Backstage Beauties

New York Fashion Week came to a close on Thursday and left us with a renewed interest in dark, glamorous beauty. While different designers pursued different makeup approaches, there were two common themes: radiant, one-dimensional skin, and highlighted eyes. The mood shifted from a daytime glow seen last season to a nighttime sultriness. Seductive and slightly disheveled, makeup at NYFW felt worn in. 

Frame Denim’s presentation set the tone for a ’70s makeup resurgence. Soft highlighters replaced heavy-handed, deep hued browns for a subtler way to illustrate facial form. Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein opted for hydrating facial masks and moisturizers pre-makeup backstage, which resulted in very clean skin. At Altuzarra, makeup artists created a blank canvas of skin and finished the look off with a beige lip, making the models’ faces fresh, but more subdued than Spring 2015’s emphasis on the shiny and dewy.

Eye shadow also made a strong case on the runway. Kohl pencils came out and began framing the eyelids at Rag & Bone. Reminiscent of ’20s flappers, the liner created deep-set doe-y eyes. Backstage at DKNY we saw a similar, if more exaggerated, approach with eyeliner used to frame the outer shape of the eyes. Metallic shadows were used in full force at cult labels Baja East and Delpozo, from covering the entire lid up until the brow at the former to a very thin gold line at the latter. Marc Jacobs went into a deeper molten hue, while others like Karen Walker and Jeremy Scott stuck to bright primary colors to bring out the eye.  Narciso Rodriguez and Thakoon opted for a silky deep beige tone with a subtle reflection.

For more from NYFW Fall/Winter 2015, click here.