All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
It may not officially be fall until September 22, but many of us are already breaking out the cozier colors and clothes. However, if you’re one of the people reluctant to give up that “I summer off the Amalfi Coast” glow, the good news is you might not have to. This fall is all about keeping that summer warmth with the toasted beauty trend.
Toasted beauty is all about giving your natural skin added warmth and a soft, effortless glow, with a manicure to match. The look works on every skin tone, and you can dress it up or down, making it work for any occasion. It’s taken over TikTok, and our favorite It girls are all wearing it too. Even better: It’s what experts have been calling a timeless look.
“It’s all about a warm, luminous glow that feels effortless and natural,” says celebrity makeup artist and founder of her eponymous makeup line Lisa Eldridge. “Unlike the bronzed looks we might be familiar with, which can sometimes feel quite heavily sculpted, this trend is softer, more diffused, and more focused on warmth than golden sun-kissed; it’s about enhancing the skin’s natural radiance rather than layering color on top.”
“It’s like we’re holding on to summer a little bit with all the bronzing effects,” adds celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik. “But then also it’s kind of spicing it up as we go into autumn by taking those burnt oranges and tones and giving [your look] a little bit of a bronzing effect.”
Toasted Makeup
Toasted makeup can fall into two camps: soft and natural-looking or ultraglam. And it’s important to note that looking “toasty” is more than just grabbing a bronzer and calling it a day. You’ll want to weave in other warm shades as well. “What makes it different is it also pulls in shades of orange, copper, gold, and caramel—and even red, plum, and berry,” says celebrity makeup artist Kirin Bhatty. “It leans heavily into a fall palette.”
Eldridge says that creating a natural toasted look is about building warmth gradually and blending seamlessly. For the base, she recommends going lightweight with a skin tint or a foundation that hydrates the skin. “The goal is to even out the skin without masking its natural texture,” she notes.
To create that warm bronzelike glow, you should reach for, you guessed it, a bronzer, and apply it where the sunlight would naturally hit your face: the forehead, cheekbones, nose, and temples. Those with fair skin should opt for caramel bronzer shades that will warm skin without making it too orange, like the Saie Dew Bronze in Sand. Those with medium to olive skin should try a golden, honey-toned bronze, like the Fara Homidi Essential Bronzer in Lumen, while those with dark and deep tones should try a rich golden and caramel bronze like the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer in Mocha Mint for that effervescent pop. Sweep an apricot blush for added color and a highlight if you want more of a glow.
For your eyes and lips, you’ll want to stay within the same brown palette to get a monochromatic look. Eldridge says to stick to warm brown tones on the lids with a hint of shimmer at the inner corners to brighten the eye area. We love products like Hung Vanngo Wonderful Warm Color Story Eyeshadow Palette and Tower 28 Go Go Cooling Shimmer Eyeshadow in Golden Amber for those golden autumn shades to play with. You’ll want to grab a lip color that gives you a “warmed from within” look, so she recommends her My Rouge Experience Lipstick in Toasted.
It’s the same steps, just bolder and deeper. Eldridge recommends a medium-coverage foundation on places you want to even out, and suggests you reach for a slightly darker bronzer to warm up the contours of the cheeks, jawline, and temples. For added dimension, grab a soft contour shade. But she says not to overdo the sculpting; you’ll simply use the contour to add even more warmth.
Your blush can be a bit deeper too, like a terracotta, deep peach, or coral—but keep the highlighter the same as before. Eyes will be sculpted with a rich bronze or warm brown shadow with added shimmer. Throw in a coffee eyeliner and a brown mascara to make them pop. For lips, she recommends a muted mauve chocolate or earthy rose (we like Westman Atelier Lip Suede Matte Lipstick and Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick in Baby). Bhatty, on the other hand, loves to go deep and recommends a deep oxblood lipstick or blackberry. “This will punch [the look] up all the way,” she says. Some of our faves include the classic Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey and the Violette_FR Sheer Bisou Balm Bonbon Myrtille.
Toasted Nails
Instagram content
The toasted manicure, as described by Bachik, is a transition shade bridging summer bronzer and a warm-toned autumn palette. He says you’ll want to stick to those traditional fall colors like burnt orange, latte, coffee, espresso, etc., for your base. But to get that toasted look, the key is all in the shimmer. “The part that makes [this manicure] fun is the effects,” he says. “It’s more about texture and shimmer to give our favorite colors a new look. So anything from a shimmery gold or gold iridescent [finish] over the top of those colors.”
You can copy Selena Gomez’s exact mani, where Bachik used Essie’s Special Effect line in Liquid Sunrise, or try similar shades like Chanel’s Le Vernis in Golden Mermaid and Olive June’s OJSM.
Have a beauty or wellness trend you’re curious about? We want to know! Send Vogue’s senior beauty and wellness editor an email at beauty@vogue.com.
