6 Bold (but Wearable) Makeup Trends You’ll See Everywhere in 2025
Shimmer and sparkle are back, super-dewy skin is (still) in, and velvety, neutral-brown lip liners are finding their way back into our makeup bags. We’re nearly 25 years out of the Y2K era, yet modern fashion and beauty trends reflect that distinctly frosted period of American life more than ever, with everything from butterfly clips and pale-blue shadow to belly chains and candy-colored lips seeing a rebound this decade. Fortunately, many of 2025’s trend revivals are more wearable for those who were actually in middle school (or beyond) during their original wave.
Plus, the late 1990s and early 2000s aren’t the only two decades experiencing an influential resurgence, with 1960s cut creases a la Twiggy, Diana Ross, and Cher popping up just about everywhere. Even lava lamps are making a comeback—a surprising twist that’s only compounded by the fact that they, too, initially made a return during the late 1990s and early 2000s. (We can only hope inflatable armchairs don’t receive the same surge in popularity, but anything’s possible.) With bold colors, playful textures, and artistic iterations on past trends, it seems that “barely there” is finally out, and “I’m here, I’ve arrived” is in. One thing is certain: 2025 is bound to be an exciting year for makeup fans.
1. A touch of metallic
Good news for metal fans: metallic eyes are back with a fresh twist. Many people steer clear of shimmery, metallic shades due to the fallout that can collect beneath their eyes (shiny lilac undereye circles, anyone?) or onto their cheeks, but by relegating shimmery accents to specific spots—a touch at the inner or outer corners, a dusting atop the center of the lid, a thin line along the lower lashes—there’s a far lower margin for error. If you prefer an all-over look but still wish to avoid flecks of shimmer tumbling off of your lids and onto undesirable zones of your face, use a makeup primer (we love Tatcha’s Liquid Silk Canvas Primer ($54) for creating a velvet base) then stick with a transparent wash of metallic color rather than opaquely packing it on.
2. Big, bold wings
For a few years, there’s been a focus on minimalist beauty. Contrary to its concept, these looks can be just as complicated with nearly as many steps as more outwardly daring styles.
The question we’re asking ourselves in 2025: If we’re going to spend lots of time on our makeup anyway, why not go big? This year, cool graphic liner will make its triumphant return, announcing itself with big wings flicked halfway to our temples or, if the Antonio Marras Spring/Summer 2025 show is any indication, far beyond our faces. (OK, maybe that’s a little too far for most of us, but you can understand our excitement after half a decade of the soft, “natural” aesthetic, right?) Endlessly editable and easily customized to the wearer’s eye shape, bold winged liner—as seen on many runways and red carpets toward the end of 2024—goes beyond your everyday cat-eye and brings something new to the table.
3. Hazy lip colors
Not all newness will be sharp, bold, and bright. On the opposite end of the spectrum from cut creases, we will see soft lip colors and textures make their return in 2025 for those who prefer subtle makeup. Far from the razor-sharp, precision-lined dark lipstick look repopularized by 2024’s goth craze (thank you, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), this style will be pleasantly blurred. Rather than necessitate multiple touch-ups, using a soft lip stain in a translucent berry or pink tint allows you to apply color quickly and then forget about it for the rest of the day, so you don't have to worry about feathering or smudging.
4. Carefree dewy skin
The “glazed doughnut skin” trend popularized by Hailey Bieber in 2022 has stuck around since its inception, reinterpreted through so-shiny-it-is-dripping manicures and nail art. While it doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon, ultra-dewy skin is evolving in a more understated, less defined direction. (This may be particularly welcome news for those who share my struggle with acne-prone skin, as a softer look tends to be more forgiving on unevenness and blemishes, especially in photographs.)
Rather than using a complex recipe of primers and highlights to give skin a mirror-like shine, we’re seeing a more diffused dewiness that relies on hydrating moisture, dewy-finish cream or liquid foundation, and soft highlighter that wears beautifully on all ages and skin textures.
5. Warm, nude lip liner
A direct descendant of the 1990s' beloved nude-brown lipstick, 2025's riff on the classic is a little glossier and more lively than yesteryear's matte, borderline-dry style. (This also makes it more forgiving if you aren't totally comfortable applying lip liner.) As seen on runways throughout the last two seasons, this lip look works great when paired with a simple neutral shadow or a grunge-inspired smokey eye. If an even subtler look in the same color family appeals to you, combine this trend with the barely-there lip look mentioned above, as Lacoste did for its Spring/Summer 2025 show.
6. Over-the-top cut creases
Cut creases have never really left the beauty world’s purview, but their level of sharpness wanes and waxes. After a few years of quieter shadows blended into our eyes’ creases, we’ll finally see this technique return in more graphic shapes and head-turning colors akin to the models, musicians, and actresses of the Swinging Sixties who originally popularized the look.
One myth we can do without in 2025 is the idea that cut creases are more fitting for the younger crowd. While it may take some experimenting with products and formats (perhaps you’ll want to try a freshly sharpened eyeshadow stick rather than a less-forgiving liquid liner that can tug on the skin, for instance), a cut crease can look absolutely fantastic on people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.
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