October's beauty playlist is all about the autumn version of ourselves This month's moods, soundtracked by Loredana Bertè, The Neighbourhood, Khaled, Bonobo feat. Nilüfer Yanya, MAX & Andy Grammer, and Golden Years, Franco126 & Dov'è Liana
October is different from September. In September, we still have the illusion that we can start over: buy a new planner, sign up for Pilates, organize our wardrobes, and suddenly become the kind of people who prepare breakfast the night before. By October, however, we're officially back. The days are getting shorter, we need a jacket in the morning, it's already dark by seven, and we've stopped pretending that summer might last just one more weekend. Autumn also starts to get interesting from a beauty perspective. We're bringing back the fragrances that linger on our scarves the next day, our makeup becomes a little more intense, we start paying attention to our skin again after months of SPF and seaside escapes, and, inevitably, we feel the urge to change our hair. October's Beauty Playlist explores six versions of ourselves that make an appearance every autumn: the one who wants to completely reinvent her look, the one rediscovering dark lipstick, the one who would happily spend Sunday under a blanket, the one who wears perfume even to the supermarket, the one who romanticizes the rain, and the one who, inevitably, is already missing summer by the middle of the month.
How to use October's beauty playlist
October doesn't demand a new version of ourselves. If anything, it invites us to rediscover the ones we already know, the ones that somehow reappear as soon as temperatures drop below 68°F.
- Choose the autumn version of yourself that feels most like you, even if it changes three times throughout the day.
- Pair each track with a beauty moment, from getting ready in front of the mirror to your Sunday evening skincare routine.
- Switch up your textures and fragrances with the season, without turning the change in temperature into another to-do list.
- Treat yourself to a little, completely unnecessary pleasure: a darker lipstick, a scented hand cream, or mascara, even if you're only stepping out for ten minutes.
- Don't fight your summer nostalgia. It's part of the October package.
The rule remains the same as with every other Beauty Playlist: you don't have to do it all. You just have to find the right rhythm for the day.
A song for every beauty moment
When you look at your hair and decide you absolutely need a change
It happens like clockwork. All it takes is the first leather jacket of the season, a picture saved on Pinterest, or one morning when our hair simply refuses to cooperate, and suddenly we want bangs, a bob, to go red, or at least to cut off those two inches we've been defending as if our identity depended on them. October is the perfect month for a little reinvention, and Non sono una signora is the ideal soundtrack for doing it without asking anyone's permission.
Track: Non sono una signora – Loredana Bertè
Mood: Rebellious, bold, transformative
Beauty vibe: Hair makeover, glowing skin, black mascara
Products to match the mood:
- SEPHORA COLLECTION It's a Stretch Mascara: An ultra-black tubing mascara designed to add volume and length. Perfect when the rest of your look can stay simple, but your eyes need to make a statement.
- YSL Beauty Skin Affair Cushion Foundation: A cushion foundation with a soft-glow finish, for that polished but not overly perfected complexion that lets your new haircut take center stage.
- LEPO Blush Golden Hour:A warm touch of color on the cheeks that preserves a little of the light that's beginning to disappear outside.
Why it works: Because sometimes we don't actually want to change our lives. We just want to change our makeup and our hair and see what happens.
When it's raining outside and staying in feels like a great plan
There are October Sundays when canceling all your plans doesn't feel antisocial at all. It feels perfectly seasonal. A long shower, hair tied up, skincare without watching the clock, and ideally no intention of putting your shoes back on. Sweater Weather has practically turned this feeling into a season of its own. It doesn't even have to be particularly cold outside. All you need is a sufficiently gray sky.
Track: Sweater Weather – The Neighbourhood
Mood: Cozy, introspective, comforting
Beauty vibe: Home spa, nourished skin, beautifully scented body
Products to match the mood:
- Glode Lab Iconic Miracle Mask: The mask to reach for when skincare stops being something you rush through before bed and becomes part of your evening plans.
- Rituals Uukumwe Hydrating 2 Phase Body Oil: A hydrating two-phase body oil to massage into your skin slowly. Exactly the kind of ritual that suddenly makes perfect sense when sweaters and hot showers return.
- Kess Berlin Scented Hand Cream: A scented hand cream to keep on your bedside table and start using again as soon as temperatures drop.
Why it works: Because October reminds us that staying home isn't a backup plan.
When you start wearing perfume again, even to go to the supermarket
In summer, perfume can become almost an accessory: heat, the sea, SPF, body mists. Then October arrives, and suddenly we're rediscovering the pleasure of smelling a fragrance on our neck, in our hair, and on our sweaters. Not necessarily because we're going anywhere special. Sometimes the loveliest perfume is the one we wear for no particular occasion, whether we're going out to buy milk or taking the dog for a walk.
Track: Aïcha – Khaled
Mood: Sensual, warm, magnetic
Beauty vibe: Statement fragrance, soft lips, glowing skin
Products to match the mood:
- Goutal Petite Chérie Eau de Parfum: Pear, peach, rose, white musk, and vanilla come together in a fruity-floral fragrance that feels intimate yet unmistakable.
- Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Peptide Gloss Balm Lip Treatment: A treatment, balm, and gloss all in one, formulated with peptides and shea butter. Perfect for bringing glossy lips back into our routines as the first cold days arrive.
- ALYVAL Confidence Ritual: Because intimate wellness can also become part of those little, invisible rituals we perform primarily for ourselves.
Why it works: Because wearing perfume without having somewhere special to go is perhaps one of the most underrated beauty rituals of all.
When dark lipstick suddenly makes sense again
For months, we've been living on lip balms, sheer glosses, and that my lips but better effect. Then all it takes is one shorter day and a coat to remind us how beautiful a more intense color can be. Burgundy, plum, brown, deep red: there's no need to wait until November or for a special dinner. Autumn makeup can start at ten in the morning.
Track: Youth's Fountain – Bonobo feat. Nilüfer Yanya
Mood: Sophisticated, hypnotic, nocturnal
Beauty vibe: Deep lips, even complexion, defined eyes
Products to match the mood:
- Make Up For Ever Artist Colorglow Lip Balm: A 24-hour hydrating lip balm with hyaluronic acid that revitalizes and plumps the lips. In autumn, it suddenly feels exactly right.
- Studio Fondotinta 4K: A foundation to pair with a bolder makeup look, letting your lips and eyes bring all the character.
- Tatcha The Brightening Eye Cream: A brightening, dark-circle-reducing eye cream for when our makeup gets more intense but we'd still like to look like people who've had eight hours of sleep.
Why it works: Because there are colors we'll never really stop loving. We just wait for the right season to remind us.
When you romanticize the rain until you actually have to go out in it
The right playlist, a fogged-up window, and a hot drink can make even a rainy Tuesday afternoon feel poetic. At least until we have to leave the house and catch the subway. October thrives on precisely this contradiction: we complain about the darkness while simultaneously lighting candles at 5:30 p.m. because it "sets the mood."
Track: The Thing I Love – MAX & Andy Grammer
Mood: Romantic, uplifting, feel-good
Beauty vibe: Rosy cheeks, glossy lips, golden-hour skin, even without the golden hour
Products to match the mood:
- ISDIN Fusion Water MAGIC Color SPF 50: Because a gray sky doesn't mean we can take a break from sun protection. A tinted formula can also fit effortlessly into our everyday makeup routine.
- Astra Make-Up Exfoliating Skin-Perfecting Treatment: A product to incorporate into our routine when the change of season makes us want to pay a little more attention to our skin's texture.
- Chanel Le Vernis: A long-lasting nail polish in a spectacular shade, perfect for a little nail-care moment accompanied by a cinnamon tea.
Why it works: Because romanticizing October is a small but essential seasonal survival skill. Even when it's actually raining.
When you're already missing summer by mid-October
It's inevitable. We spent August complaining about the heat and September wishing for autumn. Then one particularly cold evening arrives, and suddenly we miss eating dinner outdoors, going out with wet hair, and not having to check the weather before getting dressed. Tighididà by Golden Years, Franco126 & Dov'è Liana has that light, slightly nostalgic energy that perfectly captures the final autumn version of ourselves.
Track: Tighididà – Golden Years, Franco126 & Dov'è Liana
Mood: Nostalgic, light, melancholic
Beauty vibe: Lingering glow, evening skincare, last memories of summer
Products to match the mood:
- Celimax Vita-A Retinal Shot Tightening Cream: October is also the time when our evening skincare routine becomes a more structured ritual again, after the carefree simplicity of summer.
- BECOS Crema-Gel Drenante Gambe Leggere: A fast-absorbing gel cream that delivers an immediate sensation of freshness and lightness. Perfect for when our legs start disappearing beneath jeans and tights but still deserve a little attention.
- Rhode Highlight Milk: A hybrid highlighter with a milky texture that hydrates the skin and gives it a natural, pearlescent glow. Wear it alone or with makeup. Perfect for keeping a little golden-hour radiance on your skin, even when the October sun sets far too early.
Why it works: Because we can love autumn and miss August at the same time. Fortunately, the two aren't mutually exclusive.
In October, we don't have to become anyone new
That's what makes October more reassuring than September: it doesn't ask us to start over. We don't have to become more organized, more productive, more disciplined, or suddenly committed to a twelve-step morning routine. We're already back in the thick of the year, with our days settling into their usual rhythm and a clearer idea of which September resolutions will survive and which won't. We can change our hair and regret it, go out wearing the darkest lipstick at eleven in the morning, put on perfume just to buy bread, spend an entire Sunday at home, and complain the next day that it's already dark by seven. We can even spend eleven months looking forward to autumn and start missing summer as soon as it arrives. Our autumn selves aren't new people. They're still the same old us, just with an extra sweater, a different perfume, and a better playlist.
