Winter 2025 in make-up: glassy skin, frosty lips and coloured shadows

Make-up artists are focusing on expressiveness and playing with textures: metallic lips, glowing skin, bright shadows and elaborate techniques that used to remain only behind the scenes. Simply put, it's time to "turn into Elsa" - but in a very modern, glossy version, Elle writes.

The main trend of the season is not only the colour, but also the skill of application. More and more often we hear the words:

• underpainting (layered underpainting of tone, sculpting and blush under the "finishing" layer),

• colour correction,

• spot highlighting.

Thanks to instructional videos and easy-to-understand products, many people are mastering the level of "pro at home," and makeup artists call it a "golden time" for those who want to pump up their skills.

Natural matte is replaced by icy shades and pearlescent glow with a Y2K reference, but in a more subtle and precise way. Skin is like glass, lips like foil and eyes in shades of mint, lilac and emerald.

Here are the four key trends for winter make-up 2025.

1. "Fairy skin: skin with a wet glow

If in 2016 it was impossible to imagine "nude" make-up without a dense powder highlighter, it's back in 2025, but in a new form.

Highlighters are becoming:

• more glassy and wet,

• with unusual undertones of green, blue, lilac,

• not a strip on the cheekbones, but a soft "halo" of radiance on the protruding points of the face.

Make-up artists call this effect "fairy skin" - fairy skin: shimmering, almost transparent, with a subtle multi-dimensional illumination, not a rough gloss. The format includes highlighter serums, balms and creamy textures that can be applied with fingers over foundation or directly onto clean skin.

2. Frosted lips: the return of 'frosted' lips from the 90s

Yes, it's them again - the cold, metallised lips from the late 90s and early noughties. In the winter of 2025:

• pearlescent and frosty lipsticks,

• glosses with a subtle glow,

• cool pink, plum and beige metallic shades.

The secret of modern reading is neatness:

• a crisp but soft contour,

• a thin layer of radiant texture,

• combination with cleaner skin and careful eye make-up to keep the look from going carnival.

3. Playing with shadows: coloured, bold, not just nudes

On catwalks and red carpets, the static beige smokey has been replaced by a play of colour.

On trend:

• saturated shades - mint, blue, dark green, mauve;

• palettes with unexpected combinations, not just warm browns;

• both graphic arrows with colour and blurred "blurred" shadows.

The main idea is to stop being afraid of colour. You can limit yourself to a coloured accent in the form of a line on the lower eyelid or a small spot in the corner of the eye, if you're not ready for bold full colour yet.

4. Professional techniques for everyone

A noticeable trend is the interest in make-up artists' techniques, not just products.

What is being actively learnt:

• underpainting - first contour, correction and blush, then a light tone on top,

• colour correction (peach, yellow, green correctors under the tone),

• multi-layered but thin application: several translucent layers are better than one heavylayer.

Brands, for their part, are launching:

• all-in-one palettes (foundation, sculptor, blush, highlighter),

• handy multi-shade concealers,

• liquid blushes and tints that are easy to blend.

The result is an edited face, not a smeared one: everything looks "natural", but in fact, behind the scenes there is a serious technique.

Winter 2025 in make-up is not about strict rules, but an invitation to play with textures, shades and techniques. If you want glassy skin like a fairy, go for a wet highlighter. If you're nostalgic for the 90s, try a cool pearlescent lipstick. If you're keen to experiment, master underpainting and coloured shadows.

The main rule of the season: you can shine in any way you like, but in your own way.