Yahoo Lifestyle The Most Popular 2025 Makeup Trends—Per Camila Cabello's Makeup Artist
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We've been in an age of "no makeup makeup"for the last few years, so when I went backstage at NYFW to scope out 2025 makeup trends, I expected to see the usual—light colors, dewy skin, fresh faces, etc. Welp, to my surprise I saw the exact opposite. 2025's biggest makeup trends feel surprisingly subversive and have an intentionally messy vibe. We're talking soft grunge, letting your ~imperfections~ go unconcealed, and leaning into what makes you an individual. Keep scrolling for a full breakdown—plus what four celeb makeup artists have to say about trying these trends for yourself.
1. Subtle Under-Eyes
"I can really foresee makeup looks in 2025 leaning into realness more than ever before," says makeup artist Patrick Ta. "Think lived in glam and effortlessly chic looks that really bring out your natural radiance." To start, put down the full-coverage concealer and grab a lightweight serum-based formula instead for your under-eyes. No, it won't completely cover up your dark circles and under-eye bags. But! It looks so much fresher, says Ta.
It also goes hand-in-hand with the new ~party-girl~ makeup vibes predicted by makeup artist Donni Davy. "It's going to be really cool to start experimenting with bringing your concealer down lower—so not flush against your eye—or foregoing concealer altogether and going for this grungey, shadowy look on your eyes," she says. Look to people like Gabbriette and Charli XCX—their under-eyes are rarely overly polished and bright in favor of a synchronistic look that matches the rest of their dark, smudgey aesthetic.
Tinted Concealer
Swipe All-Over Hydrating Serum Concealer
The Concealer Pen
2. Quiet Grunge
MAC makeup artist Chantel Miller predicts quiet grunge will be one of the biggest trends heading into 2025. It utilizes more muted versions of the gothcore colors—like grays, taupes, beige, and yup, even greige—and feels like the next iteration of 90s glam. "Social media has defined trends the last decade, and though we love a throwback look, it's how we redefine that nostalgia that makes it more contemporary in 2025," says makeup artist Daniel Martin.
"The trick is to not be so intentional and precious with the application," says Martin. He recommends doing your eyes before your foundation or concealer to help clean up any potential fall-out from the liner or mascara. "Line the inner top and bottom waterline with a longwear eyeliner, then close your eyes and squeeze tightly," he suggests. "The tearing helps move the eyeliner and creates a natural-looking smudge," he adds. Basically, giving the illusion that you slept in it—ya know, without all the under-eye bags and breakouts. He recommends applying mascara the exact same way to help fuze the liner and mascara together, "harmonizing the depth and messiness of the look," he says. Then, just clean up whatever you need to with a Q-tip dipped in micellar water. But don't be afraid if it looks a bit imperfect—that's the point.
When it comes to lips and cheeks, the look is all about blending, but not in the way we're used to. It's hella refreshing to do a makeup look that doesn't require precision, lemme tell ya. But diffused edges and hazy lines are what make this look, so definitely take your time building up layers and blending them out, whether that's a blurry lip line or a muddy cheek.
Long-Wear Cream Eyeliner Stick
Lip Pencil in Greige
Underlined Kajal Eyeliner
3. Ultra-Fresh Skin
Glowy skin that looks like it has nothing on it? Yup, that's the vibe, says Ta. "I'm leaning away from more matte looks in favor of more glass-skin moments," he says. "I’m a huge Korean skincare lover, and their skincare has allowed us to prep our skin so it's so dewy and hydrated before makeup," he adds. All of those glowy products underneath just means you need a hell of a lot less coverage on top giving you a fake glow. Why not just try to get the real thing, ya know?
But when it does come to your foundation, makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez recommends opting for a lightweight liquid formula with buildable coverage, namely the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation (FWIW, she exclusively uses this on Sabrina Carpenter, who is basically my skin goal rn). "It’s buildable, therefore you can go as natural to as full coverage as you want," she says. "It leaves a natural skin texture with a soft glow."
4. Metallic Accents
Metallic looks took over lids at Loewe and lips at Miu Miu for the spring/summer 2025 runway shows. But how are we doing them at home? "I’m all for elevated, shimmering eyeshadow heading into 2025," says Ta. A wash of metallic shimmer across your eyes, or a metallic eyeliner wing, or a dab of shimmer on the center of your lips—these icy looks feel both futuristic yet simple.
In fact, Ta's actually a fan of skipping mascara when doing these pearly shadow looks to let the shimmer speak for itself (but if you wanna go for a lightened version of your usual, try a brown mascara).
Crystal Jelly Glaze Stick-Golden Girl
24/7 Moondust Eyeshadow
Stay All Day Smudge & Set Waterproof Gel Eye Liner
5. A New Take on Blush
Ta is basically known for dousing his celeb clients in the brightest pink blush imaginable, and we all eat it up. But he's actually exploring a new era of blush for 2025. "I’m excited about the exploration of individuality and the use of more unexpected shades, using blush to embrace every version of you," he says. One application method that might find its way into the masses is the idea of the "boy blush," which focuses the color much farther down the cheek than the traditional apple or upper cheekbone placement. It's less about creating some illusion of your face shape and more about playing up with the ways in which your face would naturally flush.
But don't worry, Ta will def continue his go-to technique of applying powder, then layering on cream. "It really makes the color pop and brings the skin back to life," he explains.
Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo
On-the-Glow Blush Tinted Moisture Stick
Benetint
6. Undefined Lips
While no one will ever be giving up their lip liner, the vibes are veering into a less structured territory, according to makeup artist Nam Vo. For the LoveShackFancy spring/summer '25 show, she created what she calls a "backward popsicle lip" to give the lips a healthy, radiant glow. "I put concealer on the lips first, then I used a bright-berry stain just on the center of the lips," she explains. "Then, I topped it with a juicy lip oil to diffuse the color outward," she adds. Martin echoes this vibe: "Lips will be glossy, shimmery, healthy, and translucent," he says.
This look definitely aligns with the "cherry girl makeup" vibes on TikTok right now that feature a mixture of red lip liner and lip gloss or balm to create a softer red lip. But you could easily create this blurred effect with any shade. It's also a great option for a matte lip, especially with the uptick in chubby lip crayons. See our favorites for getting the look here:
Super Stay Teddy Tint Long Lasting Matte Lip Tint
Lip Blur Lip Liner
Jelly Charm Glazed Lip Stain & Blush
Meet the experts:
Patrick Ta is a makeup artist based in Los Angeles, CA who is well-known for his work with celebrities like Gigi Hadid and Camila Cabello. He's also the founder of his own makeup brand, Patrick Ta, which consistently wins Cosmopolitan beauty awards.
Nam Vo is a makeup artist based in New York, NY. Her mega-watt, glowy skin is her signature look on clients and runway shows.
Daniel Martin is a makeup artist based in New York, NY. He's known for his work on celebrities, including Meghan Markle.
Donni Davy is a makeup artist based in Los Angeles, CA. She was the head of makeup for Euphoria, which earned her an Emmy. She's also the founder of Half Magic, a makeup brand about self-expression and individuality.
Carolina Gonzalez is a celebrity makeup artist based in New York. New York whose worked with Sabrina Carpenter, Ashley Park, and Blake Lively.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing, and editing makeup stories that range from setting powders to highlighters. She's an authority in all makeup categories, but is an expert when it comes to makeup trends. She's consistently interviewing experts backstage at fashion shows, asking makeup artists their biggest tricks on set, and bugging brands for their new launches in advance.
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