with beauty trends on social media. New hair, nail, and makeup trends emerged every day, and as anyone versed in trend forecasting will attest, this beauty bubble—fueled at a rapid pace by short-lived microtrends—was doomed to burst.
And it’s blown up. While I’ll be the first to throw my hands up and say I enjoy experimenting with seasonal nail looks and currently spend hours every week scrolling through summer hair trends I’ll inevitably never adopt, the influence of these fleeting beauty trends is playing an increasingly smaller role in our everyday lives.
In February, when the beauty world was showing clear signs of trend fatigue, I took a deep dive into our routines. While I’m a firm believer that there’s never too much beauty inspiration (which is why we bring you every new beauty trend we discover, straight to your screen), I also think we’ve lost sight of the beauty trends that truly impact our everyday lives—the trends that historically come from the runways. So, along with the rest of the Who What Wear UK beauty team, I dusted off my reporter’s notebook and visited every backstage area of Fashion Month my schedule allowed. From London and Paris to New York and Milan, we’ve gathered every need-to-know detail about the Fall/Winter 2025 beauty looks.
And now, after months of processing, I’ve been able to pinpoint the eight beauty trends for Fall/Winter 2025 that will almost certainly influence our daily beauty routines in the coming season. Forget frivolities; these trends are versatile and offer the timeless appeal so many of us are craving right now.
So, without further ado, here are the only beauty trends for Fall/Winter 2025 that you really need to know for the coming season.
8 Autumn/Winter Beauty Trends Set to Dominate
1. Satin Sheen
It would be irresponsible of me to write that shine is in for the fall/winter 2025 season. We know shine is in. Shine is always in. But in the coming season, our desires for radiant skin will change slightly. We’ll want less of the (frankly impossible) dolphin-like shine of recent seasons and instead a soft, satin-like luminosity.
At Balmain, we saw skin that shone like candlelight—a complexion that undoubtedly had a uniform base layer of foundation or skin tint, yet didn’t compromise the skin’s natural depth. At Emilia Wickstead, faces were prepped with a facial massage by Eve Lom, complete with rich moisturizers and facial oils, before light layers of makeup were applied on top.
In my opinion, however, it was Christian Dior’s beauty look that truly showcased silky skin. Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup, made radiant skin the core of the entire atmosphere. “We opted for a pure yet strong look. We wanted to emphasize each model’s individuality. Radiant skin was the starting point, without any highlighter or contour. This was easily achieved with the Dior Forever Skin Perfect Foundation Stick,” he told me.
And while the satin look tends to go without contour and blush, Simkhai applied a light veil of creamy, silky blush to the high cheeks for a still natural look.
2. Laissez-Faire Hair
Don’t get me wrong: This trend isn’t just about showcasing your natural hair texture—it’s much more. On runways around the world, we saw a dramatic shift toward imperfect hair. I’m talking flyaways, frizzy hair, irregular curl patterns, and disheveled lengths. At Jil Sander, twisted buns were sculpted and glossy, half-down, and with teased strands on top. Prada showcased this trend most clearly, sending models down the runway with distinctly teased, imperfect lengths of varying degrees, showcasing all natural hair types to their best advantage.
One look that’s stuck in my head since I first saw it in February is Coach’s hair tuck. It reminds me of days dodging the rain on the sidewalks of New York City: My hair was tucked into my jacket collar—an undeniably chic statement.
And it proves that this trend is wonderfully versatile. Anna Cofone, global creative ambassador of Authentic Beauty Concept, created a sculptural masterpiece of total imperfection at SS Daley. “Following Stephen’s vision, we explored the interplay of masculinity and femininity in the men’s and women’s hairstyles. The looks feature beautifully crafted shapes that emphasize movement and volume; structured, ethereal, yet controlled. For the women’s styles, we created structured shapes with rich texture that embody both fragility and strength. The hair is swept back from the face for a demure, powerful look, while more feminine variations introduce ethereal moments through teasing the hair,” she explains.
3. Winging It
I have a love-hate relationship with graphic eyeliner on the runway. Is it always beautiful and fun to look at? Sure. But do any of us recreate the looks at home? Not always. At FW 25, however, the eyeliner moment wasn’t about stunning graphic textures; instead, it proved to be a beautiful ode to eyeliner in all its wonderful forms. Ganni played artfully with pastel threads in a look many of us probably won’t adopt, but whose impact speaks volumes. Giorgio Armani played with brushed-out angles, and Dior premiered inverted liner, with a touch of black kohl just at the inner corners.
