These Are the Biggest Autumn Beauty Trends, According to Experts

Autumn has officially arrived. If I'm being totally honest, I'm here for it—along with the rest of the beauty industry it turns out. We've already predicted what our wardrobes are going to look like for autumn and winter, so I thought there was no better time to tap my beauty contacts for what our beauty habits will look like as we move through the final months of 2022.

One thing is for sure: Experimentation is on the cards for hair, makeup and nails this season. While there will be a big return to bold eye makeup, we're also seeing a number of skin finishes that you'll definitely want to emulate. On the hair front, we're booking in our new-season haircuts and hair colour appointments to match the mood of the season, which is all about personalisation and tailoring the trends to work for you and your hair. Bespoke hair has never been more in demand, says celebrity hairstylist and Redken ambassador Larry King. "Recently, I've noticed that hair trends have shifted to subtler seasonal themes, and now more than ever, clients are looking to make trends work for them and not the other way around," he says. As for nails, we'll all be adorning our nails with everything thing glitters and shines (we're eyeing up these trends for the party season) as well as autumnal twists on the classic nail art we've seen over summer.

Ahead, I've spoken to experts in all things hair, nails and makeup to decipher the biggest beauty trends for the cosiest season. Keep scrolling for their predictions and to get ahead of the biggest autumn trends for 2022. Trust me—they look just as good on Instagram as they do in real life.

Autumn Hair Trends

"A bright, clean blonde is back in," says Paul Percival, Redken session stylist and founder of Percy & Reed. "This can be a more champagne-neutral blonde or as light as a platinum—think Gigi Hadid's new colour or Anya Taylor-Joy's," he says. From platinum to ash, think cool blonde hair that works for every hair type and texture. Your hairstylist or hair colourist will be able to able to determine what hue is best suited to your skin tone.

"You will want to use a bond-care system like Redken's Acidic Bonding Concentrate to help protect the hair from damage through the lightening process," says Percival. "You can have this as a professional treatment in-salon, but it's also important to use damage-care products at home. I'd recommend the Intensive Pre-Treatment for a highly concentrated bonding formula that you use as a pre-wash mask."

It's taken the beauty world by storm for a while, but there is no sign of the cool-girl bob going anywhere. Whether you opt for a long bob, a jawline-skimming bob as seen at ACNE's A/W 22 show or a cropped bob, a blunt edge will ensure your haircut remains sharp and modern. "This a polished, no-layers look," says Percival. "This style is all about keeping the weight of the hair in, so on textured hair, it's really easy to maintain and quick to style. Laura Harrier wears this look beautifully," he says.

Expensive brunette and the copper trend have met in the middle for autumn, and we're expecting a marrying of the two trends to be huge this season. It's ideal if you're naturally brunette and want to add warmth to your hair colour without going fully red. "As we head in to autumn, a deeper take on the copper trend will shift towards darker auburns and chocolate tones," notes Percival. "Our brunette clients are starting to gravitate towards richer tones for added warmth, and we're seeing the return of glossy, blended colours rather than strips of colour like money pieces," he says. 

Redken advocate Conor James Doyle has also seen this shift. "Natural deeper tones are a highly requested mood that we've already seen as 'expensive brunette' this year and will absolutely move into autumn," he says. "I'd recommend asking for a Redken Liquid Color service in-salon to achieve this healthy-looking, high-shine effect."

With '70s-inspired haircuts continuing to reign in salons, we can expect the shag haircut to be another huge trend for autumn 2022. Choppy layers give the hair body and movement, and it's the ideal haircut if you're still looking to keep some of the length in your hair. 

"We're getting a lot of requests for long layers and an updated, fresh take on the shag," says Percival. "People have been referring to it more recently as a wolf cut or an octopus cut, but essentially, it's anything between the classic '70s look and '90s long layered 'Rachel' haircut, with a curtain fringe and lots of shape," he says. "You can choose how choppy or subtle your style is based on your hair texture and your face shape. This look is about adding in texture and volume to enhance the layers, so I like to use a texturizing spray like Redken Wax Blast to add dimension and a choppy, satin-matte finish."

