Pull Off Fall’s Hottest Beauty Trends With These Affordable Finds

“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”

There’s something about fall—maybe it’s the back-to-school vibes—that inspires a routine refresh, and beauty is no exception. So each year, the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab‘s editors sorts through the countless trends on runways, celebrities, social media, and more to find those that work for real life (read: are flattering, easy to do, and don’t require spending a ton of money). You won’t find any crazy TikTok fads here; these simple makeup, skin, hair, and scent updates will leave you feeling fresh and, yes, chic, all season and beyond.

1) Milks for Silky Skin & Lips

Bye-bye, basic lotions: Milks are the formulas of the moment in skincare products. These creamy liquids with lightweight textures offer skin-softening benefits.
TRY IT: Seek out products like lip treatments, toners, face mists, and moisturizers labeled “milk” or “milky” to give skin an immediate dewy effect.

GH Beauty Lab picks: Burt’s Bees Lip Milk, GH Beauty Award winner POV Beauty Drench It Soothing Priming Milk, Bubble Skincare Cosmic Silk Hydrating Milky Toner, No7 Good Intent Skin Sip Moisture Milk

2) A Golden Glow

This season is bringing a transition from the bold blushes that recently dominated into something more mellow: burnished bronze shades that subtly highlight cheekbones.
TRY IT: Blend a warm-toned powder or cream bronzer with a hint of shimmer over the high points of your face (cheekbones, nose).

GH Beauty Lab picks: CoverGirl TruBlend Skin Enhancer Baked Luminous Bronzer, Revlon Glimmer Super Balm, L’Oréal Paris Lumi Bronze Le Soleil Bronzing Stick

3) Understated Liner

Skip dramatic winged eyes or heavy shadow in favor of more delicate definition with thin “micro” eyeliner, seen on runways and celebs.
TRY IT: Glide a fine-point black eyeliner along the upper waterline or closely hugging lashes starting at the inner corner of the eye and stopping at or just past the outer corner.

GH Beauty Lab picks: Neutrogena Micro Liquid Eyeliner, Maybelline New York Sculpting Stix Double-Ended Eyeliner Pencil

4) Soft Hairstyles

The harsh, slicked-back looks of the past few years are giving way to more laid-back, lived-in styles, from flowing texture to wispy updos.
TRY IT: Instead of a smooth blowout, opt to air-dry hair or finish your style with a dry texturizing spray to add movement. For an updo, pull out a few strands to give it a relaxed vibe.

GH Beauty Lab pick: Tresemmé A-List Collection Dry Texturizing Spray

5) Matcha to Calm Skin & Senses

Matcha, the traditional Japanese green tea powder that makes the drink du jour, is now the hot ingredient in skincare and fragrance products thanks to its skin-soothing and antioxidant effects as well as its earthy scent.
TRY IT: Look for matcha in leave-on formulas such as toners, serums, moisturizers, and lip treatments for skincare benefits—or, for scent, in perfumes and body products.

GH Beauty Lab picks: Cocokind MyMatcha All-Over Moisture Stick, CNP Laboratory Propolis Lipcerin in Matcha, Phlur Matcha Milk Hair & Body Fragrance Mist

6) Velvety Lips

High-impact color makeup is back, as evidenced by the rich, satiny textured lips featured on fall runways.
TRY IT: Choose a berry, crimson, or rose shade of one of the new blur-finish matte lipsticks, then use a finger to dab the color on lips for wearable soft-focus effect.

GH Beauty Lab picks: L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Blurred Matte Lipstick (shown in Blushing Berry), CoverGirl Clean Fresh Yummy Blur Lipstick, Sephora Collection Cloud Blurred Matte Lipstick

7) Allover Fragrance

The fresh way to wear scent: in luxe body moisturizers and washes that won’t overwhelm with aroma and can be layered with perfume if desired.
TRY IT: Suds up with a perfumed body wash or apply a perfumed body lotion or oil in the morning; wear it alone for softly scented skin or top with a matching fragrance for more impact.

GH Beauty Lab picks: Lake & Skye 11 11 Body Oil, Philosophy Vanilla Hug Whipped Body Crème, By Rosie Jane Rosie Body Wash

8) The No-Mani Mani

As seen on social media and fall runways, elaborate nail art and bold polish shades are being replaced by minimal manicures featuring barely-there hues.
TRY IT: Swipe on one of the new nail “glosses,” which have transparent tints, to instantly make tips look healthy and polished without full color.

GH Beauty Lab picks: Essie Glass Nails Collection Nail Polish in Crystal Ball, Zoya Naked Manicure Perfector in Nude, Sally Hansen Color Therapy Beautifiers Nail Corrector

9) Handy Hair Sticks

Hairstyling products such as pomades, waxes, creams, and gels are being packaged in easy-to-use portable sticks and wands for taming hair anytime, anywhere, with no mess.
TRY IT: Run a hair stick or wand over errant strands to smooth them down, or rub a dab between your fingers, then work it through your hair to help shape and polish it.

GH Beauty Lab picks: Beauty Award winners Rizos Curls Sleek Styling Cream + Taming Wand and Nexxus Slick Stick, E.L.F. Hair 3-in-Wonder Magic Styling Cream Wand

Photographed by Mike Garten
Hair and makeup by Linsey Marmorato for Honey Artists
Prop Styling by Alex Mata
Food Styling by Kate Merker

You Might Also Like