From "Exhaustion Blush" to "Party Lips," NYFW's Best Beauty Trends Are Delightfully Unexpected
Just when I was finding myself in a beauty lull (frigid, snowy weather will do that to you), New York Fashion Week arrived with a flood of inspiration. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised to see beauty looks that leaned way more eccentric than seasons past. In fact, I kept furiously typing into my Notes app as I dashed between shows, lest I forget a single detail of the XL feather lashes at Thom Browne or the shimmering "party lips" at Christopher John Rogers.
Now that I've gotten up close and personal with all the jaw-dropping looks from the fall 2025 runways, the time has come to compile these notes and predict how we'll wear them in the months ahead. If there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that subversive, "imperfect" beauty will take the cake. From the "grease paint" eyes at Khaite to the "exhaustion blush" at Meruert Tolegen to the whimsical, "devil horn hair" at Collina Strada, F/W25 beauty is a lesson in seizing the unexpected.
Behold, our NYFW beauty trend report. Take inspiration, bookmark your faves, and watch this space—all 12 looks are sure to stick around this year.
Here Come the Cowlicks
Gone are the days of wrestling with stubborn cowlicks to achieve a "flawless" shape. According to this season's runways, it's time to embrace those swirly bends! Take it from Prabal Gurung, where models leaned into the "morning cowlick" look with swoopy side parts and intentional static. "I'm bringing bedhead back, and we're making it runway ready," celebrity hairstylist Lacy Redway tells Who What Wear backstage. At Altuzarra, models had similar side-parted swoops, and some even sported a soft, "cowlick fringe" (a term that's also gaining traction on TikTok, BTW).
Collina Strada had a more artistic take on the trend with crimped "devil horns" at the crown. "You know that Instagram filter? I wanted that in real life," says lead stylist Mustafa Yanaz. Still, the tresses had a lived-in, bedhead feel. "It's wrong, but it's good," he adds.
Seen Backstage
Bumble and bumble
Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Heat Protectant Leave in Conditioner Primer
Tresemmé
Dry Texturizing Spray
Oribe
Hair Cream for Style
Galactic Hues
No, metallic shades aren't going anywhere in 2025, but they are leaning celestial. Iridescent, out-of-this-world hues certainly made their mark this season—even on the lips, as seen at Christopher John Rogers. To create these galactic "party lips," lead artist Alex Levy actually used layers of shimmery eye shadow to build up the intensity. Then to ground the look, he traced the lips with a soft brown liner. "We started layering colors to get the effect we wanted, and now we're bringing it back into harmony with the colors that are on the face," he demonstrates backstage.
At Collina Strada, all that shimmer was focused on the eyes; makeup artist Dick Page drew a flash of color at the inner corners using Ilia's Eye Stylus Shadow Stick (launching February 19!). "It's decoration. It's really like taking the sense of play and the colors and textures out of the collection," he says in a release.
