While many think that the beauty agenda for each season is set on social media, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the make-up artists, hairstylists and session manicurists on the catwalks of Paris, London, Milan and New York who determine our blush placement for the upcoming months and the standout trends for the quarter.
AW25 was a masterclass in picking your battles, selecting one thing—whether it be perfectly crimped hair or larger-than-life lashes—and executing it perfectly. It was a breath of fresh air amidst the sheer volume of product churn we’re seeing in the industry, and served as a reminder that the past can be ripe fodder for inspiration, from tonal make-up to the resurgence of soft 60s glam.
90’s grunge smoky eyes
Even though festival season may be over for the foreseeable future, one theme we saw again and again was '90s grunge-inspired smoky eyes. At Dreaming Eli, models went indie-sleaze with a sultry, burnt-out black eye, which had a glistening, clear balm applied on top. “It's not an Instagram-perfect look, it's like you've had it on for six hours... It’s like Alexa Chung in the 90s post-Glastonbury, with a Shirley Manson chunky lash,” M.A.C's Senior Artist Carly Utting said backstage.
Bluemarine and Marni followed a similar script, with the former opting for a matte, grey-ish eyeshadow encircling the eye, with a touch of electric blue liner. Marni leant grungier with heavy lashings of kohl along both waterlines—this was effortlessly blended into various shades of brick, charcoal and terracotta. Then, over at Roberto Cavalli, their smoky eye had a cool, blue hue, which was smoked upwards, but with clearly defined lines.
Androgynous hair
Over at SS Daley, the hair may have looked loose and relaxed, though it was anything but. Anna Cofone, Global Creative Advocate for Authentic Beauty Concept (and Lana Del Rey's hairstylist), gave us “back to school” vibes, but with a “party edge”. Backstage, she told Marie Claire UK that she combined aspects of traditionally masculine and feminine styles to create controlled looks. While there were elegant coifs and tousled waves, which looked as if the models had been on a night out, not one hair was out of place.
Likewise, at Acne Studios, hair lead Anthony Turner used Schwarzkopf to create striking looks that captured “the essence of modern duality”. There was contrast between the masculine and feminine elements, with the top being a structured, “handsome boyish” look, while the back was soft, long and natural. Tom Ford also played with androgyny, with stylist Guido Palau creating coifs so sleek they looked futuristic.
Tonal make-up
Autumn isn’t typically associated with warm, terracotta colours, but SS Daley brought dusty tones of ochre to models’ eyes and lips, in a way that really works for back to school season. Make-up artists used fluffy brushes to seamlessly blend the colours from the inner corners to the brow bones to form a halo-like effect, reminiscent of sunsets. This was then matched across the lips to create a cohesive appearance.
At Sandy Liang, make-up artist (and brand founder) Fara Homidi used a blue wash of colour over the lid, which contrasted with the models' bare lashes to create a "doll-like" effect. This tonality was heightened with the addition of a latex-y, opaque beige lip. It was a similar story at Chloé and Michael Kors, where models seemingly wore barely any make-up, just variations of their own skin colour all over the face.
Larger-than-life lashes
Gone are the days of “ghost lashes” or thin wisps; at Harris Reed, the lashes dominated the entire face. Models sported inches-long, sculptural eyelashes, painted black, metallic gold and cobalt blue. Continuing their collaboration with Charlotte Tilbury, the brand’s Global Artistry Director, Sofia Tilbury, dialled up the drama on the lashes by coating them with lashes of the Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara, before keeping the base neutral and dewy. The lashes at Vaquera were similar and spidery on both the top and bottom.
Then, at Courrèges, they were even more dramatic; flapping like fans over the models' faces. Many had a twist and featured bald spots in the middle.
Renaissance romance
While this summer was all about ease, the upcoming season is leaning more towards traditional wintery tropes, especially Annie’s Ibiza, which channelled romantic, Renaissance tropes, some of which even skewed medieval. Sam McKnight used XXL extensions to achieve gently waved and crimped lengths, which were completed with braided updos, long, dropped plaits and chunky, glossy braids. He said it was easy to achieve a version of this at home, too: simply leave your hair braided for a couple of days before setting them loose.
M.A.C’s Dom Skinner adopted this approach for the make-up too, describing his models as “love-lorn warrior women”, inspired by Joan of Arc. “These women are powerful, they are strong, they are in control, they are warriors,” he said, applying lashings of blood-red lipstick and gilding the eyelids in gold pigment.
A romantic strain of 'just kissed lips' was also seen over at Carolina Herrera, where it looked like artists had pressed berry tones onto the models' lips and topped them with a wet-effect gloss.
The return of crimping
While we’ve long associated crimping with the 90s and early Noughties, the hairstylists over at Chet Lo—also presided over by Cofone—created a refined version of the look. The panels of crimped hair reflected the patterns within Lo’s sartorial canon. It was a thoroughly modern take on what is considered a “nostalgic” style.
At McQueen, the hair was decidedly looser and more flyaway, with key sections crimped gently, in what was a more wearable take on the look.
Soft 60’s glam
At Richard Quinn, the swinging 60s and its ‘IT’ girls reigned supreme. Backstage M.A.C’s Global Creative Director of Artistry, Terry Barber, referenced the likes of Julie Christie, Jean Shrimpton and Diana Ross. As such, he swiped a thin slick of duck egg blue shadow across models’ lids, as well as a “putty beige” lip and reflective highlights on the cheekbones. Barber told Marie Claire UK that he’s bringing highlighter back for the upcoming season—saying that a reflective, not shimmery, tone across the eyes, nose, and high points helps pull a face together beautifully.
At TOGA, the reference to the swinging Sixties was a bit more modern; with soft grey being smoked all over the eye, with a little added definition in the socket. This smoky, 60s grey was also seen at Cavalli, but once again modernised by a lack of any mascara.
Satin skin
If the hair was “glass”, then the skin most definitely had a “satin-y” sheen. Across the board, there was a move towards translucent-looking skin, which wasn’t matte, but not quite shiny either. Literal aestheticians from Kate Somerville prepped the skin at Chet Lo, using the brand’s HydraKate Water Cream and Recharging Serum, and in a sign that our collective skincare obsession is only growing, they finished with a five-minute oxygen therapy boost facial. Likewise, EVE LOM’s master facialist Jon Rummins prepared the skin at Emilia Wickstead to achieve “modern, luminous, fresh skin”, which wasn’t reliant on “covering”.
Glass hair
If there was one standout hair note, it was super shine. For Harris Reed’s Gilded collection, which redefined fashion as armour, lead hairstylist Ali Pirzadeh drew inspiration from the sharp lines and cage-esque shapes to create sculptural looks. I watched backstage as Pirzadeh crafted intricately modelled buns, which were quite literally screwed into place—or assembled into highly-glossed, sky-high ponytails.
Similarly, at Tom Ford, the hair was controlled, with oodles of gloss. Acne Studios took it up a notch, though, with models walking down the runway with hair that was so glossed, it looked crispy, especially around the crown. If that's not for you, over at Ralph Lauren, it was all about healthy-looking hair. It was glossed, but in a more everyday and naturalistic way, as if the models had been sleeping in oils and masques for weeks in preparation.
