Lipstick and Nail Polish Trends to Try This Fall

It’s time to update your lipstick and nail polish. Just like we put away our straw bags and sandals in the fall, it’s time to switch up our makeup for the new season. We confirmed some new trends at our local Sephora and a few oldies but goodies — hey, we like what we like, right?

Nails are trending to colors in a similar pallet as clothes — dark red, navy, charcoal, lavender and green. In the fall and winter a darker lipstick (stain/gloss) works best as your complexion pales a bit after summer. Keep reading as we break down our favorites and what trends to try.

We’re sharing brands we love, but our shade of lipstick might not be your shade. If you’re looking for the perfect shade of lipstick, start here with tips from Bobbi Brown. And, did you know that you can return makeup to Sephora if the color/product doesn’t work for you?

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Fall Lipstick

You know what always fits and looks great? Lipstick. We did a little recon on our walk last week and popped into Sephora to get a quick education. So many choices! Who knew — there are lip stains, oils, glosses, balms, sticks, matte finish and many, many more. Our sales girl knew her stuff and gave us the 411 on lip stains and oils (made famous on TikTok) vs the glosses and lipsticks of yore. Stains literally stain your lips and stay put but are a bit more sheer than old school lipstick. Oils are, well, they are oils with very light color, super hydrating and give that “glassy” look. Glosses are kind of old school, lighter versions of lipstick. And lipstick is — well, the technology has advanced but it’s pretty much the same.

Tips from our trip to Sephora:

• For fall and winter, you can do a darker lip. (In summer, go brighter since your skin is a little darker.)
• Lip oils and lip stains are the new “it” thing.
• Find your red! Christian Dior makes three Forever reds: warm, cool and neutral. Red is the color for fall and winter. (lips, toes and clothes!)
• These brands are hot right now: Fenty, Hourglass, Rare Beauty, Christian Dior
• Play with the shade of your lip color by using a lip liner underneath it.
• Use a translucent powder to “set” your lipstick and it will stay all day.

Last week the Allure Best of Beauty list came out, this list is one of my favorite resources. They test and crowd source so many products — I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of their recommendations. On their list this year (and mine!): Clinique Black Honey lip balm, Hourglass Glossy Balm in Slip and Summer Fridays Butter Balm in Vanilla. I own all three of these products and use them on the regular.

Best Lipsticks to Try

Need more ideas? Check out the 7 Fall 2023 Lipstick Colors to Live in This Fall from The Zoe Report.

MEGAN’S FALL LIP PICK : Choosing a favorite lipstick is like picking a favorite child. Impossible. But, if I HAD TO PICK I’d say these two are the ones I reach for most often. Fenty C-Suite Heart and Hourglass Volumizing Glossy in Slip. Full Disclosure, my purchase from Sephora last week was Glossier Ultralip (like a balmy/gloss) in Fete. It’s now sold out EVERYWHERE – Glossier HQ, Amazon and Sephora are out of stock. So annoying. Anyhow, I didn’t want to tease you with a sold out product — but if you do find it at your local Sephora, GET IT! It’s the perfect watermelon red.

CHRISTA’S FALL LIP PICK : I’ve never tried a lip stain, so I went with the Sephora recommendation and picked up this Fenty Beauty Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain in Mai Type (pink) when we were shopping. Berry Banger (berry) is on my list for a darker fall shade. I love the color and how long it lasts, but it’s been a bit of a learning curve applying it evenly. I feel like it’s a little messy — maybe I’m showing my age now!

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Fall Nail Polish

For fall, the nail colors are trending to warm and cozy. Look for shades of green, brown, blue, red and plum — no surprise, since those are some of the main color trends in fashion, too.

If you’re looking for something for the fall, here are six new, on trend colors:

• OPI Linger Over Coffee
• OPI Malaga Wine
• Londontown Chivvy Along
• Londontown Bell in Time
• Essie Step Out of Line
• Essie Meet Me at Midnight

Best Nail Polish to Try

Need more ideas? Check out the 17 Best Fall Nail Polish Colors and Ideas for Autumn 2023 from Cosmopolitan.

MEGAN’S NAIL PICK : Truth be told, I’m not that trendy or adventurous with my nails. I’m the girl that goes to the nail salon and gets the same color for my pedicure every-single-time. In the summer it was the OPI combo of Funny Bunny and Put It In Neutral, now that we’re into fall I’ve switched to Londontown KUR in Mauve Violet. If I’m feeling frisky or it’s the holidays I’ll go with Londontown LAKUR in Londonder Love. As always I’ve got the Londontown Illuminating Nail Concealer in Milky on my hands.

CHRISTA’S NAIL PICK : All summer long I stuck with some variation of Barbie Pink for my toes (I stopped getting manicures for now). I’m looking forward to trying some browns this season, but these three are my go to shades for fall/winter. You can never go wrong with a little OPI Lincoln Park After Dark! (Also shown, Miami Beet and Big Apple Red.)

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