How to Transition Your Makeup From Summer to Autumn
Don’t throw out your summer makeup just yet. There’s always a slightly dramatic moment at the beginning of September when everyone collectively decides that summer is over. Suddenly, bronzer needs to be deeper, lips need to be berry and anything remotely glowy feels “too summery”. I’m here to say: absolutely not. September is my birthday month, heyyy to all my fellow Virgos. So lets keep this long summer going a bit longer
The best way to transition your makeup from summer to autumn isn’t to pack away everything you’ve been wearing for the past three months and start again. It’s about making a few small changes that make your makeup feel a little richer, warmer and more polished while keeping the things that actually worked for you in summer. Because, frankly, I’m not giving up a lightweight base just because the calendar says September.
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Start With Your Bronzer:
One of the easiest changes to make is your bronzer. You might find that the shade you were using in July suddenly looks a little too orange or bright as your tan starts to fade. Rather than immediately buying a completely new one, try using a lighter hand or switching to a slightly more neutral-toned bronzer. You want warmth rather than obvious colour. I also love moving your bronzer placement slightly. Instead of creating an all-over “I’ve just got off a plane” effect, concentrate it around the temples, cheekbones and a little across the nose. It gives warmth without making the rest of your makeup feel too summery.
And if you’re still beautifully tanned? Keep using it. There are no makeup seasons.
Fave Bronzers Right Now:
Or, if you want a more in-depth bronzer blog check - The Best Cream and Powder Bronzers post out.
Change your blush before you change everything else
Blush is probably my favourite way to make makeup feel instantly more autumnal. Summer tends to lend itself to juicy peaches, bright corals and pinks, whereas autumn is when I start reaching for more muted rose, terracotta, cinnamon and slightly deeper berry tones. You don’t have to go straight to a dark plum cheek. Try layering your usual summer blush underneath something a little warmer or more muted. It creates that lovely lived-in flush rather than looking like you’ve simply swapped one colour for another.
Cream and liquid blushes are particularly good for this because you can sheer them out and build them up depending on how much colour you want.
Fave Blushers Right Now:
If you want to learn where to position your blush, you can also check out this blog - My Best Blusher and How To Use Them
Your foundation doesn’t need to get heavier:
If you want allll the base info, check out The Ultimate Foundation Guide blog.
This is where I’m going to disagree with the traditional autumn makeup rulebook. Just because the weather gets cooler doesn’t mean you suddenly need full-coverage foundation. If you’ve spent summer loving a sheer, lightweight base, keep using it. In fact, I think beautiful skin showing through your makeup looks chic at any time of year. What can change is your skin prep.
As temperatures drop, you may find your skin needs a little more hydration, so swap a lightweight summer moisturiser for something slightly richer underneath your makeup. A hydrating primer or a few drops of facial oil mixed into your moisturiser can also make a huge difference.
And if your skin is still happy with your summer base? Keep it. There is no foundation police coming to your door.
When should you stop using your super-light summer base? Never.
Well, perhaps if your skin is genuinely telling you it needs something different.
The idea that you have to move from a sheer summer base to a heavier autumn foundation is one of those beauty rules I’m very happy to ignore. Your foundation should respond to your skin, not the season. If you love a light base, simply add a little more coverage where you need it; around the nose, chin or any areas of redness and leave the rest of your skin fresh. The result is still polished, but never overly made-up.
Now we can talk about autumn lips:
This is where I really start having fun. Autumn is the perfect excuse to bring out the deeper lip colours that have been sitting at the back of your makeup bag. But again, you don’t have to go straight from a sheer pink gloss to a deep burgundy lipstick. Try rosewood, brick, cinnamon, warm nude, burnt red or sheer berry shades first. Blot them down with your finger or apply them as a stain rather than a perfect, opaque lip. One of my favourite tricks is applying lipstick straight from the bullet and then blurring the edges with your fingertip. It instantly makes a deeper colour feel more effortless. And if you’re not ready for a bold lip? A brown or neutral lip liner with a sheer balm or gloss over the top is an incredibly easy way to make your usual lip look slightly more autumnal.
Here’s some lip products I’m loving right now.
Bring back your eyeliner:
Summer is made for minimal eyeliner a little mascara, perhaps a flick if you can be bothered.Come autumn, I start craving a little more definition.
But black liquid liner isn't your only option. Try a soft brown, espresso or deep burgundy pencil and smudge it along the lash line. It gives the eyes definition without feeling too heavy. You can also take your usual brown shadow and push it into the upper lash line with a small angled brush. It creates that slightly smoky, undone effect that works beautifully with autumn textures. Basically: less “perfect wing”, more “I accidentally look really good”.
Your brows can get a little stronger:
I tend to love a fluffy, natural brow year-round, but autumn makeup can handle slightly more definition. Rather than completely changing your brow shape, try adding a little more pencil or powder through any sparse areas and setting everything with a tinted brow gel. The trick is keeping the front of the brow soft. You want definition, not two commas stamped onto your forehead.
Think about your skin prep:
This is the part of your makeup routine that genuinely needs to change with the seasons. As we move into autumn, cooler temperatures, central heating and generally less humid air can leave skin feeling drier. That means your makeup will look better if you concentrate on hydration underneath it. Think hydrating serum, moisturiser and a good lip balm before you even pick up your makeup.And don’t forget SPF. September is not the month to retire it. Your skin does not know that summer has technically finished.
If you’re looking for an excuse to refresh your beauty stash without buying an entirely new collection, Cult Beauty’s Advent Calendar is worth keeping an eye on. I love a beauty advent calendar (my mega annual advent calendar blog will go live in a couple of weeks ), when it feels like more than 24 random miniatures, and Cult Beauty is particularly good at putting together a mix of cult favourites, newer discoveries and products you might not necessarily buy for yourself. It’s also a brilliant way to discover products across makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrance which makes it particularly tempting if, like me, your idea of “just having a little look” at a beauty calendar inevitably ends with you making a wishlist.
The golden rule: don’t overthink it
The easiest way to transition your makeup from summer to autumn is to change one thing at a time. Keep your lightweight base. Keep your glow. Keep your bronzer if you still love it. Then introduce a warmer blush, a softer brown liner or a deeper lip. Autumn makeup doesn’t need to mean heavy makeup.
For me, the perfect September face is still fresh and skin-focused, but with a little more warmth, definition and richness around the eyes and lips. Basically, summer makeup with an autumn accent. And that, I think, is much more fun than throwing the entire contents of your makeup bag away every time the seasons change.
Love
Lisa xx
As always, I only ever recommend products I would use myself. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. This is mostly spent on repairing the shoes Diddy keeps chewing.