The return of moody makeup

If ever there’s a time to embrace makeup that’s heavier, darker and more intense, it’s when the weather starts cooling down. 

Perfect for gloomy days and nights out, the moody makeup trend is all about picking the right shades of warmer tones. It’s a welcome departure from the bright, bold colours of spring and summer, and it’s perfectly introduced by the neutral, earthy tones that dominate the beauty scene in autumn. 

Nafeesa Kherekar, a Cape Town-based makeup artist, talks us through achieving the perfect moody makeup look this winter. 

“This year, people are embracing that really beautiful and bold choice to use jewel tones, which includes shades like emerald green, sapphire blue and, for those more daring, ruby red, on the eye or on the lip,” she says. 

“Last season we saw a lot of the earthy tones like browns and reds and that’s definitely carrying through to this season, but it’ll be seen more on the eyes. The top moody shades this season will be emerald green, ⁠deep burgundy and, of course, those ⁠classic chocolate browns,” says Nafeesa. If you’re not sure where to start, shopping around for lip products – liners, lipsticks, tints, balms or gloss – and eye products like coloured eyeliners and eyeshadow palettes that have everything from matte browns to sparkly blues in intense shades. 

Let your lips do the talking    

The main rule of aspirational beauty is that there are no rules! Of course, you might want to tone down the new runway trend that’s all about embracing standout lips in bold blues, purples and greens.. but do this in deeper, darker hues for an everyday lift-me-up.

“To achieve a dramatic lip, outline the lip by using a lip pencil several shades darker than your skin tone. For example, if you are fair in complexion, use a caramel shade of brown to line your lips with,” says Nafeesa. “The deeper the skin tone, the deeper the lip pencil should be.”

Shop the look
• Yardley Gel Sensation Lip Liner In The Blush
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick 902 Burgundy
• Catrice Lip Artist Matte Lipstick & Liner 040 Sisters By Heart 
• MUA Creamy Matte Lipstick Sincere

Achieve an easy smoky eye

Cat eyes and smoky eyes are an easy way to achieve a moody makeup look. Getting these looks right will take time, technique, and the right round-up of products in complementary shades. 

“Line your lash line using a brown eyeliner pencil, starting at the base of your lash line, and then use your ring finger or a cotton bud to smudge the eyeliner out. The highest point that you will blend when smudging that pencil out is going to be the crease or the socket of your eye,” explains Nafeesa. “When you look straight into the mirror, you should see the brown pencil’s shade just peeking through – this way you will avoid going up too far into your brows.”

“Follow that up with a matte chocolate brown eyeshadow – sweep it across the lids. If you have a date night or a night out on the town, add a shimmering bronze eyeshadow colour to give your look that extra pop. At the same time, it will add depth to your smoky eye look,” says Nafeesa. 

Shop the look
• Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil Lucky Lead
• Rimmel Magnif'eyes Eye Contouring Palette Nude Edition 
• Catrice Tiny Treasures Eyeshadow Palette 010 Everyday Essentials
• Rimmel Wonder'Ink Eyeliner 004 Velvet Ivy
• MUA 15 Shade Eyeshadow Palette Illusionist
• Essence Soft Touch Duo Eyeshadow 01 Bronze Beauty

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