NYFW's Top Fall/Winter 2026 Beauty Trends Have Main Character Energy

This winter has felt particularly long, especially for anyone who’s experienced this season’s arctic temperatures, relentless snow dumps, and blizzard conditions. Just when you thought you were about to max out on cold, gray everything, though, fashion week arrived with its bold, colorful energy.

The stylish revelry kicked off with Marc Jacobs’ show on Feb. 9, with the designer’s signature over-the-top silhouettes in vibrant hues — paired with candy-colored makeup looks that signaled 2016’s resurgence is still going strong. After Ralph Lauren’s presentation (another brand known for its early shows), complete with big blush and even bigger hair, the beauty theme for New York Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter 2026 shows was solidified: makeup is fun again, and hair is following suit.

Take, for instance, the grunge-y eyeliner at both Marc Jacobs and Ashlyn, where dramatic black waterlines added ’90s-inspired edge. Or the voluminous hairstyles at Collina Strada and Ralph Lauren, both of which embraced the “undone” beauty movement. Many runways have also leaned into a lived-in look for hair and glam — a welcome aesthetic for cool girls and makeup novices alike.

Ahead, a peek at the standout beauty trends from New York Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter ‘26 shows.

1. Bottom Eyeliner

Eyeliner gets its main character moment. At Marc Jacobs, makeup artist Thomas de Kluyver leaned into the grunge side of the ’90s with bold black eyeliner — concentrated on the bottom of the eyes. Interestingly enough, the glam at Ashlyn’s show also featured black eyeliner — placed only along the lower lash line and inner corners. Time to sharpen those kohl pencils.

2. Fluffy & Teased Hair

Go big or don’t bother — with your hair, at least. Collina Strada’s lead hairstylist Mustafa Yanaz created four sculptural, texture-forward looks for the presentation. One, dubbed “teased texture,” featured smooth strands at the crown with brushed-out mid-lengths and ends, spritzed with Bumble and bumble’s Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray for even more body. At Ralph Lauren, models sported similarly fluffy textures, worn down and swooped over the shoulders.

3. Rom-Com Flush

Beauty’s love affair with blush is still going strong. A peachy coral pigment added warmth and dimension to models’ cheekbones and temples at Ralph Lauren, courtesy of makeup artist Diane Kendal. LoveShackFancy, meanwhile, upheld its ultra-feminine aesthetic with monochromatic glam featuring diffused flush (using Tarte’s Macaron Blush in Honey Blossom, a peachy pink).

4. Undone Hair

NYFW declared messy hair to be runway-ready and couture-appropriate. Proenza Schouler embraced effortless, lived-in ponytails that went all-in on authenticity. Oribe session stylist Holli Smith created the detailed yet perfectly messy low ponies using T3 styling tools. At Christian Siriano, stylist Lacy Redway says she was inspired by the Olsen tuck when creating the “surrealist swoops” — a sculptural updo that circled the neck and embraced natural texture, enhanced with Tresemmé’s A-List Collection Dry Texturizing Spray.

5. Bitten Lips

The messy beauty aesthetic extended to the lips, too, as lived-in pigment graced models’ pouts at both Altuzarra and Kallmeyer. At the former, makeup artist Hannah Murray — global artistic director at Bobbi Brown — created a “painterly, handsome beauty” centered on boyish brows and softly flushed lips and cheeks. She used the Bobbi Brown Lip Pencil in Cocoa and Rum Raisin on top of freshly sculpted faces, prepped with the NuFace device. For the angelic complexions at Kallmeyer, Saie’s global artistic director Shain Kish used Saie’s Lip Liner 101 topped with Glossybounce in Kiss for a shiny, subtly bitten lip.

6. Candy-Colored Eye Makeup

The Fall/Winter shows made one thing clear: color is officially back for the coldest months of the year. Amy Conway, Bobbi Brown global pro artist in the UK, crafted clean graphic liner and pastel eyeshadow looks inspired by Son Jung Wan’s collection. The Marc Jacobs show had similar rainbow-hued vibes, as models sported various shades of pastel eyeshadow that truly popped.

7. Brontëcore Hair

The new, highly-anticipated Wuthering Heights film has clearly made an impact on the beauty world. Case in point? The Victorian era-coded hairstyles spotted at fashion week. Celebrity stylist Evanie Frausto crafted halo braids at Gult Gaia that made a statement (pro tip: Tresemmé’s A-List Collection Dry Texturizing Spray is key for that natural, airy texture). Over at Alice + Olivia, celebrity hairstylist Lacy Redway created two Gilded Age- and Victorian era-inspired looks: a loose braid and a woven braided updo, both laced with pearls, crystals, and gold, and finished with amika’s Soulstruck Nourishing Dry Hair Mask for added softness.

8. Grunge Glam

The grunge revival is still alive and well. Boy London’s presentation leaned into the aesthetic’s edgy eyeliner via tightly lined eyes created using MAC’s Eye Kohl Eye Liner in Feline. The Bronx & Banco show, meanwhile, showcased ’90s supermodel energy with a glossy grunge glam, complete with that same MAC kohl pencil — this time in shades Coffee and Smolder.

9. Glossy Blowouts

Polished, blown-out hair was front and center at several shows, including Sandy Liang, where hairstylist Dylan Chavles created glossy strands with curled ends and a side part. The side part was also present at Christian Cowan: there, celebrity hairstylist Justine Marjan used Tresemmé’s Lacquer Shine Spray to craft a glass-like, 1950s-inspired blowout.

10. Extended Eyeliner

Eyeliner was easily the standout makeup product at NYFW. At Anna Sui, Pat McGrath went full vixen with colorful, graphic double eyeliner that stretched from models’ inner corners to their temples. A similarly dramatic liner moment appeared at Private Policy, where models wore inky black iterations of the look.