Soft Autumn makeup

How to choose makeup for this muted season

Muted Autumn is just a second name for this season. When a color is muted, it carries a little gray or brown in the mix, which keeps it quiet instead of loud. Your makeup should stick to that idea, since bright or icy shades steal the show.

In low-contrast coloring, your skin, hair and eyes sit at similar depths of light and dark. With coloring like that, soft edges and blended color feel more natural than anything sharp.

A fast way to test a shade is to hold it beside your face in natural daylight and check it in a mirror. Selfies aren't as reliable, because phone cameras and indoor lighting both change how skin reads. When a shade evens out your skin and makes your eyes look clear, it's a good one. When the color is the first thing anyone would notice, it's too much.

Soft autumn lipstick shades

Your best lipsticks build on a base of soft brown, peach or rose. This is what each of the 5 shades does best.

Warm nude and dusty rose make the easiest first picks, since they look like your lips, only softer. Rose brown and muted terracotta add depth while steering clear of the harsh look that deep purple or burgundy would give.

Which finishes work with soft coloring?

Gentle finishes belong with gentle coloring. Satin lipstick has a soft sheen, not flat and not glossy, and it's a great everyday choice. Sheer formulas work well too, because your own lip tone comes through and keeps things light.

Matte is a flat finish without shine. It can be lovely in your shades, especially in rose brown or muted terracotta. Shimmer, meanwhile, is best as a gentle gleam on the lids. The finish to skip is anything frosty or icy, since it reads cold against warm skin.

Blush shades

Aim for blush that looks like a real flush, not a painted stripe.

• Soft peach: light golden warmth
• Dusty coral: a touch more color, still gentle
• Warm rose: a soft pink with no cool edge
• Toasted almond: a brown-leaning shade for quiet shape

Eyeshadow and eyeliner

Earthy eyeshadow makes your eyes look clearer. Warm champagne works as your lightest lid shade. Soft taupe makes an easy, everyday neutral. For extra depth, turn to muted bronze, sage green and cocoa brown. Green with a muted cast, sage in particular, makes Soft Autumn eyes look brighter almost instantly.

For liner, go with espresso brown, deep olive or warm pewter rather than black. Black near your face feels heavy and can drag out the shadows under your eyes. The softer darks define your eyes just as well without that weight.

Nail polish

Your nail colors sit nicely beside brushed gold and bronze jewelry, both of them quiet against your skin.

• Mushroom taupe: a no-fuss neutral, nearly a match for your best neutral shade
• Sage leaf: a gentle green that picks up one of your signature shades
• Dusty salmon: warmth that never shouts
• Warm mahogany: a deep, rich option when you're after depth

An everyday look

1. Dab a little soft peach blush on your cheeks to add gentle warmth.
2. Brush a wash of soft taupe across your lids for subtle definition.
3. Line along your lashes in espresso brown, then soften the line so it never looks harsh.
4. Complete the look by applying warm nude or dusty rose lipstick, satin or sheer.

An evening look

Rather than starting over, layer onto your daytime look.

1. Pat a little muted bronze or sage green shimmer on the middle of each lid for a gentle glow.
2. Run cocoa brown along the lash line to add depth to your eyes.
3. Reach for rose brown or muted terracotta lips when you want more richness.
4. If evening light leaves your cheeks pale, dust on a little warm rose blush.

Makeup shades to skip

These shades clash with soft, warm coloring.

• Liquid liner and mascara in jet black: black sits heavily next to your face and can deepen the shadows beneath your eyes.
• Lipstick in cool bubblegum pink or bright fuchsia: color that's both bright and cool overpowers soft coloring, so the lipstick gets noticed before you do.
• Icy silver or frosty white highlighter: a cool frost chills your look, much as shiny silver jewelry would.
• Lip stains in deep purple or dark burgundy: too dark and too cool for your gentle warmth.

Clothing follows the same rule: black, magenta and fuchsia, along with bright cobalt, deep royal blue and burgundy, all belong on the skip list too.