Minimalist and natural? It seemed like the runways were awash with au naturel looks for the Fall season (which is great for lazy days) but for makeup loving fiends, don’t worry, there’s still loads to look forward to.
Here’s a sneak peek before August rolls around!
Probably the easiest look to carry off! Brown smoky eyes should be your go-to for a night out and we love that designers embraced it for Fall. Check out the all-American beauty on Michael Kors’ runway – sure to translate well in every continent.
Over at DKNY and Anna Sui the brown shadows weren’t so much glamourous as earthy, but the mixture of a few shades of brown meant a multi-faceted eye – so always use a few different browns (there are a variety of palettes out there to make things easier) when doing your smoky brown eye.
ULTRA SMOKY EYES
SEEN AT: DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, DEREK LAM, CAROLINA HERRERA
What’s a fashion season without a dark glam-rock eye? The look at Diane von Furstenberg and Derek Lam might be a little too heavy to pull off in real life (that’s a lot of shadow!) but the lush purples at Carolina Herrera? It’s a cinch and a real departure from the normal black.
60S-INSPIRED
SEEN AT: NINA RICCI, GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
So pretty! Anytime a designer and his beauty team references this era, you’re sure to get a beautiful, feminine look.
At Giambattista Valli, it was modern-day Jean Shrimpton (a British model-actress and icon of the Mod era) – the eye-liner was thick and the hair was teased but it’s still wearable, oweing to the minimal colours used (except for the the dashes of black and white liner below the eyes, but skip that for real life). And this look is definitely not complete without fake lashes!
Nina Ricci’s 60s bouffant hair coupled with the soft makeup used was also a favourite and complemented Peter Copping’s ladylike looks to a tee. To translate into everyday, tease your roots at the crown of your head after a blow dry for a bit of volume – without going over the top.
SOPHISTICATED PONYTAILS
SEEN AT: CELINE, LOUIS VUITTON, STELLA MCCARTNEY, CALVIN KLEIN
This is no workout-at-the-gym ponytail – the slick and sophisticated look calls for a little effort. All of the looks here featured deep side parts (another big beauty trend for Fall) and the first 3 were more polished up-town chic while the girls at Michael Kors looked healthy
The ponytails at Louis Vuitton were also a bit different – set hair with hair rollers before tying up for a bouncy tail.
SOFT TEASED HAIR
SEEN AT: VERA WANG, MARCHESA, ALBERTA FERRETTI, DOLCE & GABBANA, THAKOON
Teasing and backcombing can lead to a soft romantic style or well, hair that resembles a bird’s nest. The trick? Do it at strategic areas like the top and sides of your head for a that I-just-got-out-of-bed-looking-this-pretty look we all covet.
You can also tease hair before gathering into a ponytail and pinning up into a loose updo or braid it – like the styles seen at Vera Wang.
EMPHASISED BROWS
SEEN AT: NARCISO RODRIGUEZ, ALBERTA FERRETTI, BALENCIAGA, PRADA
Brows took centrestage at some shows, with the rest of the face kept bare. The effect was striking nonetheless, with the face-framing brows creating a strong look – eyeliner was used at Prada, but we recommend a good brow powder or pencil for filling in your eyebrows (and no over-tweezing!).
And how’s this for a far out look? Technicolour – we’re talking mint green, light blue and pink – brows were seen at Balenciaga. Obviously not a look for the office (imagine your boss’ face if you showed up to work with green brows), this look stood out for us amongst all the Fall beauty looks.
ORANGE AND GOLD SHADOWS
SEEN AT: ALEXANDRE HERCHCOVITCH, DIOR
Although the Dior runway had many makeup looks, we loved the unusual but very complementary pairing of orange and gold eyeshadows for a few of the models.
CENTRE-PARTED AND STRAIGHT HAIR
SEEN AT: ANNA SUI, RALPH LAUREN, NARCISO RODRIGUEZ, PETER SOM
Is it the return of (gasp) rebonded, too-straight hair? No way! The starting point of the hair experts at these shows were simplicity, ensuring that the hair complemented the clothes – whether it was bohemian at Anna Sui, or graphic and minimalist at Narciso. Meaning that look will go pretty much with anything.
NATURAL
SEEN AT: MARC BY MARC JACOBS, BALMAIN, STELLA MCCARTNEY
Playing up your own features? It’s always a winning strategy in our books! The makeup from these 3 shows showcased each model’s beauty (it was just blush and concealer at Marc!) without overpowering with strong colours, while the hair was left refreshingly unteased. Coming from the runways of 3 major designers, you know that they’ll set the tone for Fall 2010.
70S HAIR
SEEN AT: 3.1 PHILIP LIM, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, TIBI
An homage to the late Farrah Fawcett? Seems so with the big waves at these designers’ shows, complete with that famous fringe/hair flip.
DARK LIPS
SEEN AT: MISSONI, PROENZA SCHOULER, PETER SOM, ZANG TOI
Sexy, vampy red is a mainstay every season but for Fall, red wasn’t the only way to go for a dark, gothic look – witness the dark purple lips at Peter Som and Doo Ri.
Definitely a look for a night out, but if such dark lips aren’t your thing – try blotting with tissue after swiping on a red lippie, then going over with clear gloss for a just-right flush.
GREY SHADOWS
SEEN AT: VERA WANG, YVES SAINT LAURENT
How do you use grey eyeshadow without it looking ashy? Follow the lead at these shows and mix with a different shade – it was matte bright fuschia at YSL and shimmery white at Vera – the result was low-key glamour with a twist.
LAVENDER
SEEN AT: PREEN, MARC JACOBS, TADASHI
What a change from Spring’s kabuki makeup! Marc Jacobs worked with Francois Nars on his Fall runway and the result was a sexy look without a smoky eye – made possible with a smudged on pale purple shadow and lots of mascara.
At Preen, the shade was used on cheeks – not the usual coral, pink or peach here.
WIGS
SEEN AT: LANVIN, MIU MIU, CYNTHIA ROWLEY
The hair on some runways got a boost from fake hair – the coloured hair-strip trend continues from Spring and even Miuccia is using it on her runway. Granted, it was for her younger Miu Miu line but hey, who else can make this trend so classy?
At Lanvin, Alber Elbaz used similar wigs on every model to express his unhappiness at how women are starting to look alike – turning a social statement into a potential beauty trend. Remember what Rihanna’s haircut for her ‘Umbrella’ video did for the black ‘lob’ (long bob)?
