Beauty

7 Beauty trends we loved from New York Fashion Week Spring 2020

13.09.2019

By Wei Yeen Loh

7 Beauty trends we loved from New York Fashion Week Spring 2020

From the Rihanna’s hush-hush Savage x Fenty fashion show to major front row celeb-spotting, New York Fashion Week SS20 brought on plenty of tongue-wagging action this past week. As far as beauty trends go, we spotted some riveting nail art coupled with micro makeup trends that were edifying in every way. Before we move on to London Fashion Week, here’s a detailed trend report on the most didactic hair and beauty lessons we gleaned from New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020:

Bare-faced beauties

Moodboard: “It’s all about enhancing your natural features,” says makeup artist Gucci Westman backstage at Brock Collection. Skin is looking healthy with a dose of sun-kissed goodness with the help of layering serums and summer-hued cheek colours.

Reminiscent of: A young, fresh-faced Brooke Shields.

Tip: Define and brush brows according to the natural hair growth with brow gel. Keep the rest of the complexion rosy with a hint of glow with the help of a warm-toned blusher and stick highlighter. Apply foundation where needed and finish with a glide of lip balm over the lips.

Punk princesses

Moodboard: Punk-goth elements from the ’80s that vacillate between a strong smokey eye in shades of grey and brown at Tom Ford Beauty and a statement square-winged liner at Helmut Lang.

Reminiscent of: Isabelle Adjani and Christophe Lambert in Luc Besson’s Subway circa 1985—”There is a wonderful scene in the film at a dinner table where a very bourgeois man looks at Isabelle’s hair and asks what exactly she calls the style and she very dryly says ‘Iroquois’,” says Tom Ford.

Tip: The trick to a well-smudged smokey eye is to blend, blend, and blend. If you’re more inclined to pops of colour at Helmut Lang, use an eyeliner brush for precise application.

Artsy strokes

Moodboard: Abstract art; painting without boundaries; eschewing the need for perfection.

Our takeaway: Learning to unlearn makeup basics—the messier, the better with this look.

Tip: Opt for a standalone colour such as the lovely seafoam green spotted at Ulla Johnson, or go with a myriad (no limits with the colour wheel here) of shades at Christian Siriano.

Get blinged out

Moodboard: Face and hair jewellery could very well be the new makeup. Headgear took centre stage at Khaite in the form of pearlised hats, while models at Area gave us new ideas on rocking “falsies”.

Throwback tidbit: Alessandro Michele’s love for the most over-the-top face embellishments at Gucci has finally crossed the Atlantic to make headway in NYC.

Tip: As far as wearability goes, we suggest taking on smaller bits of face jewellery before maxing it out with sizable embellishments, or going with this street style-approved trick to turning heads.

Slicked back ’80s locks

Moodboard: Dramatically glossy, slicked-back hair in all its ’80s-leaning glory.

Throwback to: A structured “early-’80s Saint Laurent masculine” shape took place at Sies Marjan, while the direction at Proenza Schouler had a modernist spin by way of leather straps to hold the ponytails.

Tip: Evident comb strokes were made noticeable after grooming hair back with lots and lots of strong-hold gel. At Sies Marjan, stylist Duffy dyed models’ hair with a colour mousse for a mannish, edgier aesthetic.

Beauty in subtlety

Memo: French manicures but make it minimalist, modern and subtle enough that you might almost miss it.

Why we’re enamoured: Celebs may be celebrating the revival of French manis but count us out unless our dipped tips look this fine.

Tip: Manicurist Betina Goldstein stated that “it’s all about making the line as fine as possible and using an ultra sheer nude” for the micro-French manicure at Khaite.

To each its own

Moodboard: “I would call it a modern take on street style—street style in the most maximum way. Not one girl or boy or person, will look the same. Every single one had to be different,” said Pat McGrath backstage at Marc Jacobs. “It’s really about the characters, everyone being different and having fun.” At Cynthia Rowley, fantastical references were on the moodboard, citing Dr Seuss for white cloud outlines around the eyes.

We stan: Ultimately, you do you no matter how exaggerated (feathery lashes) or whimisical (clouds, I mean…).

Tip: Whether a bedazzled feature, healthy glow, or traffic-stopping motifs, there’s nothing quite like going all out with the most creative of looks.

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