According to recent red carpets and fashion week runways, shades of plum and burgundy are leading seasonal trends this year and coming for everything from our closets to our makeup vanities.
Ahead, we tapped an expert to get to the bottom of it.
Shades of eggplant brown, cherry mocha, and robust merlot red are trending across fall and winter fashion as well as beauty, offering a rich alternative to lighter neutrals as the season shifts into cooler, moodier tones.
The rich tone is especially flattering on darker features because deep red-purple undertones complement brown eyes or hair, emphasizing amber and gold tones—making it an easy way to add warmth to cold-weather makeup.
To tackle the trend, E! tapped longtime makeup artist to the stars Jenny Patinkin—whose notable clients include Rachel Brosnahan and Kristin Cavallari—to break down exactly why burgundy eye makeup is so flattering, who it suits best, the easiest ways to wear it and the MUA's favorite beginner-friendly products worth shopping.
And with the holiday season fast approaching, the time to master this flattering eye trend is now—not right before a holiday party.
The beauty trend has taken social media by storm. Brunettes on TikTok are insisting that "burgundy eye makeup," garnering thousands of shopping searches, is the must-try eye-enhancing trend on everyone's lips (well, lids) for fall and winter 2027.
"Burgundy, wine, plum and other deep colors have come and gone over the years," says makeup artist Jenny Patinkin, who credits the shades' timeless appeal. "It always reminds me of the Chanel Vamp days in the mid-1990s when dark, moody colors were all the rage."
The makeup artist has been practicing since 2008 and says the jewel tone makes sense for the pre-holiday season. "Especially if you use a shimmery formula. It reminds me of rich velvet fabrics which feel festive for the holidays."
Patinkin recommends five products for creating a burgundy eye look. For mascara, she likes the L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara in Deep Burgundy, which can be worn alone, layered with brown or black, or just tipped with black for dimension.
She also recommends the Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner in Bordeaux, "smudged at the base of the lashes and/or used to tightline." She also likes the Diorshow Liquid Liner in Satin Burgundy. "You can also build this as a cat eye shape or get more graphic with it in the socket line," or crease.
The MUA favors the Armani Eye Tint in Mahogany. "This is my favorite! Use it all over the lid in a sheer application, then add more at the outer corners to deepen and give more drama."
She also uses the Laura Mercier Eyeshadow Stick in Port Leather, which she says is "great for a sheer wash of color all over the lid and then diffused into the socket line."
Love a drug store dupe in a professional kit! The MUA uses this affordable mascara either on its own to add a purple-brown tint to the eyes or just on the tips of lashes, over black mascara, to enhance the eyes with less color.
"This is my favorite!" says the celeb makeup artist. This bestseller is a multi-use liquid shadow infused with water for a buildable and long-lasting formula. "Use it all over the lid in a sheer application, then add more at the outer corners to deepen and give more drama," she says.
It's no surprise finding Victoria Beckham's beauty line in a professional's kit. This liner glides on effortlessly and blends out just as well. The artist likes to use it "smudged at the base of the lashes or used to tightline."
Like all makeup trends, it can be as complicated or wearable as you want it to be, with the artist saying, "Anything goes!"
"It can be as simple as using a smudgy burgundy shadow to line the eyes for daytime," says Patinkin, "and using a burgundy eyeliner to tightline under the upper lash line or do a full liquid cat eye look for night."
The artist likes sneaking the warm shade into daily looks in place of typical neutrals, like black or brown.
"It's a very sophisticated alternative to gray and black," says Patinkin, adding that plum shades can bring extra warmth to an icy makeup look.
For a quick but effective option, burgundy mascaras add subtle warm undertones on their own, "or can be worn together [with black mascara] adding burgundy to just the tips of your lashes, to create dimension," says Patinkin.
"I love using my Jenny Patinkin Smokey Eyes Brush to create a hazy, diffused look that mixes burgundy with deep brown," she tells E!
Clinique's cult-favorite Black Honey shade has made its way to your lashes with this deep berry-brown mascara. The volumizing formula is infused with fibers that effectively create length. The iconic shade is a subtle burgundy-brown that feels approachable for daily wear.
For just $5, TikTok's favorite Lash Princess mascara arrives in a dreamy plum hue. For a high-dimensional effect, apply standard black mascara first, then use this to coat the ends for extra definition, says the makeup artist.
Thrive's bestselling tubing mascaras arrives in a pretty berry-brown shade that offers a soft entry point into trying the burgundy eye trend. This award-winning formula is said to perform without clumping, flaking, or smudging and removes easily with warm water, making it a strong beginner-friendly pick.
At just $10, ColourPop’s mascara is one of the easiest—and most affordable—ways to try burgundy eye makeup. The highly pigmented formula adds long-lasting volume and creates a noticeable wine-colored tint that's not overwhelming, appealing on its own or with a smoky eyeshadow look just as well.
Urban Decay's famous gel eyeliners got a massive upgrade recently with the launch of these new two-sided liners. Said to offer 24 hours of waterproof wear, this gel-like liner applies easily with a precision tip and includes a dual-ended brush for filling, smudging, and blending on the go.
If you're past the beginner stages of makeup, go for a professional pick with the makeup line created by Euphora's makeup artist. Half Magic offers an intense eyeliner with big color payoff for 16 hours of waterproof wear with a slim almond-shaped tip that's perfect for flicking out a winged liner.
The brand brings its iconic Black Honey shade to its eyeliner assortment with this rich berry-brown gel pencil. The bestselling gel pencil is ultra-pigmented, waterline-safe, lasts up to 24 hours and glides on easily without tugging the skin.
Your cosmetic case is begging for this shadow stick. Selena Gomez's bestselling beauty brand offers an easy one-piece product to quickly achieve a burgundy eye. The Rare Beauty Eyeshadow Stick is weightless, blendable, and works well on its own or combined with other eye products as well.
This compact nine-pan eyeshadow palette from Huda Beauty is one product that can offer countless looks. The Rich color story mixes mattes with metallic and shimmer finishes to effortlessly create a dramatic smoky eye or simple daily eye look just as well.
According to reviews, shoppers have crowned this rich, shimmery plum-brown shade as the ultimate single shadow. The hybrid formula glides on like a cream shadow, but blends out like a liquid and finishes like a powder with buildable pigment that's easy to move around while building, then stays put all day & night long.
This exquisite palette is by far the best bang for your buck with 12 pans of matte and shiny pigments for under $20. The shadows are said to be creamy and easy to blend, and can be applied wet or dry, making it easy to create a soft look or build into something more dramatic.
As for who burgundy eye makeup can suit best, Patinkin says there are no rules.
"It's a good color for brunettes because it's low contrast," says Patinkin. "Meaning there's not as dramatic a difference as there would be between light eyes, hair, or skin and the darker-toned burgundy as there might be with other coloring," she says.
"On deeper skin tones, selecting a burgundy shadow or liner with a little metallic or shimmer finish can be very, very flattering and can accentuate small flecks of color in the eyes."
But the trend doesn't apply to dark features only. "A touch of burgundy mascara can be subtle even if you have very light lashes," Patinkin tells E! "Burgundy can make green eyes in particular really pop, even if it's worn only as a liner or tightliner."
Since a burgundy look can be applied to any and all eye or skin tones, the makeup artist also warns against the one way the look can go wrong. "It can be problematic on anyone who has any redness around their eyes, especially on the inner rims, as it can make them just look irritated and inflamed." So if you're dealing with redness, just use an anti-red eye drop before starting your glam.
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