Hack the Look: 4 NYFW Beauty Trends You Can Actually Wear

NYFW was a dizzying array of flawless skin and dewy glow, as several designers opted to go 'au naturale' with their beauty looks. Follow these simple beauty hacks and recreate the runway drama on the streets.

BY: ALISON LO

All About That Glow

Natural beauty is clearly having a moment. Models at Monica Lhuillier graced the runway wearing extremely minimal makeup. In order to keep a laser focus on the skin--aside from a light foundation, no colors were used. Instead, the look paired feathered-out brows and a few dabs of strategically placed highlighter along the highpoints of the face. Voila! Instant ethereal glow.

RECREATE THE LOOK: Starting off with a fresh face, apply a light foundation (Koh Gen Doh's Aqua Foundation) to ensure a clean base. Using a brow spoolie, (Anastasia Beverly Hill's Brush #12) brush brows upward in the direction of hair growth. Finish with a light layer of translucent brow gel (Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel) and dab a dewy highlighter (RMS Living Luminizer) along the highpoints of the face.

Bed Head

In keeping with the ‘au naturale’ vibe, several designers opted to embrace natural texture. Models at the Zac Posen sported cheeky flyaways and brushed out curls, for a wind-swept ‘lived in’ look. Likewise at Tory Burch, models rocked purposely disheveled top knots with rouge strands messily sewn throughout.   

RECREATE THE LOOK: Starting with slightly damp hair, spray hair evenly with a sea salt spray (Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray) and work into strands. Next, gather hair into a loose top-knot and secure with elastic. Loosen random pieces from the bun for a slightly unkempt appearance.

Stay Gold

At Brandon Maxwell, MAC celebrity makeup artist Tom Pecheux literally had runway goers seeing gold. In order to create a natural iridescence, Pecheux combined MAC’s Goldmine eyeshadow and Mac’s Mixing Medium Liner to create a gel-like consistency that he applied to the lids and temples of the models. He finished off the look with a sheer layer of foundation in order to give the skin the appearance of “glowing from within”.

RECREATE THE LOOK: Starting off with a clean base, apply a pin-sized amount of Cover FX’s Custom Enhancer Drops in Sunlight to the lids and temples of the face. Using soft dabbing motions, incorporate product into the skin. Finish off the look with a very sheer layer of foundation (KOH GEN DOH’s Aqua Foundation) over the highlighted portions of the face.

Bold Lips

Renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath, stole the show at DKNY with her now signature, glitter-dusted crimson pout. For the show’s final look, McGrath pulled out all the stops—using the deep burgundy shade from her Bloodwine kit, McGrath amplified its intensity by layering it over a bright gold glitter—the result, instant lip drama.

RECREATE THE LOOK: Starting off with clean and freshly exfoliated lips (Fresh Black Sugar Lip Scrub) prep lips with a hydrating lip salve (Glossier's Coconut Balm Dotcom) . After allowing the salve to absorb into the lips, line and fill lips with a deep burgundy lip liner (MAC Vino). Next, layer a deep burgundy lipstick (MAC Sin) over the lip liner. Finish the look off with a layer of red metallic liquid lipstick (Colourpop’s Ultra Metallic Lip in Mugshot) for a vibrant and shimmering pop of color.▴