It's Confirmed: We'll All Be Wearing These 6 Makeup Trends in 2026
From soft-focus makeup to the return of the statement smoky eye, these are the makeup trends that will define 2026.
As a beauty editor with a decade of experience analysing beauty trends, it's come to that time of the year when I'm beginning to wonder what will define the makeup trends in 2026. And having spoken to makeup artists and kept a keen eye on their social feeds, there's a definite shift in the makeup trends we're seeing going into the new year.
Alongside new beauty product innovations that are shaping the finishes that we're painting on our eyes, lips and cheeks, there is a noticeable shift afoot. Gone is the "clean girl" aesthetic, and, instead, we're ushering in makeup makeup again. It still has roots in the invisible makeup we've become accustomed to over the past decade, but it's leaning a little edgier, with a focus back on eyeliner and eyeshadow once more. And I'm here for it.
Ready to embrace the makeup trends for 2026? Scroll on ahead for the insider intel and makeup artist predictions that will shape our makeup bag over the next year.
Makeup Trends 2025
1. Soft Focus
You only have to glance at the feeds of celebrity MUAs right now to notice that everything has a soft-focused finish. Lips have a blurred, just-bitten quality, eyeliner is softly smoked, and the skin possesses a natural-looking but subtle blur. Everything is subtly defined and never harsh, creating a harmonious look that feels like the next step in no-makeup makeup.
And thanks to a new generation of products, you don't need the artistic hand of a makeup artist to create this blurred look. Instead, the products do all of the artistry for you. From balmy, sheer lipsticks that deliver a just-bitten stain when patted onto the lips, through to diffused smoky liner that takes mere seconds to create a gentle smoulder, our makeup is taking on a blurred, soft-focus effect. The same goes for the skin, too. We're also welcoming natural-matte textures in foundations, concealers and even blushers, which replicate the look of real skin while effortlessly and seamlessly blending in.
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2. Lip Contour
Lip liner has become one of the most in-demand makeup products, with Google search interest around the product up 52% over the past year. And judging by the sheer amount of lip liners that have passed the Who What Wear UK beauty desk recently, for 2026, we're undoubtedly about to see more to come.
However, rather than the traditional wood-clench pencils with a sharpened point that traditional lip liners took form in, we're instead welcoming in lip contour products, like the Rhode Peptide Lip Shape and Merit Signature Lip Liner. With their creamy formulas and larger, dome-tipped nibs, they do all the hard work of contouring and blending your lip liner in one swipe. Whether worn alone or paired with a lip gloss or lip oil, they're the foolproof way to sculpt and softly define your lips in 2026.
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3. '80s Influence
Big, bold blush has reigned in recent years, and for 2026, with the Pinterest Predicts 2026 Trend Report noting an uptick in the '80s luxury aesthetics, all signs are pointing to its signature bold blush continuing well into 2026. Not only are the pigments bold, but the placement is, too. Swept all the way up to the temples, it extends way beyond the apples of the cheeks and creates a healthy glow.
Thankfully, this trend is paired with creamier, sheerer formulas that give a certain transparency and make the bold placement more modern and wearable. The Merit Flush Balm was one of the most popular beauty products of the past 12 months, and thanks to its dewy, sheer, cream blush consistency, it easily melts into the skin for a glass-like glow. Meanwhile, both Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush and Dior Backstage Rosy Glow create a lit-from-within glow that looks like a natural flush.
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4. Hot and Kohled
While the "clean girl" aesthetic may have dominated the first half of the decade, we're now seeing the return of bolder eye looks once more, says makeup artist Harriot Babin. "2026 is shifting away from the super-minimal look and bringing back fuller, more expressive eye makeup with vibrant and deeper shadows, soft smoked liners, and lashes that really open the eyes," she says. "This can be achieved by building your shadows in layers, playing with matte and shimmer together, and adding individuals or a half-lash for extra lift."
Unsurprisingly, Victoria Beckham Beauty's Satin Kajal Liners have soared in popularity (it was our best-selling product on Who What Wear UK over the past 12 months, FYI) and with it now being available in a wide array of colours, textures and finishes, now is the time to get playful with your eye makeup again. If anything colourful feels too much, lean into classic brown, black or navy liners that are truly effortless when creating a smokey eye.
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5. Dew 2.0
First, there was glass skin, then butter skin, but for 2026, we can expect our makeup products to give our skin a natural-looking glow. It's truly your skin, but enhanced to look its most elevated. "For 2026, I believe we’d be leaning into skin that looks fresh, healthy, and naturally radiant. It's a glow without the grease," says Babin. "Think very light coverage, soft highlight and letting your real skin peek through. This can be achieved by using serum-like bases, spot concealing where needed, and keeping the glow on the high points," she says.
Innovations in foundations and skin tints mean the result is more natural-looking than ever before. And with Korean beauty's continuing influence, innovative cushion foundations and tinted SPFs leave your skin looking perfected but never masked. In fact, a trend report from John Lewis & Partners notes how the retailer has begun stocking more skin tints due to customer demand for lighter bases.
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6. MUA Renaissance
In an industry that's inundated with celebrity and influencer-founded beauty brands and endless makeup tutorials, there is something about makeup artist-founded beauty brands that feels so important right now. They meet our appetite not just for great products, but the accompanying expertise and knowledge needed on how exactly to use them, too.
After all, makeup artists work with makeup on different faces, day in, day out, and investing in their products feels like you're getting in on their insider tips and tricks, too. Take Lisa Eldridge's Pinpoint Concealer, which cleverly mimics Eldridge's signature pinpoint concealer technique. Or perhaps Violette Serrat's new Lune Liners, which, with their shimmering formulas, invite you to play and experiment with makeup. And I've never met a more foolproof contour than Westman Atelier's Face Trace Contour Stick, which masterfully sculpts your cheeks as though you're in the makeup chair with Gucci Westman herself.
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