The Biggest Milan Fashion Week Beauty Moments

Where some presentations decided to keep the focus on the clothing, others upped the ante with pleasingly shocking eerie piercings, synthetic teardrops, and skyscraper blowouts. Let’s all take a moment to reminisce on the beauty that is MFW, below.

Gucci: Gilded Teardrops

As we all know by now, Alessandro Michele is the epitome of a maximalist. Therefore, it’s no surprise that this season’s Gucci show was nothing less than an over-the-top light spectacle. The highlight?  The twinkling teardrops that cascaded across models’ under eyes. The look, created by Gucci beauty newbie Thomas de Kluyver, seemed like a far diversion from the “magic ambiguity” of the Dr. Jart-esque masks worn by the rest of the models, but still relayed Michele’s signature pizzazz.

Moschino: The ’80s Renaissance

It wouldn’t  be a Moschino show without a hint of kitchiness. For designer Jeremy Scott’s latest collection, head hairstylist Jimmy Paul crafted an abundance of big, voluminous hair. While the theme was an homage to classic American game shows, the spectacle felt like a bigger, better, and drastic play on the retro-alien looks from Fall 2018. Topped with vibrant twists on the smokey eye, the runway seemed more reminiscent of the Audi-driving Long Island mom than Milan, and we’re definitely here for it.

Marni: Modern Goth  

Gauges, piercings, chains… Marni’s Fall 2019 runway show consisted of the classic gothic palette of black, white, and touches of red, with blunt baby bangs as far as the eye could see. Complemented with chain link chokers, snakebites, and bridge piercings, this look is not for the faint of heart. But, the most impressive aspect of the show was head makeup artist Dick Page’s concoctions: he tasked with creating 41 completely different looks for each model, and executed it with the due-diligence needed to represent Marni’s gothic creations. No face was identical; each and every model dived into entirely different color palettes of shadows and lipsticks while staying within the punk vein of the show via bright paints and smoked eyes.

Prada: The Evolution of Gigi Hadid

For Prada’s homage to Frankenstein, the runway featured Pat McGrath’s rendition of models with faces so perfectly gaunt, you’d think they were just crafted in a laboratory. But, the most striking of all faces was none other than Gigi Hadid’s—Hadid was nearly unrecognizable without her staple fluffy brows, making her the crowned winner of best runway transformation of the season.

Fendi: Retro Revival

Fendi has solidified the fact that finger waves are, indeed, back in style. To match the vibrant, lighthearted aesthetic of Lagerfeld’s last collection for the fashion house, models wore exaggerated, slicked-down finger waves crafted by hairstyling legend Sam McKnight. While the makeup stayed minimal and bare, the ultra-glossy waves created a toned down Twiggy-inspired appeal, giving a nod to Lagerfeld’s humble beginnings at the label.

Versace: Grunge Goddess

You can always expect two things from Versace: a bountiful amount of gold hues, and a slight nod to its 1990s Golden Era. While the clothes stuck strictly to the former, the use of grunge shag cuts and gold barrettes fused the two ideologies seamlessly. The grunge-glam vibe created by lead MUA Pat McGrath and hairstylist veteran Guido Palau took Donatella’s vision of anarchy to an elevated level, matching messy blowouts with smudged liner and bold red lips. The overall aesthetic: undone, punk-chic, a major diversion from the brand’s usual buxom glamour.

Emporio Armani: A Monochromatic Pairing

While Giorgio Armani stayed within a dark tone, Emporio Armani was all about cheer and vibrancy. The first models to hit the runway during Emporio Armani’s presentation has a refreshing twist on the oversaturated monochromatic trend. Rather than matching every minuscule detail of their makeup to one color palette, Armani’s crew kept it simple by swiping on vibrant blood orange lips that were nearly identical to the the shades of, well, the models’ shades—their sunglasses, that is. Pale faces were given a pop of color by sticking to the basics: nearly-naked lids with touches of glitter, light brows à la Seoul, and bright pouts matching their fancy sunnies.