The safe red lip and champagne shimmer combo? Officially boring. These holiday makeup trends for 2025 are better.
I’ve spent the last few weeks testing runway looks for actual parties (work drinks, black-tie events, the lot) and some genuinely work.
Grey eyeshadow that doesn’t make you look exhausted. Wine-stained burgundy lips. Blush placement that photographs beautifully. Others need… adjustments for real life.
Giorgio Armani Privé sent models out in striking grey shadow for the F/W 2025 show. Stella McCartney paired plummy lips with wind-flushed cheeks.
Yanina Couture went full doll fantasy with powdery pink lids and blue-red lips. Makeup artist, Katie Jane Hughes, nailed it at her Target event: technique matters more than trends, but when you get both right, that’s when it works.
Let’s talk about what actually translates from runway to real party.
Wine-Stained Lips (Or: Why Burgundy Finally Had Its Moment)
Burgundy lipstick has been trying to happen for years. This is the year it actually happened. Not the bright, primary red your gran wore to church. Not the berry tones that looked good in the tube and somehow purple on your lips. Proper, deep, wine-stained burgundy that looks like you’ve been drinking merlot all evening.
TikTok started it, obviously. Then the Stella McCartney runway legitimised it with those plummy mauves and deep reds paired with flushed cheeks.
Zuhair Murad’s show sealed the deal when models wore that gorgeous merlot lip against all those diamantés.
Burgundy is shockingly flattering. Celebrity makeup artist Charlie Riddle’s right when she says it suits basically everyone. Unlike proper red, which can make you look washed out or overly done depending on your undertones, burgundy has enough depth to work across warm and cool skin tones.
I’ve been wearing MAC Diva for three weeks straight and it’s replaced my usual “safe” lipstick entirely. That’s the real test, isn’t it? Not whether something looks good in photos, but whether you actually reach for it when you’re getting ready.
How to get the look (genuinely simple):
Forget all that complicated layering business unless you’ve got time. Here’s what I do: exfoliate with a warm flannel, slap on some lip balm whilst doing the rest of my face, wipe it off. Line lips with something darker than your lipstick. MAC Nightmoth if you’re fancy, any brown-toned liner if you’re not. Apply your burgundy lipstick. Blot. Apply again. Done.
The makeup artist trick I actually bothered to try? Tapping a tiny bit of burgundy eyeshadow over the top. Gucci Westman does this and it genuinely creates dimension that straight lipstick can’t match. But honestly, most nights I skip this step and nobody’s complained.
What to actually buy:
MAC Diva £25. That’s the one. Silky matte, doesn’t dry out, looks expensive.
NARS Powermatte in Highway to Hell £31.50 for longer wear.
Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick in Play is £37 (try the others first).
Wine-tinted lip stain under clear gloss works for daytime markets rather than evening parties.
Cool-Toned Eyes (Harder to Pull Off Than Instagram Suggests)
Grey eyeshadow. Silver metallics. Frosty blues. Every runway photographer’s dream, every normal person’s “will I look ill?” concern.
I was sceptical. We’ve spent a decade being told warm tones are universally flattering, and suddenly we’re supposed to embrace colours that sound like they’d make you look exhausted?
Then I saw the Giorgio Armani Privé show, where models wore striking grey shadow that looked powerful rather than sickly.
The trick is commitment and decent lighting. A tiny bit of grey shadow looks like you forgot to blend. A proper wash of it across your lid, maybe with silver on the centre and charcoal in the outer corner? That’s a look. But in a dimly lit restaurant, it can read as “tired” rather than “editorial.” Save this for well-lit parties or embrace the moody energy.
Terry Barber from MAC swears a grey eye with a caramel-beige lip is “eternally chic” and after trying it, I get it. The cool tones make your skin look clearer, brighter. Warm tones can muddy things. This doesn’t.
What actually works:
Single metallic shades. Dior’s Diorshow Mono Couleur Couture Eyeshadow in 045 Gris Dior will give you runway-adjacent vibes without needing blending skills. One swipe, blend edges with your finger, done.
If you’re brave, try the Iris Van Herpen approach: frosted pigments on inner corners and high points of your face. Sounds mental, looks gorgeous in the right light. Maybe test at home first.
