8 genius ways to transition your makeup from summer to fall

Date October 1, 2015

Mother Nature has been teasing us with the temperatures lately (Is it an extended summer? Is it fall?). Let’s just say it’s not helping our case of letting go summer in a peaceful manner. With some days still warm enough for a t-shirt, we’re just not ready to face fall-favoured shades (ie. the plums, the burgundies, the berries). Though the calendar may say we’re in the midst of fall, we can’t help but wonder if there’s a way to get the best of both worlds in one look. Cue our Beauty Panel.

To help the seasonally confused beauty junkies that we are, we challenged our Beauty Panel members to come up with looks that work for the fall season while maintaining some touches of easy summer beauty. From just a swap of a lip colour to prolonging your summer glow, read on for eight helpful tips and tricks on how to effortlessly transition your makeup this season.

Challenge 101: How do you transition your makeup into fall? See the answers now! »

Have a beauty question you want to see the panel answer? Send it our way at [email protected]. Read on for the answers to this week’s challenge and for more goodness, get to know all contributors on our Beauty Panel hub page.

Katie Elwood
Vancouver | Katie Elwood

Fall makeup often consists of smokey eyes and dark lips but for me it is sometimes hard to jump straight into fall mode after my ultra easy summer makeup routine. Actually, who am I kidding? I am always a fan of a quick beauty routine. Typically, in the summer, my makeup ritual consists of tinted moisturizer, bronzer, mascara and a coral or pink lip. Since by October my tan has faded and I need a bit more makeup to bring out my features, I like to add a few products for my transition into fall.

For this look I swapped out my lighter coverage tinted moisturizer for my fave Giorgio Armani Foundation, “Luminous Silk”. This foundation gives the skin beautiful coverage without feeling heavy. I lightly bronzed my skin with a matte bronzer and added subtle colour to the cheeks with a pink toned blush. For the eyes I used a light beige shimmery cream shadow all over my lids and softly swept a brown shadow in my crease. To make my eyes pop, I then lined with a brown liner and smudged into the lash line. For lips I used the cult favourite, “Rebel” MAC lipstick. I love this lipstick because it looks good on a variety of skin tones and is the perfect bright plum shade to ease your way into the darker shades of fall.

Products used: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in “Shade 5”, Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in “#3”, Benefit Bronzer in “Hoola”, Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blusher in “Love Glow”, Shu Uemura Cream Shadow in “P Beige”, Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in “Bamboo”, Charlotte Tilbury Rock ’N’ Kohl Liner, M.A.C Brow Definer in “Fling”, M.A.C “Clear” Brow Gel, M.A.C Lipstick in “Rebel”

Gerry Xun
Vancouver | The Bunnie Hole

The transitional season is always a great time to get creative. Don’t put away your summer favourites just yet because they’ll still look great paired with some fall colours. Switch out the baby pink lipsticks for something with a bit more saturation for the colder weather and pair it with some bronzy eyeshadow that makes for a sweet yet cozy makeup look that’s still soft enough for everyday. And don’t forget one of the easiest ways to transform your look is to update your nail polish; a putty colour with an olive tone is a great alternative to super dark berry shades. Of course, a nice warm turtle neck doesn’t hurt either!

Products used: Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation, M.A.C “Woodwinked” Eyeshadow, Annabelle Cosmetics Dark Brown Metallic Eyeshadow, TooFaced La Creme Lipstick in “Taffy”, Burberry “Mink” Nail Polish

Amy Mckissock
Burlington | Bratty B

The makeup transition between summer and fall can be a difficult one to navigate. And as much as I adore the deep aubergine lips and smokey eyes that come with fall, at the moment it still feels too soon to start wearing these fall trends. But over the weekend I came up with an easy way to incorporate both seasons into my beauty routine – an ombré lip!

I created this lip with four of my most loved lip products. I began by lining and filling my lips with MAC’s Lip Pencil in Dervish – this step helps to set the remaining products, ensuring the look lasts for a few hours before needing a touch up. I then worked the Bite Beauty Matte Créme Lip Crayon in “Cognac” into the outer corners of my lips, before going over the centre of the lip, blending out “Cognac,” with the Bite Beauty Matte Créme Lip Crayon in “Glacé.” These shades pair beautifully, creating a natural ombré effect. To complete the look I topped the centre of my lips with some of Kim Kardashian’s favourite lip gloss, Nars’ Turkish Delight.

Products used: Benefit The POREfessional, Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer, W3LL People Bio Brightener, Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit, Benefit Box ‘O Powder Blush in “Dallas,” M.A.C Mineralize SkinFinish in “Soft ‘n Gentle,” Anastasia DipBrow in “Soft Brown,” Ardell Natural False Lashes, Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch Mascara, M.A.C Lip Pencil in “Dervish,” Bite Beauty Matte Créme Lip Crayon in “Cognac and Glacé,” and Nars Lip GLoss in “Turkish Delight”

Kira Paran
Edmonton | Northern Style Exposure

I would say my makeup style lends itself to the light easy breezy trends of the summer. So when I transition to fall, I usually only change a hand full of things. I like to have bright effortless skin, with subtle hints of drama for the colder months.

First, I am one of those people that unfortunately gets really dry skin in the fall / winter months. So to achieve smooth, fresh looking skin I change my skincare routine slightly in early Autumn to help ease the transition. I use a detoxifying and softening mask twice a week. Lately I’ve been replying on the organic brand, Formulary 55’s RoseHip & Clay Facial mask. It draws out toxins at the skin’s surface without drying it out. I then apply a moisture rich serum from Murad, it hydrates my skin and deals with the reddness I get from season change.

