3 natural beauty trends from Fashion Week

Normally I look for the most out-there beauty trends at fashion week and find ways to make them wearable for the everyday.

This year it was the reverse. Foundation is out. Skin is in.

There were so many natural looks at fashion week that there were hardly any makeup products to talk about. Instead there were unconventional uses for lipstick and bronzer and a focus on skincare. Subtle contours and highlights took centre stage and hair was styled in a raw and naturally textured way.

What nail art?

Nude nails ruled the runways. After the dominance of nail art, nails dropped back a notch. There were two main nail trends at fashion week – nude or navy. The dark half moon nails above are a modern twist on nude nails but nail art really took a backseat at fashion week this year.

Shades like Essie Sand Tropez and OPI Samoan Sand are the new low key nail art for the season.

Skin is in

Perfect skin is in. But what if (like me) you don’t have perfectly clear skin?

Skip the heavy, full coverage foundations for a softer, sheer coverage. Or skip the foundation all together. Instead, use concealer to cover any blemishes and let your skin be. I’ve always loved this makeup tutorial by Lisa Eldridge as she points out that even if you have bad skin you don’t need to mask your face.

Focus on perfectly groomed brows and subtle lip tints and cheek highlights. 

Multi use makeup was spotted everywhere backstage. Natural tone lipsticks were used for blush and contours, and lip balms were used on eyes and as highlights.

Raw hair

The two main hair trends I spotted at fashion week were raw hair and wet look hair, which I suppose is just another raw texture of hair. While no-makeup makeup requires less product, raw hair does need some structure to make it look like you’ve done nothing at all.

The key to raw hair is to start with perfect hair and then deconstruct it to make it look more lived in and more real. This requires a lot of work when you have to make 20 models all look the same, but it’s much easier to manage in your own hair at home. Add dry shampoo to clean hair to rough it up, or wait for perfect messy hair on Day 2.

Wet look hair is one of the hardest looks to pull off but I have a tutorial coming up that will give you the perfect finish every time. It’s a tricky balance between hair looking wet and it not ruining your clothes.

In amongst all the raw and loose hair I did find some fabulous braids which I’ll share tutorials for too. I was very glad to see braids are still on trend, as I wear them every week.

While on one hand, I was looking for some more dramatic inspiration from fashion week, this natural beauty trend is one I will embrace.

I may have to add in a bright lip or winged eyeliner every now and then. I can’t help myself!

Will you embrace this natural beauty trend?