My Maximalist Makeup Earned Me the Most Compliments Last Season—Meet the MVP Products
Color that still feels chic.
I've been writing about beauty for roughly five years, but I've been using my face as a sketch pad for about 13. As a middle schooler who spent nearly every waking hour outside the classroom in a dance studio, I became quite accustomed to etching winged eyeliner, slathering on shimmery gold eye shadow, and gluing false lashes before the curtain call. (I eventually began doing the other girls' lashes too.) This practice soon became a ritual—one that not only centered me before a performance but also offered a creative outlet outside of the one that I turned into a competitive sport. Gone were the expectations, scores, and prospective trophies. In their place were dazzling splashes of color, mirror-ball finishes, and aptitude with an eyeliner pen.
Now, as a 26-year-old beauty editor, my makeup style has evolved after years of attending master classes with celebrity makeup artists, reporting on backstage beauty trends at New York Fashion Week, and growing my skills as a self-taught makeup artist. With an editorial point of view, this has sculpted the theatrical taste of my youth into something more refined, but still, the whimsy, color, and artistic references remain.
With recent runways exploding in a torrent of color and texture, my makeup followed suit, trading earthy neutrals for pops of periwinkle and black mascara for electric blue. Below is the maximalist makeup wardrobe I relied on this summer and am taking into fall.
Meet My Maximalist Makeup Wardrobe
Eye shadow sticks will forever be my go-to eye products, but this particular tube from Victoria Beckham Beauty was a repeat hit this summer. Whether I was subtly accenting my inner corners with this baby blue or dousing my lids in a cloud of color, I could expect streams of compliments when this product was in the picture. The shadow is supremely easy to blend thanks to its seaweed oil–infused formula, which stimulates collagen production with a complex called Vitas Vita. The pigment also packs a punch, delivering impressive color in just one to two layers. Now, I'm eyeing the mustard-yellow stick for fall.
This eye pencil is the stuff of dreams for a maximalist's fall makeup wardrobe. Whether re-creating Sandy Liang's "sleepy girl" eyes from the F/W 26 show—where celebrity makeup artist Romy Soleimani rimmed the models' eyes in plum-red shadow—or sketching a sharp wing, this garnet eyeliner is sure to get people talking. The pigmented formula makes the pencil glide on smoothly in a single opaque swipe, though its creaminess allows you to blend it into a chic smoky eye if you act quickly. Jewel-toned liners will be a staple in my fall rotation, and I suggest nabbing this limited-edition stick from Chantecaille before it's gone for good.
While I enjoy a pigmented lipstick, there's something enchanting about a sheer formula. Take, for instance, MAC's Lustreglass Lipstick: a tinted lip balm with a stained-glass effect that delivers high shine, vibrant color, and sheer opacity. I'm enamored with this moody purple, which not only screams trendy (the runways confirmed that royal purple is the color of the season, after all) but also looks especially fall coded when layered on top of an espresso lip liner. Are you seeing the vision yet?
That espresso lip liner I mentioned? None other than this deep-brown pencil from YSL Beauty, Cocoa Flirt. Ask any beauty editor, and they'll likely tell you that their current favorite lip liner is this long-wearing pick from the French luxury brand. Offered in a delectable shade range, its no-budge formula dries down in minutes and can withstand happy hours, meals, long conversations, and more. Trust me—I've put it to the test in each of these scenarios. Plus, it's good for your skin thanks to an infusion of vitamin E, jojoba oil, and other botanical extracts.
If you're looking for a way to incorporate color without being too extreme, consider this blue mascara from Marc Jacobs Beauty. I was first introduced to this royal blue formula backstage at the Marc Jacobs S/S 27 show and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw how pigmented and thick, yet never spidery, models' blue-lacquered lashes looked. After trying the tube myself, I can attest to its lash-defining properties, the impressive pigment it deposits, and the packaging being the cutest you'll find on the market, hands down.
