Fall head over heels for these fun and flirty makeup trends – whether you’re happily single, dating or in a relationship, there’s no denying the power of an on-trend look to boost your confidence. Go on, romance yourself… 

1. Coquette  

Blame 2023’s ‘Barbiecore’ and ‘balletcore’ trends if you must, but one of this year’s trends is a more light-hearted continuation of these ultra-feminine looks. Coquette is flirty, girly… Think giggles and pigtails and never growing up. Blushing pink, of course, is the order of the day: rosy cheeks, glossy bitten lips, doll-like lashes, a barely-there lick of liquid liner over lids and shaped yet natural-looking brows.  

2. Two-tone lips 

If you want your lips to be noticed, this is the look for you. Best of all? You can make it as bold or as subtle as you want. The only rule is to use complementary colours; generally the darker hue will adorn the top lip, with the lighter hue gracing the bottom to emphasise its fullness. 

If you’re feeling daring, try a combination of crimson and coral; for a more sophisticated look, a subdued pairing of rose and mauve, peach and apricot, or taupe and pink. There is a lot of variation to play with here: you could keep the whole situation matte and monochromatic, or experiment with frosted lip gloss or an ombre effect (lining the bottom lip with a darker colour). 

3. Red + Pink  

An obvious choice for Valentine’s month (though not for the faint-hearted), this colour combo has a number of iterations, from spicy-cheeky-bold two-tone eyes (think fire-engine red eyeshadow with sparkly hot-pink lids) that are sure to get you noticed on the dance floor, to a more work-friendly version with rose-tinted lids and berry-stained lips.  

4. The Bluest Eye 

Mermaidcore (yes, another ‘-core’, yawn) is growing up, and now she’s morphed into the more refined blue-eye trend. Where mermaidcore was whimsical and fantasy-like, the blue eye this year will be about understated elegance and glamour, from a simple navy flick for a grown-up cat’s eye, to smoky, shimmering midnight-blue lids. 

5. Graphic wings 

An alluring cat’s eye is shamelessly romantic – à la Emily in Paris – but the trend RN is to push the envelope… Not a little, but a lot. Try a boldly hued liner (neon orange or electric yellow, anyone?), a double-winged cat’s eye, or an extra-chunky wing… Some trendsetters have even been known to overlay the latter with a peacock-green shimmer. Let your imagination run wild.