The most spectacular presentation of winged eyeliner was undoubtedly at Chanel, where the heavily winged eyes appeared smoky and retro from a distance, but up close it was clear that the entire look was created to imitate a striking, yet soft, feathered false eyelash.
4. Outdoors-y Skin
I admit that the aforementioned satin skin trend isn’t easy to achieve without professional help. Skin texture, imperfections, and hyperpigmentation inevitably get in the way of the seemingly perfect satin finishes seen on the runways (after many hours of creation, I might add). However, I’m convinced we can all embrace this skin trend.
While we apply bronzer in the summer months to achieve a sun-kissed beach look, the Fall/Winter 2025 collection focuses on complexions that look as if they’ve just stepped back from a long walk in the cold. The outdoor skin of the coming season is characterized by a striking glow (as seen at Brandon Maxwell and Etro), but also by a bold flush on the cheeks (Missoni) and lips (Roksanda). Instead of carefully applied cream blush, we rely on abundant tints and tones to achieve this look.
5. Pre-Raphaelite Waves
“A touch of Renaissance romance,” is how hairstylist Sam McKnight described the hair look at Annie’s Ibiza when we asked him about it backstage. While some looks featured thick braids in a half-up, half-down style, some models sported flowing, Pre-Raphaelite hair that looked as if they’d just taken their braids down after a long night. “There’s an element of youthful romance, but still a tough, not-too-loose side of romance. They’re not fairytale girls. Annie always has a touch of romance in her, which is probably because of Ibiza,” he added.
And it wasn’t just Annie’s Ibiza that showcased the beauty of these flowing, water-like waves; we saw similar joy at Chloé’s Ghost Waves and at Max Mara, while Chet Lo experimented with statement crimps for a modern twist.
6. Frosted Finishes
I can hardly believe it, but I think nude makeup could give way to gray tones next season. While some immediately think of the microtrends of 2000 when they see gray, frosty tones, I can assure you that this 2025 adaptation is remarkably elegant and wearable. The most beautiful presentation of London Fashion Week featured Richard Quinn’s models floating through snowy landscapes with icy, frosty makeup.
“It’s almost a soft ’60s vibe, reminiscent of Jean Shrimpton, Julie Christie, and Diana Ross in mahogany. A touch of contour, a sort of white pearl on all skin tones, and lots of mascara with a dazzling high cheekbone,” revealed Terry Barber, the man behind the look and global creative director of artistry at MAC Cosmetics. And while it was Richard Quinn’s icy eyes that really put this trend on the map, Toga’s gray lids, Brandon Maxwell’s icy highlight, and Giambattista Valli’s white eyeliner also had their moments.
7. Slicked Accents
I’ve seen this trend in many different forms over the years, whether it’s wet-look or petrol-colored hair. But for Fall/Winter 2025, texture isn’t nearly as important as direction. Whatever you call this trend, as long as your hair is somehow straightened, you’re a fan. At Lactose, for example, the lengths remained shiny and fluffy at the ends, while boyish center parts were carefully smoothed toward the face without a hint of stiff strands.
At Acne Studios, strands were swept back from the face and left to fall freely, while Sportmax presented a decidedly sportier look, with not a single hair out of place. How would I most likely wear this trend? With a ponytail, à la Roksanda. “Inspired by sculptor Phyllida Barlow, the hair for the show was styled with a mix of textures, reflecting both control and graphic structure, while embodying fragility and sensitivity,” explains Cofone.
8. Full Glam
You can argue with me if you want, but I’m going to win: No-makeup makeup was the dominant beauty trend of the last decade. And while there will always be a place for minimal makeup, next season we’ll also see a revival of total glamour at evening events.
Golden hues graced the lids of Bibhu Mohapatra and Tia Adeola, combined with razor-sharp liquid liner, while the smoky eye reminded us all of its beauty at Blumarine. The most glamorous runway of all was, of course, Harris Reed’s, where Sofia Tilbury, Global Artistic Director at Charlotte Tilbury, created a full-coverage yet radiant look, combined with unmissable statement lashes. “Harris’s collection is uncompromising and intended to turn heads with its architectural structures, so we wanted the beauty look to reflect this. The makeup look is bold and statement-making, drawing inspiration from the collection’s rebellious themes. But we also created a nuanced contrast with a soft, fresh, radiant complexion and simple nude lips that mimic a sense of vulnerability and inversion,” she says.