Lavender blush is nothing new, but this fresh launch from Prada tickles the senses in a way only the Italian fashion house can. Soft, light, and artistically inspired, this cool-toned blush sculpts the cheekbones with delicate color while quenching the skin with its hydrating cream formula. While supremely easy to tap and blend with your fingers (hence the name), the formula dries down matte—offering a blurred, powder-like finish that never enhances pores or settles into fine lines. This shade, plus its deeper berry-hued sister, is the stuff of fall makeup dreams.
There's little I love more than when fashion and beauty collide, and this dark denim is the autumnal eyeliner I've been searching high and low for. When I'm not lining my eyes in garnet red this fall, I'm looking forward to creating different looks with this shimmering navy liner. A hint of color in the waterline, a smudged and smoky look across the lids… The possibilities are endless. If you're looking for a colorful alternative to black that doesn't look garish, I'd suggest this inky indigo.
My two favorite ways to experiment with color are through accessories and eye shadow, and this brand-new quad from Pat McGrath Labs scratches that creative itch. Inspired by renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath's runway work, this palette (and the rest of the Backstage Artistry collection) explores themes of editorial ingenuity, daring color, and limitless creative expression. It's a makeup maximalist's must-have.
There's something about a terra-cotta blush that feels distinctly fall but works effortlessly throughout the year. This smoky amber blush is equal parts creamy and powder-light thanks to its easy-to-blend formula, and the pigment is potent enough that you only need a sheer wash to achieve noticeable color. Best of all, it works fabulously on every skin tone, offering a porcelain pinch on fair tones and a beautiful, rich glow on deeper skin.
This cobalt eyeliner is the exact one that key makeup artist Thomas de Kluyver used on models at the Marc Jacobs S/S 27 show, and I've since become quite attached to it. The waterproof formula glides on in a stunning display of color, and it stays put for hours on end when dried down. Though the blue was a perfect fit for summer, I may demote the hue to my waterline for fall while Try Me, olive green, and Gagged, slate gray, claim lid space.
I'm no better than the next chronically online beauty lover, so I, of course, have been making like Zendaya and Alex Consani and experimenting with bleached brows this year. However, as the name implies, this look involves a bit of permanence, and I like to change up my look far too often to sacrifice my espresso brows. McGrath saw this become a common gripe in the beauty industry and answered every makeup maximalist's prayers with an ultrapigmented eyebrow gel. It comes in six creativity-spiking colors, from amber to pale pink, but the cool Bleach Blonde is perfect for this look.
I've waxed poetic about this magical eye shadow palette from Isamaya countless times, but no matter how redundant I may sound, nothing will keep me from singing its praises. This kaleidoscope of chromatic color, created by celebrity makeup artist and brand founder Isamaya Ffrench, is a staple of mine year-round, but its moody color story—ripe with jewel tones, frosty pastels, and moody metallics—sings in the summer and fall. The price is admittedly steep at a staggering $110, but rest assured it's the only shimmer palette you'll ever need.
If there's one thing that I love, it's a hybrid beauty product, and this two-in-one blush delivers on all fronts. While not inherently maximalist, the punchy gold pigment (sculpted into a lion's head, of course) stamped in the middle of this coral blush is the perfect way to achieve an expensive-looking glow and a romantic flush in one fluid sweep. I've been dipping into it all summer and can't wait to pair moody eye looks and vampy lips with this girly blush all fall and winter long.
I'm a big fan of Violette_FR's high-quality French beauty products, but this easy-to-blend, highly pigmented eye shadow is one of my favorite summer beauty discoveries. The Violette_FR Plume Eyeshadow has a cream-to-powder formula that sits on the skin like a veil—never creasing, cracking, or settling into fine lines. I love the shimmery gunmetal Poussière de Lune for moody fall and holiday-season looks, as the glittering silver shadow looks enchanting on bare lids and when slipped across the center of a smoky eye.
I'll admit it. I've recommended far too many eyeliners to you today. I have over 60 in my collection right now, so this isn't shocking. But I leave you with one final liner: this plum-colored liquid formula from Urban Decay, which boasts up to 24-hour wear and a dense, angled brush that makes smoky looks easier than ever. The collection is full of fall- and winter-ready colors, from wine red to olive green, but this fig is my favorite for making hazel eyes (ahem, the ones I have) sparkle.
