Pumpkin Spice Latte makeup went as fast as it came. Burnt orange palettes and pigments have already been set aside in favor of products in fall’s newest “It” color, cherry cola. The trend has nothing to do with the soda other than following the pattern of naming beauty looks after foods and, again, in this case, beverages. Instead, it’s creating beauty looks with the cola-y color as the main component. Much like the jolt of caffeine you’d get from a fountain soda, one swipe of vampy lipstick will wake up your face. If you are looking for something slightly longer lasting, consider this your sign to add a pop of dark red to your hair color this season or refresh your manicure in a shade of bold crimson.
No matter how you choose to incorporate the color, cherry cola “adds a bit of mystery to every look,” says Miss Pop, a New York City-based nail artist. We saw this as the edgy shade of red caught our attention when models wore moody manicures at the Prabal Gurung and Brandon Maxwell fall 2023 shows. The same was true at Carolina Herrera, Gucci, and Max Mara spring 2024, where bold lipstick made a statement down the runway.
Ready to add this shade to your own beauty repertoire? Ahead, three ways to make a splash in cherry cola this fall.
Cherry Cola Hair
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For brunettes, cherry cola hair is less of a commitment than you might think. “It’s a pretty way to add red tones without going full red,” says Shvonne Perkins, a master colorist at Madison Reed. With a dark brown base as the “cola” part of this color trend, Perkins says to ask for a dark red gloss (not copper or a vibrant red), which will add hints of “cherry,” and also minimize the amount of damage you could get and maintenance required with allover hair dye. For even more impact, consider adding reddish-purple highlights throughout dark brown hair, as seen on Issa Rae above.
For an at-home option, reach for a burgundy hair dye like the Revlon Colorsilk Beautiful Color Permanent Hair Color in 48 Burgandy or the Good Dye Young Semi-Permenant Hair color in the shade All In This Together.
Cherry Cola Lips
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The perfect cherry cola lip starts by lining your lips with a neutral brown lip liner (we love the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil), followed by a swipe of burgundy lipstick. “Blend out your lipstick with a lip brush, keeping most of the pigment on the center, then softly blend the rest of the product to the contoured corners,” says Los Angeles-based makeup artist Ash K Holm, who recommends the Buxom Full-On Satin Lipstick in the shade Magenta Maven (Holm is an ambassador for the brand).
Dior Rouge Dior Forever Liquid Lipstick in 943 Forever Shock and the MAC Matte Lipstick in Diva are also spot-on shades for this trend.
To let your lips do the talking, Holm recommends keeping your makeup base glowy, with a matte eyeshadow look (the Merit Soft Matte Eyeshadow in Social is a great complementing color) and a few swipes of mascara.
Cherry Cola Nails
Annie Blay
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Chances are half of your group chat currently has this cherry cola nail color. If you are ready to join the party, Miss Pop recommends using two to three coats of dark burgundy polish followed by a clear top coat for some shine. Her favorites include the Zoya nail polish in the shade Alyssa, Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in Rouge Noir, and Essie nail polish in the shade Berry Naughty.
While this shade can work on any nail shape, longer nails really up the vampy-ness, says Miss Pop. Not sure if lengthy almond nails are for you? Give it a temporary try with the Sally Hansen Perfect Manicure press on nails in the shade Cinna-Snap.
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