You know fall has officially set in when every day’s weather suddenly calls for sweaters and your usual cup of coffee has been replaced by a pumpkin spice latte. This autumn, the seasonal gourd is breaking out of its pie mold and spilling into your makeup bag. Pumpkin spice latte makeup is the latest food-inspired trend heating up on TikTok. This is not exactly a shocking twist: Its predecessor latte makeup — defined by bronzed cheeks and nude lips — ruled the beauty scene on the app over the summer. Now that there’s a chill in the air, creators are warming up their latte looks with shades of rustic orange and cinnamon brown — and it’s clearly catching on, as evidenced by the 7.3 million views on the #pumpkinspicemakeup. “It effortlessly transitions to a more autumnal palette,” says New York City-based makeup artist J. Guerra, “and evokes the feel-good vibe of the season.”
Of course, shades of orange — including deep auburn, copper, and rust — are essential for this look, but like a good recipe, this calls for more than one ingredient, or rather, makeup color. “Pumpkin spice latte makeup includes tones like muted brown sugar and hues of roasted spices to give the perfect fall topping to your makeup look,” says Guerra. Similar to a drinkable PSL, the base of this makeup look is anchored in toasty brown and cream coffee-inspired hues. To start, Guerra suggests adding a drop of gold or bronze liquid highlighter into your foundation to create a glowy base. He’s been reaching for the Westman Atelier Liquid Super Loaded All-Over Illuminator Drops with Vitamin C in the shade Peau De Soleil.
After applying your foundation and concealer, warm up your complexion even more by dusting bronzer on the contours of your face — if you have a shade with red or orange undertones, even better. We recommend the Juvia’s Place Bronzed Duo which comes in five shades from light to deep.
As for spicing things up, think of your eyes, cheeks, and lips as the “pumpkin cream foam” to your “latte” base. You can pick just one of those features to highlight or play up the color theme across your entire face. Guerra recommends applying a muted peach or rich terracotta blush to your cheekbones. The Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in the shade Love topped with the Nars Blush in the shade Taj Mahal creates a pumpkin-spiced flush of color. Or if you have a bronzer that is a bit too orangey for contouring, this is the perfect opportunity to repurpose it as a blush.
On the eyes, Guerra says to blend a matte soft brown eyeshadow across your crease with a fluffy shadow brush. “This sets the tone for the warmer hues,” says Guerra. Once you have this base, layer on a matte burnt-orange shade over the entire eyelid. Add a touch of shine with a shimmery gold, copper, or bronze shade in the center of the lid for added dimension. The Huda Beauty Brown Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in Caramel and the Danessa Myricks Beauty Colorfix Multi-Use Pigment in the shades Gilded, Hot Fire, or Spark are all great choices for this look.
To add a little smokiness, trace a dark brown eyeliner just on the outer corners of your eyes, then use a small eyeshadow brush to blend it tightly along your upper lash line. On the lower lash line, “take the same burnt-orange shade [you used on your lids] and lightly smudge it to tie the whole look together” says Guerra. A few swipes of brown mascara complete the look with a softer finish than inky black lashes.
To let your eyes (and cheeks!) do most of the talking, we recommend an elevated neutral lip. Line your lips with brown lip liner (we love the Mac Lip Pencil in Chestnut), then apply light rusty pink lipstick like the Merit Signature Lipstick in Slip, and finally top it off with a warm shimmery gloss like Ami Colé Hydrating Lip Treatment Oil in 5/17 for a touch of shine.