Autumn Makeup Trends

"Everywhere you look, there's a tutorial on getting the clean makeup and natural glow," says makeup artist and founder of Studio One Lan Nguyen-Grealis. "Products that are coming on to the market are some the best textures, which have a multitude of uses and help with skincare too. It can be effortless when you find the right formula for you," she says. Lay down a good foundation by choosing a primer that works for your skin type. "Primer is essentially your best friend when it comes to starting your makeup," she says. "A good primer should be adapted on the needs of your skin. Control oil and shine with a silicone-based primer, and choose a highlighting primer to add extra dimension to lacklustre skin."

Siren eyes are set to become smokey for autumn. "Smokey eyes never go out of date, and this time, it's stronger than ever," says Nguyen-Grealis. Whether it's graphic, vampy eyes or lived-in and smudgy, it's timeless, and it's one that everyone can experiment with. This time, however, we can expect to see a diversion from the classic smokey-eye colours, such as black and grey. "From reds to burgundy, bright orange to taupe and browns, smokey eyes are always interesting interpreted in different hues for autumn," she says. Her top tip for ensuring they last into the early hours? "The main thing is to choose the base colour in a cream formula," she says. "Something that can be smudged, which will outline the eye shape. Then, simply add eye shadow on top to set and blend out."

Metallic accents are the playful sister trends to the smokey eyes. "Think playful adornment from crystals, gems and shimmering shadows," says Nguyen-Grealis. "Iridescent liquid shadows and liners add a fun element, particularly as an accent in the inner corner of the eye give a youthful sparkle. Alternatively, a simple socket line can add a hint of elegance, or a winged bold metallic line can make the look pop." She recommends pairing the look with lashings of inky black mascara to frame your eyes.

While clean skin is "your skin but better," dewy skin is about turning the dial up a notch for a healthy and flushed look you might achieve from a brisk autumnal walk. "For this look, you'll want to reach for cream products to get the glow on the face, eyes cheeks and lips," says Nguyen-Grealis. "Start on the base using a bronzing cream buffed with a firm brush using circular motions to ensure a natural blend. Working outwards and upwards allows to contour the face on the cheekbones," she says. Tap cream blush onto the cheeks for a healthy glow, and don't be shy with cream highlighter. "Extra cream highlighter can be use to enhance the natural radiance on the lid, under the brow, on the inner eye, along the nose and on the bow of lips. Spritz a face mist for extra plumpness, and you're good to glow," she says.

Autumn Nail Trends

"A classic French manicure has been a nail staple for years. We've seen all variations of this trend this summer, but it's set to stay," says nail technician Kerry Ellis. "Update your French mani this autumn by choosing autumnal tones from deep browns, bejewelled reds and rusty oranges." Why not get creative? Mix and match to create your own unique set, says Ellis.

"Green has been a popular choice with my clients for a while now, from sage to the formidable Bottega green," says Ellis. "But we're going to see darker shades coming into play during the autumn months. Think deep crocodile green, olive, khaki and pine green," she says. 

They are by far the biggest nail trend of 2022, and we can expect the glazed donut nail momentum to continue into autumn too. "If Hailey Bieber starts a trend, we expect it to be around for the foreseeable," says Ellis. "It all started with the subtle pearl pink, but there will undoubtably be gold, green and silver added to the mix over the coming months," she predicts. To get the look, you'll want to start with a sheer base of your choosing before buffing chrome powder on top. "Don't forget to topcoat before adding your chrome powder," she says.

Minimalist nails have been around for a while now, but for autumn, we can expect to see metallic accents come into play. "Adding a gold micro French tip adds just the right amount of bling without going overboard," says Ellis. "Keep the base simple by using a sheer nude. Then, using a fine liner brush and gold art gel, run along the free edge of the nails to create a precise and thin line before topcoating."

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