Cool-toned lip liner has grown 224.7 percent year over year across platforms, according to Spate’s Popularity Index—and it’s not alone. Cool-toned blush and contour are also among the fastest-growing categories in makeup right now. After years of caramel blushes, bronzed lids and sun-kissed everything, makeup is having a temperature check, and the answer is cool.
Featured Experts
- Taylor Healey is a celebrity makeup artist
- Donni Davy is the Euphoria head makeup artist
Why Cool Tones Are Having a Moment
“I think ’90s and Y2K beauty is really influential at the moment,” says celebrity makeup artist Taylor Healey, who put Hilary Duff in a lavender-heavy look for her recent tour. “I also think people were ready for a change after years of warm, caramel tones trending in beauty—cooler colors immediately feel fresh and different.”
Euphoria head makeup artist Donni Davy sees it as pushback against beauty’s warm-tone default. “I think we’ve been fed this idea that warmer colors are easier to wear, and I think people are feeling a little rebellious and wanting to go against the grain,” she says. “Warms on warms create a really monochromatic ‘pretty’ look, but they blend in. Cool-toned makeup is more fun and eye-catching, and it feels good to look and feel different. It’s like picking a different outfit to wear each day—it gives you a new attitude and different energy.”
Who Can Wear It? Everyone—With a Caveat
Both artists agree the trend isn’t reserved for a specific skin tone, but the execution matters. “Cool-toned makeup can work on everyone, but the same cool shades won’t flatter everyone equally,” Healey notes. “The trick is adjusting how cool you go based on skin undertone, depth and contrast.”
Davy takes an even more freeing stance: “There are no rules when it comes to makeup. Anyone can wear cool-toned makeup. Pick a color you are drawn to and wear it.” Her entry-point recommendation for cool-tone beginners is blue. “It’s a cool-toned shade that’s especially flattering on everyone. It stands out against all skin tones, especially if you have a formula that’s really pigmented.”
How to Spot Cool vs. Warm
Not sure what counts as “cool”? Healey has a foolproof method: “An easy way is to think yellow/orange vs. blue/purple. Another useful trick is to compare two similar colors side by side—undertone becomes much easier to see through comparison than looking at one product alone. Put a peach blush next to a blue-pink blush, or an orange-red lipstick next to a blue-red. The temperature becomes obvious.”
How to Wear Cool-Toned Makeup
If a full cool-toned face feels like a leap, Davy suggests a hybrid approach. “I love to mix cool tones with warm tones, and to mix unexpected colors like lavender and red, because you’re soaking in two different vibes at once,” she says. “It stops and makes you think. It’s really eye-catching.”
Shop the Cool-Toned Makeup Trend
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