The Outdated Beauty Trends You're Going To Want To Ditch For Summer 2025

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2025 has been in a subtractive mood, stylistically — a year of reduction. The chunky sneaker trend is now officially outdated, having moved over for slimmer soles. Meanwhile, skinny scarves have slipped back into circulation, among the hottest fashion trends that celebs are already wearing. 

Granted, some slender silhouettes remain in exile. Skinny jeans remain persona non grata for all but the Y2k-inspired singer PinkPantheress. Early aughts large handbags, meanwhile, have come back with a vengeance. But these are outliers. Even color has retreated. The shade to be adding to all your outfits for spring and summer this year is butter yellow — a hue so unassertive it becomes its own kind of statement.

Beauty trends have followed suit. Luna Viola, a red carpet hair and make-up artist from Los Angeles, told Women exclusively that this year, "there will definitely be more focus on natural skin" suggesting that texture, not coverage, is where the attention lies. Her forecast reflects much of what 2025 already suggests: that beauty, like fashion, is shedding its excess. Fortunately for us, Viola shared her take on the key beauty shifts to know now, and the looks that might just revive your Hot Girl Summer.

Full-coverage foundation should be the first to get ghosted when the heat index rises this year. It's okay to let it fade from the group chat when the vacation plans become real. In the glare of natural light and the inevitability of sweat, anything too heavy tends to separate. The thicker it is, the more visible the failure. As Luna Viola told Women, "A light to medium coverage foundation with SPF and a dewy finish will add that radiant, healthy look perfect for beach days."

And this shift isn't just aesthetic. Lighter textures allow skincare to do its work, which is especially useful when SPF becomes the day's central character. Don't be afraid to plan your routine around your UV shield. After all, when it comes to your skin, you can never be too careful, and sunscreen layering is the internet hack we can get behind. In the meantime, the full-coverage holdouts can take a seasonal sabbatical –- ideally somewhere far from your pores.

The hyper-glazed look may have ruled the grid in 2016, but we as a society have since evolved. Back then, the cheekbones were treated like high-beam headlights — lit for maximum impact. But under the real sun and no filter, shimmer this aggressive has a tendency to betray its purpose. As Viola said, "Heavy glittery highlighter will make the make-up look overdone, even for evening looks. Less is more!" Too much glow throws off the flow.

Should you still feel drawn to the idea of luminosity, rest assured. It still works, as long as it doesn't do too much. Viola recommends "adding a soft highlighter strategically to create a natural glow on cheekbones and brow bones." Applied with a lighter hand, this keeps the skin looking freshly hydrated and your look firmly in the now.

The nude brown lip has survived the '90s and the Kardashians, but it might not make it through another heatwave. Not if Luna Viola has anything to say about it, at least. According to the red carpet make-up artist, the season's mouth is moving on. "Neutral shades and overlined lips are being replaced with brighter fun shades like coral and berries," she told Women. She suggests smudging the edges for a soft, "just been kissed" effect. Techniques like the 'V lip Technique' can help you achieve this application flawlessly.

Once the sun sets, even fans of clean-girl minimalism might welcome a little shine. "Bolder, fun glossy lipstick shades will be the summer statement look for the evening," Viola adds. Washes of bright color remain one of the best entries into dopamine beauty looks that improve your mood. Red, especially, remains a classic. Gloss is one of the ways to bring a pop of red into your makeup looks without feeling overdone. Just ask one of the many celebrities who have mastered the art of the red lip.

Shiny, low-effort, and vaguely nostalgic – no wonder lip gloss made a comeback. But this year, as far as trends are concerned, it's no longer the hottest thing under the sun. The lacquered lips of the millennium beauty boom just aren't making waves like they used to. But, as Luna Viola noted, they're "being replaced with natural lip oil balms for a more kissable natural lip, in tune with the glowy, effortless trend."

If getting kissed is anywhere on your to-do list this summer, "the oil glosses are moisturizing and non-sticky," Viola added, "Perfect for a windy summer day at the beach." There are plenty on the market; Wyn Beauty's No Words Needed lip serum – part of Serena Williams' utterly inspired foray into tennis-core beauty – totally aces the brief. Elsewhere, brands like Summer Fridays, Clinique, and e.l.f. are also making it easy to pack light and still shine. Naked Sunday's lip oil even has SPF 50 in it, so you can protect and perfect your lips in a single swipe.

The art of contouring — that defining ritual of the full-beat era, and once the cornerstone of "iPhone face" geometry — has moved crabwise out of focus. It's one of the drastic ways makeup trends have changed from 2015 to 2025. "Heavy sculpting contouring is being replaced by a gentle, natural-looking bronze that adds a sun-kissed natural tan to the face," said make-up artist Luna Viola. "This is the perfect summer look vibe that can be highlighted with glow drops for added radiance for any occasion."

As with all the aforementioned trends, this is part of a larger movement towards diffusion. Get glowing with golden-hour makeup, or ease into the softened edges of bronze monochrome makeup, the sun-kissed summer look you've been searching for. Whichever direction you take, aim for something your wonderful weather-warmed light can live in.