This season, runways have been a masterclass in opulent ease, favouring relaxed silhouettes, sheer layering, textured details, and nonchalant draping. With a sense of escapism and sumptuous elegance, showcased in garments that would feel at home at a luxury beach resort or on a Marrakech getaway, beauty leaned towards a mood that felt expensively laid-back.
As the beauty world straddles the line between the end of the reign of a minimalist, clean-girl aesthetic and a return to rebellion, punk, and wildly glam makeup, minimalism has taken the hint and loosened the reins a bit, departing from the conventional clean-girl characteristics of barely-there makeup and pristine slicked-back buns.
Instead, it has taken on the ease and simplicity of resort makeup but has made it feel slightly undone with a luxurious finish. Nothing is too serious or polished — rather, balmy finishes and blurred, diaphanous veils of colour recall time spent savouring a secluded, far-flung destination instead of worrying too much about perfecting makeup techniques.
At Michael Kors, Dior, Saint Laurent, Rabanne, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Sportmax, Roberto Cavalli, and Ermanno Scervino, flushed cheeks, sun-kissed skin, and fresh-faced finishes were seen all over the runways, with a celebration of natural hair texture resulting in a refreshing display of fluffy, tousled waves.
Natural flush
At Ermanno Scervino, Rabanne, and Ann Demeulemeester, flushed skin was the ultimate marker of a laissez-faire attitude as models had pink blush swept across the cheeks and almost dragged down into the cheek hollows and jawline to create the illusion of a natural flush after a run or a brisk walk.
Blurred
At Sportmax, dark lips that would usually be deemed quite serious and polished were given a treatment that made them look lived in and unintentional. Burgundy lipstick was applied and then lightly buffed with a brush along the edges to give the appearance of lips that had been freshly smooched or smudged.
Laid-back luxe
The memo also applied to hair on the runways of Roberto Cavalli, Dior, and Chloé, all of which showcased tousled, natural texture with a fluffy, almost cloud-like finish to curls and waves. At Saint Laurent, Dries Van Noten, and Undercover, models were sent out with hair that was nonchalantly thrown up in a messy bun or claw clip, with flyaways, face-framing pieces, and wispy curls left to their own devices.
Sun-kissed
At Michael Kors, where the inspiration was an escape to a desert destination, models were sent out with decadently bronzed skin, giving the outer edges of the face, cheekbones, lids, and nose a golden glow.
Capsule kit
From the November issue of Wanted, 2025
