As a beauty editor, I’ve got the tough job of attending fashion week each year and going backstage to report on all the amazing hair and makeup looks. And while the demanding pace can be a tough slog at times, MBFWA 2018 more than makes up for it with the golden nuggets of wisdom dispensed by the revered hair and makeup artists at the shows.
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From skin care secrets to makeup hacks and the latest hair trends, the beauty aficionados of MBFWA 2018 taught us a lot of beauty lessons. Here are a few of the best…
#1 Dewy skin is always in
Good news for girls who love to glow – this look isn’t going anywhere. Dewy skin was the base of choice for the majority of MBFWA 2018 shows, with makeup artist opting for radiance-boosting foundations. Lara Srokowski, Director of Artistry at Lancôme, went for a luminous finish at the Camilla & Marc show. “We’ve used our Teint Idole Ultra Wear foundation to create more of a luminous, natural texture and we’ve incorporated our Teint Idole Ultra Wear Custom Glow Drops into the foundation look.” Try it at home for that ‘I drink green juice every day’ kinda sheen to the skin.
#2 Bend it, don’t curl it
Those loose waves that every girl requests when she gets in the salon chair? They’re apparently on the way out. I know, they’re my go-to as well, but according to the hair directors at MBFWA 2018, it’s all about subtle bends in the hair now. Rather than creating a full-blown curl for the We Are Kindred show, Redken’s Richard Kavanagh selected a small one inch curling tong to create a soft bend in the hair.
TIGI’s Michelle McQuillan kept it even simpler at Pereira Fitzgerald, saying, “What we’ve been doing is centre parting the hair, tucking it behind the ear and giving it a loose effortless wave. Then throughout the back we’ve randomly tonged in different directions and not put too much heat through the ends so that it looks natural.”
#3 Third time’s the charm
You’ve heard all about the benefits of double cleansing your skin, but it comes to your complexion, three’s a party. La Roche-Posay’s Isabella cleansed the models’ skin at the Emilia Wickstead X MATCHESFASHION.COM show three times with the La Roche-Posay Micellar Water Ultra For Reactive Skin, before layering with moisturiser, a hint of Toleriane Teint Bronzing Powder and topped off with some Thermal Water. The end result is super clean, lit-from-within skin.
#4 Textured hair, don’t care
If there was one thing most MBFWA 2018 hairstyles had in common, it was lived-in texture. Oribe’s Richi Grisillo used a hair loop tool to make the hair at the Karla Špetić show have more of a grungy, undone feel.
Renya Xydis for Wella Professionals went for a similar vibe, leaving the hair at the back of the head at the Alice McCall show loose and natural, only spruced up with a touch of Wella Professionals Ocean Spritz ($24.95, ozhairandbeauty.com). At Anna Quan, Byron Turnbull used KEVIN.MURPHY ANTI.GRAVITY and HAIR.RESORT layered together to give the hair texture without sacrificing hold.
#5 The smokey eye isn’t dead
Your Friday night favourite is still alive and kicking, and was on full display at MBFWA 2018. Lara Srokowski’s smouldering smokey eye for Lancôme at the Roopa show was truly a sight to behold (and even made me rethink my own strict ‘no smoke’ policy for my eyes!).
Alphie Sadsad also got things smouldering for Sephora at Romance was Born, albeit with a colourful butterfly cut-out effect.
#6 If in doubt, add a hair accessory
Image via @kela_official
Utilitarian hair accessories were also all the rage at MBFWA 2018. On Monday, Renya Xydis for Wella Professionals used Lady Jayne Hair Clips in the 40s style victory rolls she created at Alice McCall.
Cloud Nine’s Lauren McCowen used Kela beads throughout the models hair at the C/Meo Collective show, giving the effect of baubles throughout the models’ strands. Over at Hansen & Gretel, models wore teensy bandanas, proving that all you need is a little hair accessory to make a big impact.
#7 Terracotta is the new black
Red, earthy terracotta tones were big on the eye makeup front at MBFWA 2018. Chris Arai, makeup artist for UTOWA, created an intense red-based eye makeup look at the Raffles International Showcase. In a similar hue, the colour palette was coral with Smith & Cult’s Mikele Simone at Karla Špetić, with the Smith & Cult Book of Sun Chapter 1 palette ($59, sephora.com.au) used on both the eyes and the cheeks.
I actually tried this trend in between shows, tapping my Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus over my lids, on the apples of my cheeks and on my lips, and I gotta say – it looked pretty darn fab. So if there’s one colour trend you try this year, make it the tones of terracotta.
#8 Curls (still) get the girls
We’ve been seeing a major resurgence of curls over the last few seasons, but this year the humble curl’s place was firmly recemented at the top of the cool list. Over at Macgraw, hair stylist Byron Turnbull for Edwards and Co. gave every model bouncy curls using KEVIN.MURPHY products. “All the girls have tight curls that we’ve achieved with a small curling tong, except for those with short hair,” he explained. “We’ve layered ANTI.GRAVITY and HAIR.RESORT into the hair, dried it through and with a small tong we’re creating a bouncy texture that’s going to be slightly fluffed up. We’re finishing with Bedroom.Hair, a dry texturiser that will keep the style in place.”
80s perms were also showcased at Client Liaison, with hairstylist Renya Xydis for Cloud Nine going for big, bold and spring-y.
#9 Your trusty skin serum can do double-time
Excellent news – your serum can do so much more for your skin than you think! Apart from the skin-loving benefits, MBFWA 2018 taught us that your serum can also be used to give your makeup an added hit of glossy glow. At the Camilla and Marc show, Lancôme’s Lara Srokowski made an iconic Lancôme skin serum do double-time by using is as a subtle highlighter. “We’ve pressed some of the Advanced Génifique on the higher points of the face so you’ll notice that all of the models embody that beautiful skin,” she explained. We’re sold!
#10 Braids ain’t basic
Thought the braid train was slowing down? So did we, that is until we saw all sorts of braids stomping down the runways at MBFWA 2018. At Anna Quan, Edwards and Co.’s Byron Turnbull used KEVIN.MURPHY products to create an intricate fishtail braid, interwoven with copper wiring throughout.
At Roopa, we saw Redken’s John Pulitano created the beginnings of a braid, crossing it over only once before securing it into a ponytail that just about screams wearable chic. Things were a touch more masculine at Albus Lumen, with BALMAIN Hair Couture’s Travis Balcke creating a Spanish-style XXL braid that draped almost to the waist. We’ll be boning up on our fishtail braiding skills, stat!
Which MBFWA 2018 beauty rule will you be trying?
