Catwalk outfits may be out of reach, but copying models’ hair and make-up is much easier. Katie Wright reveals the SS15 beauty trends you can try at home
Make-up artists at fashion shows have a tendency to get a bit, well, experimental – resulting in catwalk looks that you wouldn’t dream of wearing in real life.
The SS15 shows threw up a fair few of these (fake eyebrow piercings at Rodarte, for instance), but they also delivered some gorgeously wearable trends.
After autumn’s darkly decadent feel, the mood for spring is light and joyful, with hippy waves and groupie girl ’dos mirroring the Seventies fashion comeback.
Red lips return, but it’s really all about the eyes, with pretty purple shadows, bright eyeliners and glittery lids coming to the fore.
These are the top spring beauty trends you’ll want to DIY…
OUT OF LINE
The cat-eye flick ruled the autumn runways, but for spring, it’s time to get adventurous with your eyeliner.
At Dior, liquid pastel lines shone on models’ lids, while at Elie Saab, brightest aquatic blue ringed their eyes.
At Peter Som, flashes of neon orange were flecked under the eyes, but the most extreme liner look was at Fendi, where make-up artist Peter Philips cut slivers from the house’s cornflower blue leather hair ties and affixed them on models’ eyelids.
The easiest way to ape this trend? With the brightest eye pencil you can muster, the tip dampened to help deliver a thoroughly saturated layer of colour.
MAC Pro High-def Cyan Chromagraphic Pencil, £14 (www.maccosmetics.co.uk)
GET INTO THE GROOVE
At the same time as the Seventies style revival, lots of designers sent their model armies out with long, groovy, flowing locks.
At Marchesa, Toni & Guy’s global hair ambassador Mark Hampton created what he called ’Woodstock waves’, while at Peter Pilotto and Osman, tresses were straighter but still light and ethereal.
At Tom Ford, shaggy just-got-out-of-bed barnets declared ’I’m with the band’, a look you can recreate with a combination of volumising dust and texturising spray.
Unite Texturiza Spray, £23 (www.unitehair.co.uk)
RED ALERT
It’s back. After a season in the cold, the scarlet pout made a welcome return on the SS15 catwalks – but we’re not talking ’bitten’ lips or delicate stains.
At Zac Posen in New York, a heavy coat of classic red was matched with glossy nails, while in London, a matte ruby shade ruled at Burberry, and Sibling’s doll-like models had pillar box bright mouths.
Burberry Beauty Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick in Ruby, £23 (www.johnlewis.com)
THE COLOUR PURPLE
It was declared Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2014, which might be why so many make-up artists made a beeline for ’radiant orchid’ when designing their catwalk looks (the spring shows happen in September, don’t forget).
At Derek Lam, a wash of pinky-purple covered eyelids, while at Vera Wang, a darker, matte shadow was used to create a twist on the smoky eye.
At Matthew Williamson, Benefit’s Lisa Potter-Dixon actually used a purple-hued lipstick as an eye colour, which is handy, because it means you can get the exact same colour on your own peepers.
Benefit Hydra-Smooth Lip Colour in Fling Thing, £15 (www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk)
SHINE ON
Spring’s most decadent make-up look? It’s got to be the glittery eyes that cropped up at London Fashion Week.
At House of Holland, silver sparkled over a layer of grey eyeshadow and a heavily kohl-rimmed lower lid, and over at sequin-obsessed Ashish, gallons of glitter must have been used to coat all the way up to the eyebrows.
Obviously, the latter look is best left to teenagers, but a smattering of sparkle is more wearable than you might imagine, especially if you choose a finely-milled powder in a dark metallic shade.
Barry M Dazzle Dust in 103 Eos, £4.59 (www.superdrug.com)
PALE NAILS
As the clothing colour palettes were, on the whole, fairly subdued this season, it stands to reason that it was all about pale and interesting manicures.
At Manish Arora, pretty pastel shades were chosen to match models’ clutch bags, while at Kenzo, a French manicure pink or baby blue base was shot through with an irregular band of silver origami paper.
So load up on sugary shades, shimmering metallics and a nail art brush, and get playful with your nails.
