Toasty Makeup & “Smelling Expensive”: The New Beauty Status Symbols
- Merna Atef
- Nov 13
- 3 min read
Somewhere in Marylebone on a Saturday, you’ll see it.
Not the obvious, logo-heavy glamour of a decade ago – but a new kind of quiet flex:skin that looks like it’s still catching the last light of an August evening, and a perfume trail that smells like cashmere, polished wood and good decisions.
No one’s shouting about brands.But everything about the glow and the scent says: I take care of myself.
Welcome to 2025’s soft status symbols: toasty makeup and “smelling expensive.”
The rise of “toasty” skin: like golden hour, bottled
First came latte makeup, then cinnamon, pumpkin spice… and now toasty makeup has settled in as the warm, flattering face of Autumn/Winter 2025.
Vogue, Glamour and NellyRodi’s TikTok trend reports all describe the look the same way:
A bronzed, softly sculpted base
Peach, caramel or rust blush sweeping across cheeks (often kissing the bridge of the nose)
Eyes in hazelnut, copper and chocolate tones
Nude lips in honey, toffee or rose-brown
Think less “heavy contour” and more late-summer warmth that refuses to leave, even when the coats come out.
At the 2025 Albies in London, Amal Clooney turned up in a mocha Versace gown and full “toasty” glam – bronzed lids, hazelnut-nude lips, satiny cheeks – and the beauty press immediately crowned it the grown-up version of the trend. Glamour+1
It’s a look that works on almost everyone:
On deeper skin, it amplifies what’s already there with cinnamon and cocoa tones.
On fair skin, it mimics the kind of natural flush you get from real sun and fresh air, not a powder compact.
More importantly, it photographs beautifully. On Stories, Zoom or under a restaurant’s downlighting, toasty makeup reads as “healthy, rested and quietly expensive”, not “I spent three hours on this.”
Why this glow feels rich (even when the products aren’t)
Underneath the TikTok tutorials, there’s a cultural shift.
A full face of obvious glam used to say “night out.”In 2025, the flex is different: I look like I have good lighting, good skincare and a calm life.
Toasty makeup nails that energy because it’s built on:
Skin first: sheer bases, creamy textures, glow that looks like it might be coming from within (even if it isn’t).
Warmth, not sharpness: bronzer and blush wrap around the face like a gradient, instead of carving it into angles.
Effort that hides its own effort: neutral tones, but carefully placed; nothing screams “trend”, everything whispers “taste”.
Smelling expensive: perfume as soft power
If toasty makeup is the new face of status, fragrance is the new handshake.
Cosmetics Business calls “smelling expensive” one of the defining fragrance desires of the moment, while Lookfantastic’s 2025 trend report highlights it as a key behaviour for beauty lovers.
Cosmopolitan recently pointed out that “how to smell expensive” isn’t about flashing a logoed bottle – it’s about the overall aura: clean-but-opulent skin scents, airy musks, woods, ambery vanillas and the kind of sillage that makes people lean in on the escalator and ask, “Sorry, what are you wearing?”
The Guardian describes Gen Z’s perfume habits as a full-on boom: layering, “smellmaxxing”, niche brands and dupes, all used to build an olfactory identity rather than just masking odour. In other words, smelling expensive in 2025 is less about price tag and more about intentionality:
Choosing notes that feel like you – clean musk, milky sandalwood, soft leather, airy florals.
Layering fragrances on skin, hair and clothes to create a cloud that feels put-together but never overpowering.
Investing in textures – hair perfume, body oils, laundry fragrance – that make you smell “done” in every detail.
Glow + trail: the new quiet luxury duo
Together, toasty makeup and smelling expensive form a subtle but powerful aesthetic:
The face says: I get enough sleep, I drink water, I own more serums than stress.
The scent says: I notice details; I choose things carefully; I like staying in people’s minds, softly.
Compared to the old-school status symbols – giant contour, logo belts, statement lashes – this new duo feels more grown, global and discreet.
It also fits perfectly with where beauty is headed more broadly:
Lookfantastic’s data shows a shift towards “smelling expensive” and science-backed skincare, rather than purely maximal colour.
TikTok trend reports flag Toasty Makeup as the go-to look for anyone trying to keep summer’s radiance alive into autumn.
