The eight most wearable beauty trends from Paris Haute Couture week

The runways of haute couture give designers and makeup artists alike the license to play and showcase the avant-garde but this season’s looks were not only experimental but wearable too. 

1. THE 60S MOD EYE
Seen at: Dior and Jean-Paul Gaultier

The exaggerated eyeliner, top to bottom lashes and their doll-eyed appeal have always been a go to on the runways when wanting to make a serious impact.  The classic look famed by Twiggy takes on a new life on this season’s haute couture runway with overtly extended lash lines and painted lashes stealing the show at Dior and hollowed out cat eye wings drawing attention to the eye crease at Jean-Paul Gaultier.

2. THE 80’S FLUSH
Seen at: Alexandre Vaulthier and Alexis Mabille

We aren’t ready to let go of the 80s just yet as the shows for Alexandre Vaulthier and Alexis Mabille see the playful trend revisited.   A sheer veil of red blush washed across the temples and set against fresh, clean skin at Mabille gave models a more ethereal, geisha look.  The models at Vaulthier went the full 80s route with pink blush used as a contour along the temples and hollows of the check to complement a wildly smoky eye.

3. BRIGHT NEON LINES
Seen at: Valentino and Iris van Hempen

Eye makeup took a more graphic yet minimalistic approach with fresh faced models being sent down the runway with only a slick of neon coloured eye liner along the upper lash line or in the waterline to create a wow factor.  Framed within a set of well-groomed brows and paired with sheer evening gowns, colour this season looked ultra sophisticated and grown up.

4. DOUBLE BRAID BRIGADE
Seen at: Christophe Josse and Liu Chao

The shows of Christopher Josse and Liu Chao had models playing double dutch as the childlike double braid brought back a bit of nostalgia and athletic cool.  Hair was parted dead centre without a flyaway in sight and twisted into two braids as oppose to using the traditional 3-part braid technique – we approve all the way.

5. METALLIC ARTSY EYES
Seen at: Elie Saab and Viktor and Rolf

A little metallic glint on the eyes is always enough to make any woman feel special but this season, the memo seems to be ‘go big or go home”.  The use of metallic shades such as gold, copper and silver were used as the main event across models’ eyes rather than an accent or highlight to their non-gilded counterparts.  Elie Saab took the simple route and stamped gold lines along the crease of the eye to create a negative spaced cut crease while Viktor and Rolf used glitter to frame the eyes with glittery graphic goodness.

6. PASTEL KALEIDOSCOPE
Seen at: Ziad Nakad and Giorgio Armani Prive

We first were uniquely mesmerised with the kaleidoscopic effect of eye shadow used at the Chanel Haute Couture Fall 2017 show that saw bold primary colours washed all over the eyes, right up to the brows.  This season, the shows of Nakad and Armani Prive toned down the effect by using a combination of matte and shimmery pastel hues that melded into each other creating a halo of sorbet colour around the eyes.

7. POLISHED UP FACES
Seen at: Chanel and Giambattista Valli

The porcelain doll effect on skin has never looked as good as it did at the shows of Valli and Chanel. Polish didn’t translate to fake but more of a perfected version of real using natural elements of skin. At Chanel, skin was aflush with soft stains of petal pink on the eyes, apples of the cheeks and the lips to resemble the flush of the skin on a chilly morning. The skin at Valli was super clean with all features muted to the background. A tapping of clear gloss along the eye lid, inspired by the natural oil glossing of the eye lid after a long day and some definition of the brow was the only elevation added.

8. EDITOR’S TREND ALERT: LILAC LIPS
Seen at Valentino

The subtle peaking of powdery lilac pouts at Valentino took us all by surprise (an extremely pleasant one) and made us dream longingly of more lilac lip encounters. A softer alternative to the statement power of red or fuchsia but still with the boldness of a punchy berry shade; lilac lips are definitely one to watch in the coming seasons.