Victoria Beckham Beauty liner in Cocoa £32 is worth mentioning (a cool-toned brown that gives you the vibe without full grey commitment).
Pair it right:
Cool eyes need nude or caramel lips. Not negotiable. Cool eyes with bold lips makes you look like a 1980s music video. MAC relaunched their cool-toned nudes (such as Fleshpot) for this reason.
Skip this trend if you’re not into makeup. It’s not a minimal-effort situation.
Wind-Flushed Blush (The Easy One)
If you’re only trying one trend, make it this. Virtually foolproof, looks good on everyone. The “cold girl” look has been everywhere for two years and I’m not tired of it.
It translates to real life without looking try-hard. Recreating that flush you get coming inside from the cold, except on purpose. Stella McCartney’s show nailed it with plummy mauves and reddish hues. Placement is key. Not just the apples of your cheeks but also across your nose bridge and under your eyes. Where you’d naturally flush.
How to get the look (genuinely simple):
Cream blush with fingers to cheeks, blend upward. Powder blush over the top in similar shade. Same blush lightly across nose and under eyes with fluffy brush. Patrick Ta’s Blush Duo £35 has both formulations. e.l.f.’s Halo Glow Blush Beauty Want is £10 and works just as well.
Colours that work:
Berry tones. Mauve-y pinks. Anything slightly cool-toned rather than peachy. Bobbi Brown’s Pomegranate £32 if you want to spend money. Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch £24 if you’re careful with application (incredibly pigmented).
I’ve replaced my usual blush routine with this. Photographs better, looks more interesting, people keep asking what I’ve “done differently.”
Doll-Glam (For When You’re Feeling Extra)
This trend is divisive. Either you see powdery pink eyeshadow paired with bright red lips and think “yes, I need this energy” or you think “absolutely not, I’ll look like a child’s drawing.”
The Yanina Couture F/W 2025 show is responsible for this resurgence. Models wore powdery pink lids, skipped mascara entirely (bold), and lacquered their lips in blue-red. It should have looked ridiculous, but it didn’t. It looked expensive and oddly modern despite being pure vintage reference.
This is best for black-tie events, New Year’s Eve, or any party with professional lighting.
The key elements: dewy skin (not matte), soft pastel eyes, minimal mascara, and either a glossy nude lip or high-shine red.
The wearable version:
Soft pink or lilac shadow, minimal mascara, glossy lip. That’s it. MAC lip liner in Cork £20 with nude lipstick and clear gloss gives you doll lips without costume territory. The no-mascara thing from the runways? It looked great in photos, felt weird in real life. Your call.
If You’re Not a Makeup Person
Wine lips: Wine-tinted lip balm. One swipe.
Cool eyes: Metallic shadow stick. Nude lip. Don’t pair with bold lips or you’ll look bizarre.
Wind-flushed blush: Cream blush with fingers. Tiny bit on your nose.
Doll-glam: Skip it. Requires commitment.
Pick one thing to emphasise. Dramatic lip with minimal eyes. Statement eye with nude lip. Everything else simple
What’s Actually Worth Buying
If I could only recommend five products for festive parties:
- MAC Diva lipstick – wear it, love it, never look back
- Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush Stick in Candy £37 and genuinely great
- MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Evening Grey £22 – foolproof shimmer
- Patrick Ta Blush Duo if you want to spend money on something good
- Any good lip balm – because dry lips ruin every lipstick
Everything else is optional. The runways can keep their fourteen-step routines.
Final Word
2025’s holiday makeup is interesting again. After years of the same “natural glam,” we’re allowed to experiment without feeling like we’re trying too hard.
You don’t need wine lips AND cool eyes AND doll pink blush. Pick one. Ignore the rest. The runways proved high fashion can translate to real life if you adapt it. Take the inspiration, not the exact execution. Nobody expects you to show up to neighbour’s New Year’s Eve party looking like Milan Fashion Week.
Try something new this season. Worst case, you wipe it off. Best case, you find a signature look that carries into 2026. Either way, more interesting than the standard red lip and gold shimmer from 2019.
What trend will you be trying on New Year’s Eve?
