Beauty Trends Straight from NYFW Runways

The recently concluded New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023 brought forth a new batch of runway trends that will influence what will be popular by the end of the summer. While fashion is the star of the show, it is the hair and makeup that pull the looks together and bring them to life.

Beauty trends are tweaked, updated, and reinvented every season, giving us a catalyst for new looks. Not all styles are wearable, with some haute couture fashion being intentionally over-the-top to add to the grandeur of a runway show, but even these looks can provide subtle inspiration as simple as a color, texture, or attitude that catches the eye.

This Fall/Winter NYFW of ’23 was brimming with such inspirations. From behind the scenes, the masters of their craft in hair and makeup were hard at work creating the runway glam for this season’s shows. Everything from sleek buns,wet-looking slick backs, and voluminous, naturally textured hair to gothic glam, smoldering eyeshadow, and pops of vibrant color in unexpected places graced the catwalks; a little something to galvanize us all, and you don’t have to wait until fall to try these looks.

Here are a variety of beauty looks that strutted the runways of NYFW, along with some of the brands and products used to create them.

Christian Siriano

The Christian Siriano show was inspired by the “transformative romance of gardens.” Hairstylist Lacy Redway took this inspiration to create literal rose-like buns complete with attached stems winding across the crown of models’ heads. She formed the “pedals” by weaving the hair into a figure eight and pinning each section to the base of the ponytail using products by drugstore brand TRESemme.

Makeup artist Sophia Tilbury (Charlotte Tilbury’s niece) kept the theme going on the faces of models using soft pinks and bright fuchsia on their eyes and cheeks with products from Charlotte Tilbury, including the just released Matte Beauty Blush Wand and K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Velvet Underground.

L’Agence

The L’Agence runway show featured a rock and roll-inspired collection. Makeup artist Charlie Riddle created a lived-in eye look with a glowing matte complexion using Stila. The flawless matte skin was achieved using the Stay All Day Foundation while the glow was from the newly released All About Blur Instant Blurring Stick. For the smoldering eyes, Stila’s Smudge Pot and Huge Extreme Lash Mascara were used.

Melissa Parizot used IGK products to create the voluminous, bouncy blowouts inspired by ‘90s supermodel hair.

Christian Cowan

The makeup over at the Christian Cowan show was all about dewy lit-from-within glowing complexions. Lead Artist Lori Taylor Davis prepped models’ skin with Smashbox’s Photo Finish Smooth & Blur Primer and Photo Finish Illuminate Glow Primer. She then used the Halo Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturizer for natural-looking dewy coverage and brightened the under-eyes with the Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector. Finally, the skin was subtly sculpted using the Cali Contour Palette.

Rodarte

Glamorous goth was the makeup look on Rodarte’s runway. Lead makeup artist James Kaliarados designed the look, which featured graphic, linear eyeliner with bold, dark lips softened against exquisitely polished complexions. All makeup came from NARS.

Stylist Odile Gilbert used TRESemme to create straight, shiny, and middle-parted hair. Additional accessories, like flower crowns, helped achieve a mystical touch.

Jason Wu

Hairstylist Jimmy Paul created “’90s inspired sleek buns with deep side parts” to project a look of “intense confidence” at the Jason Wu show. Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother and No. 7 Bonding Oil supplied the smooth shiny base, while the No. 9 Bond Protector Hair Serum gave the buns a polished, slick-looking finish.

Alice & Olivia

At the Alice & Olivia show, the theme was “Americana,” where bold, glossy lips were the makeup’s focal point. Created by the Executive Director of Global Beauty at Too Faced, Elyse Reneau, Lady Bold Lipstick topped with Lip Injection Plumping Lip Gloss gave a super shiny, seriously plumped pout.

Thom Browne

The sculptured hairstyles on the Thom Browne runway were inspired by characters in the novel “The Little Prince.” James Pecis used products from Oribe, including the Swept Up Volume Powder Spray and Rock Hard Gel, to hold the intricate designs in place.

Lead makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench used MAC Cosmetics’ gold & silver pigment and glitter to hand paint the celestial-inspired makeup accents.

Marissa Wilson

Oribe hair products were also used on the models at the Marissa Wilson runway show. Oribe’s Principal Educator of Content and Training, Kien Hoang, was inspired by the designer’s Guyanese heritage when creating the hair looks. Super-voluminous, highly-texturized hair was formed into graphic bobs using metal screens and Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray and Superfine Strong Hair Spray.

Prabal Gurung

Makeup at the Prabal Gurung show was a burst of bold colors in red and orange washed over models’ eyes, brows, and temples in tribal patterns. The look was designed by Sil Bruinsma using MAC’s Pigment and MAC’s Art Library Eyeshadow Palette.

Khaite

Wet hair, fresh skin, and rosy tones ruled at the Khaite show. Hairstylist Guido Palau slicked models’ hair back using products from Wella, including the EIMI Perfect Me Lightweight Beauty Balm Lotion, EIMI Pearl Styler Styling Gel, and EIMI Sugar Lift Volumizing Hair Spray.

Makeup artist Diane Kendal kept the glam simple by featuring rust-toned eyes paired with subtle rosy cheeks and lips on clean, fresh, dewy skin.

Veronica Beard

The focus was all about the eyes on the runway at the Veronica Beard show. Makeup artist Romy Soleimani created hypnotic, glossy-brown smoky eyes using Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. The model’s eyes were enhanced with the Perfectly Defined Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Truffle.

Color was added to the lids in red-brown and deep bronze using the Luxe Eyeshadow and Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick. Lashes coated in Smoky Eye Mascara provided the finishing touch.

For questions, concerns, or article ideas, feel free to reach out to our eCosmetics Beauty Editor directly at beauty@ecosmetics.com