Green has often been called the colour of Generation Z, but this autumn it is turning up on make-up bags of every age. Writing for Vanity Fair Italia, Armando Grillo explains that the shade is far more adaptable than its bold reputation suggests. It can be loud, in pistachio, emerald or chartreuse, or quiet and earthy, in sage, olive and mint. For autumn 2026, the message is restraint: green as a finishing touch rather than the star of the show.
A flicker of green around the eyes
Claudio Ciccolella, Sephora’s national make-up artist in Italy, told the magazine that green works best this season as a sophisticated detail that makes a look feel current without tipping into excess. His suggestions are easy to try at home. Brush a green mascara lightly over the lashes to catch the light, swap a black or brown pencil for a green one, or draw a fine line of green eyeliner, perhaps with a touch of glitter, as seen on the Dior runway. For something braver, he likes a deep green along the inner rim of the eye or dabbed on as a single point of light.
Everything else stays calm. Skin should look almost bare, using creamy textures that melt in, concealer only where it is needed, a soft glow on the high points and a little blush to shape the cheekbones. Lips keep to nudes, from peach and mauve to rose and beige, so that the green remains visible but elegant.
An old painter’s trick
Green has a much longer history in beauty than social media might suggest. The National Gallery in London notes that medieval Italian painters, following Byzantine practice, laid a base of green earth pigment under pink flesh tones to make faces look more lifelike. In some panels, such as Duccio’s Annunciation, the reds on top have faded over the centuries and the green beneath now shows through.
Today’s green colour correctors follow the same logic. Applied sparingly before foundation, they cancel out redness and small blemishes, which means you can wear lighter base make-up overall.
Carry the colour into your jewellery
A hint of green at the lash line pairs beautifully with green stones. Browse our emerald rings, emerald earrings and emerald pendants, or choose the fresher, lighter green of our peridot earrings and peridot rings. For a deeper forest tone, see our diopside earrings, or explore our full emerald jewellery collection.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia (Armando Grillo, “Trucco: manifesto naturale”, 2 November 2026); National Gallery, London (“Colour Stories: Green” and the catalogue entry for Duccio’s The Annunciation); The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (Illuminated: green earth).
