Below, check out NYFW’s most memorable beauty moments—we bet you’ll be trying these on yourself very soon.
Nostalgia Moments
PRISCAVera
Fashion Week is used to debut the future of the industry, but this season it felt like we took a deep dive into the most iconic moments of yesteryear. Naeemah LaFond, head hairstylist for Christopher John Rogers and Global Artistic Director of amika, explored the beauty of the mid-century debutante through skyscraper beehives and slicked down side sweeps, bringing a refreshing Southern belle flavor to the Soho fashion scene.
But, the most prominent era that lingered throughout the week is undoubtedly ‘90s grunge. In R13’s celebration of “grandma grunge,” the label paired dark flannels with naked faces and ultra-long hair. Batsheva, on the other hand, decided to stray from their usual delicate energy to praise the queen of grunge style Courtney Love. The celebratory presentation featured an intimate reading of Hole’s iconic singles, disheveled locks as far as the eye can see, and models sporting nothing but light hints of romanticism and undereye bags that come with the late night scene of NYFW. The truest form of prime grunge fashion was inarguably PRISCAVera, which celebrated the angels and demons that are stored within us through disorienting horns crafted from hair, dark lips, and exaggerated dark circles around the eyes.
Kaleidoscope Colors
Collina Strada
2019 is the year of melodrama—at least, in terms of beauty. Bold, striking rainbows of hues were sent down the runway, and not just on the clothes. Collina Strada teamed up with Shiseido to create an eclectic swirl of pastel watercolors across the faces of each and every model that stepped down the runway, a soft rendition of color that could still be spotted by miles away. Eckhaus Latta took a similar approach, but with an unconventional execution: head MUA Ismaya Ffrench used an airbrush to spritz bold concoctions of saturated tones across eyes and temples to create a mix of hazy, trippy colors.
But, bright hues were not limited to makeup. The masterminds at Anna Sui teamed up with celebrity hairstylist and co-creator of R+Co, Garren, to create neon bobs that we can only label as “Motown on acid.”
Bare Naked
Nanushka
On the other end of the spectrum, minimalism was key. Nanushka kicked off its early morning presentation of earth-toned ensembles with bare, nude faces, and natural hair, while Veronica Beard flirted with color by creating light rosy tints for a toned-down monochromatic appearance. Helmut Lang, on the other hand, gave their look an androgynous feel with slicked-back hair and playful flesh-tones and red lips.
Headpieces, Everywhere
Instagram @Adeam
This season, headpieces extended beyond the street style-sphere. No, they weren’t your average barretts and hair clips—think lavish numbers with a touch of ‘20s flapper girl, especially when it comes to Area’s crystal headpieces, Kate Spade’s headwraps, and Michael Kors’s black head fascinators. However, Christian Siriano decided to turn to the punk scene for some inspo, with models donning silver hair chains that must have hurt to take out.
Statement Nails
Getty Images
While many labels chose to go full-on glam with hair and makeup, others stuck to bringing the “wow” factor through one tiny—but mighty—detail: nail art. A key example is Phillip Plein, who kept makeup simple with winged liner, but brought in nail art veteran Mei Kawajiri to create flamin’ hot designs and neon claws. Adeam took the avant garde approach by plopping on stunning pearls as nail accents, while Alice & Olivia reigned supreme in the nail category by using 3D butterfly details to add to their ethereal motif for their presentation.