Admit it—Valentine’s Day might be fun, but New York Fashion Week is what we’re all really looking forward to this month. Besides those gorgeous, over-the-top outfits that promise to amaze, the runway is a goldmine of beauty looks from cool to crazy.
Thing is, while we might love to look at those wild runway beauty trends, it’s kind of tough to find a way to work a lace-and-pearl mask, layers of neon eye shadow, or a face full of glitter into our everyday makeup. Luckily, your makeup artist training has prepared you for picking up these tricks for casual runway glam!
The time warp
Looks inspired by the 60s, 70s, and 80s have been big on the runway recently. The problem? They’re also big at throwback-themed high school dances and your mom’s mortifying high school yearbook. Not exactly what you’re going for, right?
In our recent post on adding some subtle color to your makeup, we talked about picking one statement color and applying it to just one part of your eye. Start here if you’re going for a vintage color—adding just a touch of runway-inspired turquoise to your liner or shadow gives a modern take on that 80s staple.
Feeling a little bolder? We love this 60s-inspired statement: pretty pink lips paired with striking white liner. Perfect for a party!
Color blocking
You might love seeing models with matte eye shadow in bright blues and oranges piled on up to the brow, but try wearing it off the runway and you’ll just look like you got in a paint fight.
While pulling off that matte look in real life is tough, you definitely don’t have to kiss the colors goodbye. Instead, focus on creating colors that are soft and diffused, then let your couture flare go wild with an unexpected color combination. Orange is a hot choice right now, so why not try setting off a gentle orange lid with a touch of lilac or white shadow along the lower lashline?
Gold rush
Hesitant to pack layers of gold glitter on your lids, but still hoping to glitz up your look? Don’t worry—gold provides a ton of glam on the runway, but it’s actually one of the easiest colors to bring to your everyday style.
For something super subtle, look for a gold eyeliner that glows without too much glitter. If you’re headed out for the night, though, get a little wilder by applying loose gold glitter to your whole lid. Instead of going for full coverage, focus most of the glitter at the top lashline and fade towards your brow with a sparser coating that still packs a sparkly punch.
The truly brave can can use their makeup artist training to imitate that gold Dior brow by mixing a little gold shadow with clear mascara. Be warned, though: this look is not for the faint of heart.
Red eye
Red isn’t relegated to the lips on the runway, so why should it be in real life? A deep burgundy or wine red is the perfect way to shake up your classy smoky eye—yet for many, it’s one of the scariest styles to test out. Mess it up, and you can end up with eyes that look swollen instead of sultry—not ideal, unless you’re doing special effects.
Like any smoky eye, the trick is to start out light before getting too bold. Try toning down the red with neutral browns, and keep the rest of your face simple. This red smoky eye by beauty blogger Michelle Louis is the perfect way to spice up a standard look with a little runway pop.
Love that lace?
Sorry—even the best makeup artist training can’t help you find a casual way to glue bits of lace, rhinestones, sequins, or feathers to your face, as cool as it might look on the runway. Outside of Halloween makeup and wild styled shoots, embellished accents are a little tricky to incorporate.
But that doesn’t mean you should ditch the trendy 3-D glam altogether. Just switch things up—instead of going right for the face, experiment with nail art. There are tons of tutorials online for adding glitter, sequins, rhinestones, or other cool accents to your manicure. Want to keep things simple? Consider an artistic set of nail decals, stickers, or transfers.
