London Fashion Week is all about the clothes; fabrics, colours and cuts for the season after next. Fashion editors are on stand-by, waiting for images to emerge, shows to be live-streamed and celebs’ street-style to be papped.
But, as the beauty industry continues to grow boundlessly, the same level of hype is certainly now seen around the makeup trends too. Whether it’s a new wave of no-makeup makeup or a fancier way to drape your blusher…whatever the trends are, we want you to know about them.
Here are 6 of the most striking makeup looks we spotted on the runways.
Ashley Williams
Thomas de Kluyver, using Mac Cosmetics, created this look for the Ashley Williams show. Clashing orange with pink pigments around the eyes and cheekbones made a massive colour statement that looked particularly striking on deep skin toned models. With pretty much nothing else on the complexion, lips, lashes or brows, it was pared back while at the same time punchy. To make this look more wearable, take a neon pink blusher and dust it lightly on the tops of the cheek bones and add a pop of orange to set off dark brown eyes.
Bora Aksu
The makeup for the Bora Aksu show was all very romantic and pretty. Janeen Witherspoon used Mac Cosmetics for this Pride & Prejudice style look that’s actually very wearable. Lavender graphic liner peeking out from under the black lace bonnets softened the headpiece and tied in elements of the frilly dress. Purple tones are a brown-eyed girl’s best friend so wear this look by applying a lilac wash over the lids and a little on the lower lash line for completely dazzling eyes.
Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh shows always pack a notorious punch and this time, it was no different. Val Garland, using Mac Cosmetics, made this grungy, dark and moody makeup look with one colour only – black. Models were seen with dewy skin, roughly-drawn black graphics and a glossy charcoal lip. Eye gloss and lots of setting spray gave a dewy sheen and although the look was rogue, it was a spectacle that turned heads as per.
Matty Bovan
In a similar vein as Pugh, Miranda Joyce created Bovan’s edgy makeup look using all Marc Jacobs. Skin was naked and matte, as were lips, and brows were bleached. The focal point to the makeup was a geometric block halfway into the eye socket for an unusual yet assertive look. There aren’t many tips to make this makeup a little more office or daytime appropriate, so maybe keep the look for a night out with the girls!
J.W.Anderson
Aaron de Mey likened the makeup at J.W.Anderson’s show as “a baby Brooke Shields.” Using Nars, he feathered out masculine-looking brows and let the brow gel do the holding. A slight dewiness to the eyelids and barely-there foundation on the skin, we think de Mey won the no-makeup makeup award for this fashion week. To re-create this look at home, keep it simple with a brow gel, light foundation, a touch of concealer and absolutely nothing else.
Preen
Val Garland’s Preen look infused water-sports chic with mermaid chic. Taking inspiration from Korean Jeju female divers, the makeup was supposed to emulate an underwater goddess. Garland stresses that the models weren’t mermaids and instead were strong underwater women (we can get on board with that) so needed an extra sparkle as a symbol of the glistening water. What Garland calls “glacial,” was glitter being gently blown onto the models’ faces and hairlines for a “just stepped out the ocean” look that we all wish was real.
