Fall Beauty 2016: The 10 Biggest Hair and Makeup Trends of the Season

By FASHION Staff

Date August 18, 2016

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Please don’t panic, but summer is almost over (we said don’t panic!). And while that means no more beach days and cottage weekends, the beginning of the fall season also means we get to indulge in our favourite beauty trends without worrying about shiny foreheads, frizzy hair and other summer-specific woes.

The loudest message from the Fall 2016 runways? Be yourself. More than ever before, designers are letting models’ individuality shine through. Whereas the norm of runways past was to style each girl with identical hair and makeup, these days models walk down the runways with their natural hair and freckles, showing off what makes them stand out. It’s a refreshing time, to say the least. (Or, in 2016 speak: WATTBA.)

Dark lips have been mainstays on the runway for many seasons, but for Fall 2016, they’re back and seriously darker than ever. Clumpy lashes are clumpier, glossy lips are glossier, and hair accessories are...well, you’ll see.

Flip through for over 60 images of the top fall beauty trends of 2016, as well as some of our favourite products to achieve each look.

DARK LIPS

Dark lips for fall---groundbreaking, we know. But while the berry lips of seasons past may have been the gateway drug to darker things, we’ve finally found ourselves in the depths of the trend. From the blackest black at Marc Jacobs and Fenty x Puma, to almost-there noir at Rodarte and Louis Vuitton, taking your pout to new extremes is the new, well, black.

The tough crowd ruled at shows like Marc Jacobs, where François Nars gave girls goth makeovers, and at Fenty x Puma, where Pat McGrath used eyeliner topped with eye gloss for a black vinyl mouth. And sure, maybe a Rihanna-led show featuring a glossy black lip is borderline predictable (in the best way), seeing Kendall Jenner walk the runway at Dior in a black pout and pulled-back hair solidifies the trend.

Of course, the key to pulling it off without venturing into costume territory is to keep the rest of your look minimal and clean.

Listen, if Taylor Swift can wear black lipstick, so can you.

fall beauty 2016 dark lips trend — Bottega Veneta Fall 2016, shot by James Cochrane

GRAPHIC EYELINER

This season’s graphic eyes featured abstract shapes and unusual strokes that could have been painted by anyone with access to a kohl pencil or liquid liner. The perfect everyday mini-wing is for the Instagram makeup artists; the runways are for—forgive the pun—drawing outside the lines.

Fancy yourself a modern femme? Look no further than the exaggerated but still beautiful cat-eyes at Kenzo and Oscar de la Renta. And if you’re feeling experimental, the artistic scribbles at Altuzarra and Giamba are right up your alley.

Paired with glitter in the inner corners of the eye or kept minimal for maximum effect, fall’s graphic eyeliner is bigger and weirder than ever, leaving us to wonder when the trend will reach its peak. Perhaps only when the tip and the hairline finally meet. You heard it here first.

fall beauty 2016 graphic eyeliner trend — Altuzarra Fall 2016, shot by James Cochrane

CLUMPY LASHES

Time to pile on the mascara, friends. And no, not in the Kim Kardashian way. Find inspo in the spidery lashes seen at Jason Wu, Nina Ricci and Emanuel Ungaro, and remember that clumpy is the goal, not your nemesis.

Not sure how to go about piling on coat after coat of your fave mascara (or simply can’t stomach it)? Let brands like M.A.C and Maybelline take the guesswork out of it, with brushes that are designed to clump-ify your lashes for the ultimate in spider-chic.

fall beauty 2016 clumpy lashes trend — Eudon Choi Fall 2016, shot by Peter Stigter

INDIVIDUALITY

After the fall shows wrapped, one thing was clear: 2016 has been the year of individuality. The trend took shape on the spring runways and continued this season at shows like Michael Kors, Gucci and Céline. Whether it was hairstylists leaving each girl’s texture alone or makeup artists creating different looks for models based on their unique attributes, the everyday takeaway was the same: You do you.

GLITTER

Whether it was a nod to David Bowie, whose passing came only a few days before the kickoff of NYFW Fall 2016, or for a futuristic effect, glitter graced every inch of the face this season, from brow bones at Giambattista Valli to cheekbones—and ears and jawlines—at Opening Ceremony, where silver shimmer stood in for contour powder on some models. At Burberry, makeup artist Wendy Rowe also dipped her brush in the trend (a first for the always minimal show, beauty-wise), dusting mirrored flecks around the outer corners of the eyes and letting them fall where they may.

