September 2022 was the proper return-to-routine month. New York Fashion Week opened with the Spring 2023 schedule the second week of the month and ran loud and well-attended for the first time since 2019. The post-Labor Day office reset put a real demand back on bag-friendly products that worked through a long Tuesday. Backstage at the shows the makeup conversation pivoted decisively toward graphic eyeliner, refined skin, and the kind of fall lipstick we had not been wearing through the bare-skin summer. Here is what defined our routines and the wishlist as the year tipped properly into autumn.
Graphic eyeliner came back — properly
The defined eyeliner moment had been threatening across runway shows for two seasons, and Spring 2023 made it explicit. Tom Ford‘s show closed with a smudgy black wing on every model; Dior‘s show notes called for a sharp Cleopatra line. The product everyone we asked recommended for the look was Charlotte Tilbury‘s Hollywood Exagger-Eyes Liquid Liner, which kept the smooth-on-application properties of a felt tip with the longevity of a gel pencil. KVD Beauty‘s Tattoo Liner remained the cult-status reference for anyone who had been wearing a wing for years. The under-twenty-five customer was reaching for NYX‘s Epic Ink at a fraction of the price. The result on the runway was sharp; the result at the office was a small, deliberate flick that read more “back to work, with intention” than “1960s Twiggy.”
Foundation quietly returned
The lighter-coverage tide of summer had finally pulled back, and proper foundation returned with new formulas that did not feel like the matte-cake we had spent five years avoiding. Westman Atelier‘s Vital Skincare Complexion Drops, launched earlier in 2022, were the editor reference for any “real coverage that still looked like skin” conversation. Armani Beauty‘s Luminous Silk Foundation kept its place on the prestige shelf and was as good as ever. Make Up For Ever‘s HD Skin Foundation took the more affordable, longer-wear lane that performed under camera. The big shift between September and August was simply that we were back at desks and on dinners that ran past midnight, and the base needed to last accordingly.
Cuticle oil and nail care went serious
The “clean girl” aesthetic that dominated TikTok through September had set off a quieter, more interesting conversation about nail care — short, polished, well-cuticled, the opposite of acrylic-with-art. Olive & June‘s nail care system, with its iconic clip-on bottle handle, had become the at-home pedicure default for half our friends; the cuticle serum was the standout. Dazzle Dry‘s four-step polish system kept the prestige route, with a cure time fast enough to actually use on a busy weekday morning. Essie‘s Apricot Nail and Cuticle Oil at four dollars at any drugstore was, against all odds, still the universally-recommended starting point. The category was not glamorous and the pleasure of it was small, but the difference an oil-once-a-day routine made by month-end was undeniable.
Fall hair colour refreshed
The annual fall hair colour reset was at full volume by mid-September, with copper, chocolate brunette, and “expensive-looking” strawberry blonde dominating editorial. Color Wow‘s Root Cover Up powder, used to extend a salon visit by a few weeks, kept its place as the bag essential. Olaplex No. 9, which we wrote about in August, became the go-to maintenance step between salon visits. Davines‘s Alchemic Conditioner in colour-matched tones — copper, chocolate, golden — quietly delivered the same gloss-treatment effect as a salon visit at a fraction of the price. The autumn rule we kept hearing from colourists was: do not chase a brand-new colour, refresh the one you are committed to.
Skincare went back to actives
The summer-suspended retinol routine was back on every dermatologist’s recommendation through September, and the conversation around vitamin C, AHAs, and retinaldehyde was at full volume. SkinCeuticals‘s C E Ferulic, which we had been taking off every summer to avoid sun-product friction, slotted back into the morning routine with new urgency. Drunk Elephant‘s A-Passioni retinol cream took the gentler-introduction route. Sunday Riley‘s Luna Sleeping Oil kept the prestige editorial reference. The advice that kept coming up: ramp slowly through September, stack actives carefully (not all on the same night), and remember that the dryness you saw in the first month was the bargain you struck for the smoothness six months later.
Closing
September closed with a small black liquid eyeliner in the makeup bag, a half-empty bottle of cuticle oil that needed reordering, a freshly glossed colour result from a Sunday wash, and a retinol regimen back in the bedside drawer. The whole month had a productive, returning-to-form quality. We will be back on the third Tuesday of the month with our look at Fall 2022 fashion from the big brands — what walked the New York runway in February, and what is filtering into stores once the temperature actually drops. See you then.
Shop the edit
- The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 — a hydration step for the fall reset.
- L’Oréal Paris True Match Foundation — a fall-ready everyday foundation.
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick — a classic fall lip.
- K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask — post-summer hair repair.
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