Paris Fashion Week backstage beauty: From metallic makeup to braided parts, 5 Spring 2014 beauty trends to know now

Date September 30, 2013

paris fashion week spring 2014 beauty trends — Photography by Peter Stigter

See the beauty trends from Paris Fashion Week Spring 2014 »

As The New York Times’ Cathy Horyn noted in an early dispatch from Paris, “Nobody whines about the circus atmosphere, as they do in New York, or the business-as-usual humdrum of Milan. It’s all fashion here and, so far, it’s all pretty exciting.” The same can be said for the beauty looks that are coming out of the City of Light. And here are five emerging trends for Spring 2014:

All Gold Everything
Over the last few seasons, we’ve seen a lot of metallic makeup on the runways, but for spring 2014 we’re seeing it used in interesting, new ways. At Dior, makeup artist Pat McGrath painted the models’ eyebrows with layers of gold pigment, giving the effect that they were cast in gold. At Dries van Noten, the metal was less heavy, but still powerful: Makeup artist Peter Phillips applied gold metallic thread (think tinsel) to the eyelashes for a shimmery result. “You can never find a gold mascara that does this, and [false] lashes look too drag queen-y,” he told Style.com. And hairstylist Sam McKnight used a mixture of wax and gold leaf to line the models’ deep side parts, a look he said was inspired by Art Deco-era painter Tamara de Lempicka.

Braided Parts
Call it the Game of Thrones effect: The humble braid has been having quite a moment lately, and it’s exciting to see a fresh take on it like we did at Carven. What could have been a totally ho-hum variation on “model off-duty” hair (long, parted, textured ends) got an infusion of cool thanks to a single, tight braid that ran along the side part, and blended perfectly into the back of the hair. That, paired with black graphic eyeliner, gave the look a punky touch. Expect to see it cropping up at music festivals this summer.

The New Hair Elastic
At Nina Ricci, we found our new favourite hair accessory: a slim black ribbon, which fastened the sleek, low ponytails created by hairstylist Guido Palau. As he told Allure, when the hair is that simple and sleek, a plain black ribbon keeps it from looking “cutesy or costume-y.” Plus it’s a chic way to hide those worn-out or oddly coloured elastic bands we all have lying around in our bags.

Glitter Eyeshadow
You know what they say: three is a trend. The first time we spotted glitter eyeshadow was in New York at Jason Wu, then in Milan at Gucci. And what do you know? There it is again at Haider Ackermann. Glitter is real, and it’s happening, so you may as well get on board. And though the look at Haider Ackerman is definitely not for everyday—makeup artist Stephane Marais told Vogue that both the shape and the colour are “aggressive” and “rebellious.” It definitely doesn’t read “wait until spring” and we can see us giving this graphic wing a go for holiday parties later this year.

The Natural Look
We’ve many examples of bare-faced beauty this season, but “bare-faced” doesn’t mean “do nothing.” In fact, it means, “take really good care of your skin,” because without a clear, clean complexion, this look is tough to pull off. But if you’ve got it, by all means, use one of Isabel Marant’s models as your natural-beauty spirit animal. Marant consistently captures the fresh, golden, I-woke-up-looking-like-this vibe that most of us can’t emulate without eight hours of sleep and gallons of concealer. (Makeup artist Christelle Cocquet told Allure she created that glowy finish by mixing liquid highlighter, moisturizer, and foundation together.) Our only wish? That Marant’s runway had some diversity. Natural beauty, after all, comes in every colour under the sun.