The 5 trending makeup buys of 2025, according to top MUAs
We all love a makeup refresh – which are the few key trend pieces to add to your beauty bag this year? Makeup artists pick their favourites and the makeup trends 2025 they work for
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You want to be up on the latest 2025 makeup trends, but you don’t want to change your entire routine – because if it ain’t broke… And anyway, this is real life, not the catwalk. But we all love a refresh – so how do you bring a few key trend pieces into your beauty bag, while still looking like you? You’re in the right place. Instead of bombarding you with looks that don’t translate to normal life, we have asked five top makeup artists to tell us the one product they think everyone needs to buy this year, the key makeup trend for 2025 that it works for, and how to use it.
The trend: Party Girl Grunge – a bit smudgy, a bit smoky, a lot sexy
The product: Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencil, £26
The pro makeup artist: Lisa Caldognetto
“The smouldering eyes that we saw in the ’90s – think Kate Moss and Courtney Love – is back for 2025. And it’s really easy to create yourself,” says Lisa Caldognetto, who not only works with celebrities such as Gemma Chan and Daisy Lowe but creates relatable and brilliant makeup content on Instagram. She is also a dab hand at how to cover up tattoos with makeup.
“Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencil is great for this look because it’s soft and easy to blend but sets to give long wear. Apply it along the waterline and around the lash line, then blink hard to soften the product. The natural lubricant in your eyes will give it that slightly lived-in look.
“Then smudge with the brush on the end of the pencil but don’t over-blend because you don’t want to move the product too much into a smoky eye, you want to keep the focus around the lash line. Finish with lots of mascara and you’re done.”
The trend: Dopamine Washing – eyeshadow for your mood
The product: Chanel Ombre Essentielle in 232 Lilas Poudré, £36
The pro makeup artist: Ruby Hammer
“Whether it’s a wash of a gorgeous pastel or a pop of a bolder colour on your eyes, this 2025 makeup trend is about expressing or altering your mood with colour,” says veteran makeup artist and brand founder Ruby Hammer, who has worked on countless fashion shows in her 25 years in the industry and glammed the faces of Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Miranda Kerr and more.
You can wear colour wherever you like, but Hammer recommends it on the eyes because it’s a great space to show it off, and it’s lower maintenance compared to a lip, which needs constant reapplication. As for which colour, there are no rules with this trend. “There are certain colours which suit different eye colours, but this isn’t about that – choose whichever colour speaks to how you feel or how you want to feel,” says Hammer.
Hammer’s top colour for 2025 is this gorgeous soft lavender purple.“It suits all skin tones and I love that it feels slightly icy for winter but also warm for spring and summer. The creamy lightweight texture can be used to line the eyes, sweep over the whole lid or for the more adventurous use to define the underside of the brows.”
The trend: Cherry Girl 2.0 – one easy shade everywhere
The product: Huda Beauty Blush Filter in Black Cherry, £24
The pro makeup artist: Keshia East
Cherry Girl was trend that took over TikTok in 2024 and involved using the same cherry tone on cheeks, lips and eyes. This year it’s back but with a slightly more sexy and sultry vibe. Meet Cherry Girl 2.0.
“What’s so great about this trend is that it takes a lot of the guesswork out of your makeup, because you’re using the same shade all over and not having to think about which shades work complement each other,” says makeup artist Keshia East, who is also the founder of curly hair accessory brand No Knot Co and curly hair range The Kurl Kitchen which she runs with her sister, TV presenter Fleur East.
“This year we’re using richer and more berry tones, compared to last year’s brighter and poppier cherry reds.
“This creamy liquid blush creates a lovely soft rosy glow on the cheeks but you can also apply it over your eyes and your lips too so you will get a lot of use from it.”
The trend: Mocha Mousse – warm brown for lips
The product: Iconic London Cloud Kiss Matte Lip Mousse in Let It Slip, £20
The pro makeup artist: Lan Nguyen-Grealis
The hot colour for 2025, according to colour-trend experts Pantone, is Mocha Mousse – a warm and comforting brown, the colour of milk chocolate mousse. We’re seeing it in every fashion store and in our favourite interiors shops.
It’s an ideal colour to add to your makeup look, says makeup artist, Lan Nguyen-Grealis who is a regular backstage at London Fashion Week creating the hottest makeup trends for designers such as Joshua Kane and is singer Raye’s go-to makeup artist. “Mocha Mousse will work on a variety of skin tones thanks to its neutrality, but I think what is more key is how versatile it is. It’s an ideal shade for injecting a chic, polished and professional element to your look but it is also perfect for casual everyday wear .”
Much like Cherry Girl 2.0, this is a trend that can be worn all over the face but the lips are a great place to start. “Opt for creamy lipsticks to give it that really sophisticated edge,” advises Nguyen-Grealis “Choose a liner in an almost identical shade that you can slightly overline your lips for a full, and plush appearance.” Try Iconic London Fuller Pout Sculpting Lip Liner in Serving Lewks, £15 to go with this.
The trend: Glass Skin (still!) – luminous and glossy complexion
The product: Ilia Beauty Super Skin Tint, £48
The pro makeup artist: Genevieve Turley
Luminous and almost translucent, ‘Glass Skin’ is one of the many beauty trends that made its way from the K-Beauty scene to our shores. It has been a mainstay for the last two years with celebrities such as Hailey Bieber, whose skincare brand Rhode is all about creating that aesthetic. Genevieve Turley, bridal makeup artist, top-level beauty content creator and Get The Gloss Beauty Award judge – says it’s here to stay for 2025.
“Awards season has started, and one of the biggest trends sweeping the red carpet is glass skin.” While hydrating skincare plays a huge part in getting the look just right, Turley says there is one product she would reach for to create the look, and it’s this skincare-meets-makeup serum from Ilia.
“It contains potent skincare ingredients so the more you use it the more even your skin tone will become – which is what glass skin is all about. But it’s also super hydrating which you need for glass skin because you don’t want a product that’s going to make skin look cakey. It has a lightweight formula so layers well over skincare and there are 30 shades, so there really is one for everyone.”
To apply, Turley advises uses plenty of hydrating skincare and then buffing the serum foundation on with a foundation brush for a flawless finish. Glass skin is about letting the base do the talking so you don’t need to use much else, “maybe just brush up your brows, a light coating of mascara and a whisper of blusher,” says Turley.