For my neck and body I start to use lotions for very dry to sensitive skin. My skin changes with the cool weather, I need the extra hydration and soothing results of Bioderm’s Atoderm PP Baume. I like to wear light, breathable products on my face. For this look, I used a tiny amount of Rms Beauty “un” cover-up only around my eyes and on my nose. Using the RMS Beauty foundation brush I blended on my entire face with Boscia’s tinted moisture with SPF. This brush is like a magic eraser, I can use light coverage products and it still bends my skin’s surface to perfection. I used Rms Beauty’s living luminizer to get that glowing skin look everyone wants year round. I applied it under my brow line, inner corners of my eye and my cheek bones with my finger.

Finally, I like to add some drama to my look for the fall transition. I think the easiest and most affordable option is adding a dark lipstick to your makeup routine. I exfoliated my lips with Julep’s Buff Lip Scrub and moisturized them with S.W Basics Of Brooklyn organic lip balm to achieve an ultra smooth base for my lip colour. I applied two coats of Tart’s Lipsurgance Matte Lip Tint in “Tempted.” It’s the perfect dramatic lip colour, without going to far to the vamp side of things.

Products used: Formulary 55 RoseHip & Clay Facial Mask, Murad Resurgence Intentive Age-Diffusing Serum, Bioderm Atoderm PP Baume, Rms Beauty Foundation Brush, Rms Beauty “un” Cover-Up in “#11,” Rms Beauty Living Luminizer, Boscia Tinted Moisture with SPF, Tart Lipsurgance Matte Lip Tint in “Tempted,” The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Design My EyeBrow Pencil, Julep Buff Lip Scrub

Jenn Fong
Vancouver | A Beautiful Zen

During the summer, it’s too hot to be doing much with my make up. A layer of powder, eyebrows, concealer and liner are staples and if I want to get fancy I’ll put on a lipstick. As we move into the cooler months, I’ve discovered that this minimal makeup look is just so much easier in the morning so I like the idea of keeping it going through the fall. Matte lip colours seem to be a big thing right now especially in vampy or deeper shades and Estée Lauder Pure Envy Mattes are a great option. Their fall colours are deep, moody and stunning but if you still want that matte colour without going full on vampy, the shade “Not So Innocent” in their Lip Potion range is just perfect.

I just started bronzing this summer with the Make Up For Ever Pro Fusion Bronzers in “15L.” But as winter approaches and as my skin turns its more natural shade of light-medium, I’m setting down the bronzer. No one wants orange face in the winter time!

Products used: Estée Lauder Pure Envy Matte Lipsticks, Estée Lauder Lip Potion in “Not So Innocent, “Make Up For Ever ProFusion Bronzer in “15L”

Colleen Conroy
Vancouver | Blush Rouge

Fall is my absolute favourite season. As we say goodbye to long nights and summer dresses we begin embracing chunky knits and deep autumn colours. Fall is a time to renew and invite change into your life and makeup is an area I always like to mix up. Everyone loves an easy breezy makeup routine and transitioning into the autumn season can remain as blissful and carefree as what you may have been used to in the summer.

Here I have a six-step makeup routine that took me about 5-10 minutes to do. I focused on a red lip stain I used all throughout the summer. The ability to swipe this convenient product on and not think about it for hours is simply a dream. To enhance the fall vibe I layered a darker lip liner on top and feathered it outward to blend. The rest of the makeup is minimal; a little concealer, mineral powder, bronzer and natural blush. I have absolutely nothing extra on the eyes, which is a beautiful way to showcase that deep colour on the lips.

So simple yet it can make you feel so put together!

Products used: Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain & Balm in “Gothic”, M.A.C Lip Pencil in “Currant,” M.A.C Pro Longwear Concealer in NC 20, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium, M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish in “Give Me Sun,” M.A.C Sheertone Blush in “Tenderling”

Megan Joy
Toronto | Megan Joy

I don’t really change my makeup that much from season to season. Liquid liner and pink lipstick are my go-to for every time of year! However, I do find myself experimenting more with eyeshadow in the cooler months. I normally stick to a neutral champagne all over my lid, but in the fall I sometimes like to try out different colours like lavenders and plums. Purple shades are great for enhancing green eyes and it’s a nice way to pull in autumn colours without going too dark with your makeup. I used a medium purple shade all over my lid and used a frosty white colour on the inner corner of my eye. I can’t completely let go of that summer glow, so I’m always sure to use my favourite highlighter on my cheeks to add a dewy flush to my makeup.

Products used: Maybelline Dream Wonder Liquid Touch Foundation, TheBalm Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush. Smashbox Soft Lights Shimmer, Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz, Stila Liquid Liner, Artdeco Eyeshadow in “277,” Artdeco Extreme Volume Mascara, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in “Sydney”

Marilou Moles
Ottawa | Twenty York Street

Though fall fashion excites me, I yearn for the easy warmer days of summer! Everything is carefree from the weather to your make-up and hair.

Now that the temperature has dipped a bit cooler, I try to channel some warm summer days with bright lips and bronzed skin reminiscent of fun times at the beach. I’ve started to switch to a more fall perfect wardrobe but I’m keeping my make-up light and clean with easy swipe of pearl eye shadow, hint of mascara and a flick of eyeliner, just at the edge of lash line. Keeping my bright lips the centre of attention, I finished the look with soft touches of blush and bronzer of the cheeks. Voila! It’s still summer!

Products used: L’Oréal Paris Long Lasting Lipstick in “Passionate Petal, Maybelline BB Cream, SST Cosmetics Bronzer and Eyeshadow, Sonia Kashuk Highlighter from Target, Cargo Cosmetics Blush, Sibu Beauty All-Purpose Balm used as Lip Balm, Bourjois Mascara, Prestige Triple Line Ink Pen in “Ultra Black”