AMERICAN HUSTLE
At Gucci’s Seventies disco fare, make-up artist Pat McGrath blended colours from the apples of the cheeks to the temples using a foundation – yes, instead of bronzers – two to three shades darker than the model’s natural complexion. Enhancing the chiselled frames with cream and powder highlighters around the cheekbones and brow bones, the face was beautifully sporty and yet incredibly glamorous – a technique that was also seen across other shows, like Emilio Pucci and Donna Karan New York.
“It is inspired by Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton – glamorous, bohemian, hippie,” quips Brit make-up darling Charlotte Tilbury of the Donna Karan girls. Using MAC 30 Lash to create the “open, full feathery effect” on the eyes, Tilbury also blended Pleasure Model Extra Dimension Blush – available in Malaysia soon – with deeper colours of Mineralize Skinfinish on the entire cheek area for that glorious Ali MacGraw glow.
And the ’70s look does not end there: stiletto-sharp eyelashes were seen at Thakoon’s show as a nod to the era, with the face naturally enhanced by highlighting only key features such as underneath the cheekbones and inner corners of the eyes, as well as the apples of the cheeks for that fresh-from-a-mountainrun effect.
WEST COASTING
While all this focus on the natural complexion is very well and good, the look is by no means off-limits when it comes to colour. At Rodarte, James Kaliardos gave the “wild LA girl – the real Los Angeles kind, not the red-carpet ones” fierce V-lined eyes to match the zebra-printed sideswept hair. These nicely realised his Sunset Strip glow, courtesy of cream blushers blended into the cheeks to complement that leatherand-chain hauteur. Sport this modern take on the Eighties LA tan with Nars Matte Multiple in Altai and Anguilla.
Rodarte shows are well-known for taking inspiration from the East Coast, but what about the man who epitomises New York chic? This season, Marc Jacobs shocked and awed in equal measure. Of course, there was the pageboy haircut that made the very idea of tailoring our hair to the shape of a coconut considerable, but Marc Jacobs’s Spring/Summer ’14 show also set into motion one very cool trend we can all love and wear more readily: the gorgeous teal and royal blue-lined eyes and sun-kissed skin of “edgy Californian surfer girls”.
“This is a summer look that’s all about the eye – tons of eyeliner, and nothing else,” says Jacobs’s backstage partner-in-crime and founder of cult beauty brand Nars, François Nars. “To allow the eyes to really pop, the skin was kept very transparent for a flushed look. Beautiful, edgy, but
not pretty.”
AKIN TO SKIN
“A light coverage in all respects is really important,” reveals Garland. “Shades are warmer – peaches and apricots, they just feel fitting. They have something to do with the sun, which subliminally is about a more positive vibe.” Box agrees. “It feels clean, clear, optimistic. I feel that everything has a much more upbeat undercurrent this season.”
The best part about this updated beauty glow? You can wear it anywhere, anytime, all year round.
“Yes, it’s become a bit of a cliché for summer to spell out tans and orange lips and for winter to equal pallor with a dark red lip,” says Box of the colour shift. “We want something more complex than that now. Something that is more emotionally sophisticated that represents feelings rather than just the superficial. The ultimate aim seems to be the idea of glowing with some kind of inner confidence.” Dior Prestige White Collection Satin Brightening UV Base Blemish Balm