You know those little tubes of loose glitter you see in the aisles of your go-to makeup retailer? Well, now you know exactly how you’re supposed to use them: however the hell you want.

fall beauty 2016 glitter trend — Burberry Fall 2016, shot by Peter Stigter

CURLY HAIR

Curls came bouncing down the runways in Spring 2016, and flatirons, hair extensions and blow-dryers were tossed aside in favour of models’ natural hair texture. That thinking carried over to fall shows like Altuzarra, where hairstylist Odile Gilbert championed ringlets, and at Gucci and Louis Vuitton, where Petra Collins’ and Natalie Westling’s frothy red hair were showstoppers. It’s a movement that’s gaining momentum, with designer faves like Mica Arganaraz, stealing the spotlight at Fendi, from her straight-haired counterparts.

Curls of all shapes and sizes are reigning supreme this season, and thankfully they’re neither prim nor proper. In fact, the bigger and messier, the better. Whether you’re blessed with natural ringlets or are currently shopping around for the right curling wand, you can bet you’ll be spending way less time in the shower this fall (daily shampooing is too dehydrating for curls!), which means more time sleeping. Throw up those prayer emoji hands.

fall beauty 2016 curly hair trend — Altuzzara Fall 2016, shot by Peter Stigter

COLOURFUL MAKEUP

Remember when fall makeup used to mean burgundy lips and brown smoky eyes? Those days are long gone. In the spirit of hair and makeup today (no rules!), colourful beauty looks made their way down the Fall 2016 runways in the form of green mascara, blue zebra-printed nail art and orange eyeshadow. Can’t pick just one? These days, you can wear them all at the same time and, tbh, people probably won’t look twice.

Take Katy Perry’s collection with CoverGirl, for example. It features a blue mascara and a lavender lipstick, a bold move for a mainstream drugstore brand and a sign of the times, to be sure.

fall beauty 2016 colourful makeup trend — Emanuel Ungara Fall 2016, shot by James Cochrane

HAIR ACCESSORIES

Like stacked bracelets and layered necklaces, hair accessories were piled on this season. At Alexander McQueen and Erdem, an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach was taken, with every conceivable ornament tucked into hair for an anti-IRL look. Faux and fresh blooms were threaded into strands at Rodarte. And at Dolce & Gabbana, where Disney princesses played muse, Guido Palau pinned oversized jewel-studded black bows and blousy flowers in freshly washed hair.

Take a cue from the queen of hair accessories, Rihanna, and go nuts with bobby pins, butterfly clips (not the colourful ‘90s kind) and flower barrettes (yes, the colourful ‘90s kind). Whatever your hair accessory jam might be, the key is to not take it too seriously. Pile ‘em on!

fall beauty 2016 hair accessories trend — Alexander McQueen Fall 2016, shot by James Cochrane

BLEACHED EYEBROWS

Not for the faint of heart, bleached eyebrows have been making consistent appearances on the runway and on magazine covers for the past few seasons. Maybe we’re becoming numb to any sort of shock factor, but try and tell us the look isn’t growing on you, too. The once way-harsh aesthetic has become a fashion staple, appearing everywhere from Givenchy and Dior to the faces of Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry.

Love it or hate it, a set of bleached eyebrows is a surefire (and quick) way to make a statement. And, of course, we can take some comfort in the fact that it takes all but 20 minutes to dye your arches back to their natural colour. If Cara Delevingne can do it...

fall beauty 2016 bleached eyebrows trend — Bottega Veneta Fall 2016, shot by Peter Stigter

GLOSSY MAKEUP

For a while it seemed like matte lipstick couldn’t possibly get any bigger (thanks, Kylie), but the tide is finally turning. Going hand-in-hand with the wet look that we’ve grown to know and love (highlighter everywhere, FTW), glossy lips, eyes and cheeks are perhaps the prettiest trend of the season. So put down your mattes, pick up some lip gloss (here’s what to do if you hate it or if you think it’s so 2001) and familiarize yourself with eye gloss, while you’re at it.

More than any other fall trend, this is where you can go either super subtle (some balm on the highest points of your cheekbones) or take it to the extreme, like the models at Iris Van Herpen, drenching your lids and lips in gloss for an almost underwater effect.

MUST-HAVE PRODUCTS

From graphic liner to bold lips, no matter what the trend you try this fall, these runway-approved products will keep your look fresh all season long.

Try out our must-have new products for eyes and lips and everything in between. We promise these fall faves will become your year-round makeup essentials.