New York Fashion Week's Spring/Summer 2014 collections have wrapped and now it’s London’s turn to shine. Let’s recap NYFW’s best beauty trends that we can’t wait to start wearing right now — we’ll have ‘em perfected by spring.
BRAIDS
Some styles of braids were the epitome of simplistically chic, like the All-American inspired Peter Som look: a clean side part and sleek centre braid that hangs down the back is the easiest look to recreate. Over at Suno, gigantic, exaggerated two-textured fishtail braids require a bit more skill, while Tadashi Shoji’s romantic, chic braided chignon’s were a step back to basics. Rachel Zoe’s look was a “soft, pulled-back style with a braid made as the center of the look; the playful hidden braid keeps the look current an on-trend,” explained L’oreal Professionnel Artist Pepper Pastor, who created the look. Marissa Webb gave us double the inspiration by giving us not one, but two braided looks, one being the difficult but so chic five strand braid; the other, a look that featured a pompadour with three braids connecting into a low ponytail. Both styles were a little relaxed and had a few undone strands of hair framing the face. Start practicing now!
CHIC SLICK
Thakoon’s girls were “"Inspired by Herb Ritts's Pirelli calendar photos—oil slick beachy twisted hair and glassy wet looking face.” Described by one journalist as “glass mermaids that were shining all over the place”, gloss was used heavily to recreate a wet, slick shimmer. Zac Posen’s ‘wet look’ was a bit more glam and a bit less literal, as he paired glossy eyelids with a classic red lip. Posen did double up on the slick look though, as slick, wet-looking pompadour’s shined down the runway. Alexander Wang, the reigning king of sporty chic, did the look justice with a look described as “modern and futuristic, with a sleek sportiness.” Model’s skin was extra dewy, and hair was slick and raked back. Proenza Schouler’s girls sported a ‘less is more’ beauty look that featured a more subtle shine by using a taupe eye gloss. Wear this trend now by incorporating some light-catching highlighter into your beauty routing or slicking back hair with some mousse or gel.
NUDE NAILS
Without a doubt the easiest trend to pull off now, everyone showed a clean, nude nail for spring. Essie’s cult-classic pinky-nude shade Madamoiselle has walked more runways than Kate Moss, with this season appearing at Yigal Azrouel, Proenza Schouler, Diane Von Furstenberg, Sophie Theallet and many more. DKNY showed a nude nail as well, but with a modern twist: layering two sheer shades, the nail was topped with a matte topcoat for a fresh, new approach on the trend. Reem Acra sent another sheer favourite down the runway, swiping on a coat of OPI’s Bubble Bath on models’ nails for an almost bare yet shiny and clean look.
NO MAKEUP MAKEUP
This bare faced look has been a runway favourite for many seasons past, and for good reason: a fresh, glowing complexion without a trace of lipstick or eyeshadow is simply gorgeous and completely wearable. Like at Rodarte, for example: look past the punky, badass eyebrow piercings, and you’ll see a gorgeous look "inspired by the idea of a beautiful, fresh face—youthful and vibrant," as told by Makeup artist James Kaliardos, who created the look. A flawless complexion was complimented by a soft wash of bronze on models’ lids and a sheer pat of peachy pink cream blush. Taking the look literally, Marc Jacobs actually sent model’s down the runway with no makeup, only using a skin care routine and a bangin’ bold black wig. Over at Marc by Marc Jacobs, thing were not much different, but this time, the look was inspired by a “80s English rave girl”. Bare faced from dancing and sweating all night, lip balm was used on the cheeks to recreate that vibe, and lipstick, mascara and eyeliner were skipped. At Rag & Bone, makeup star Gucci Westman created the fresh-faced look with the help of some products, explaining “We wanted the girls to feel effortless and cool, but have the face be quite beautiful and fresh.” Good to know for us girls trying to recreate this look — hey, we weren’t all born with model genetics!