For most people, New York Fashion Week was about one thing: fashion. But sometimes, the most memorable part of a runway show is the styling. Tease a model's hair to its fullest, or keep it sleek? Rely on a bright, flirty blush, or stick to earth tones? A lot of thought goes into deciding how models look on the runway.
So what styles did the fashion powers that be send down the runway this season? Now that Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is over, it's time to recap the biggest beauty trends of Spring 2014 runway shows:
Lip trends - New York Fashion Week
This season, designer Rag & Bone made history by debuting the first-ever matte orange lip. And given the runway's penchant for setting trends, it's safe to say we'll be seeing a lot of matte orange lips in the near future.
Rag & Bone commissioned the help of makeup artist and Revlon Global Artistic Director Gucci Westman to develop the bright orange matte lip, which was inspired by the Brazil World Cup. Gucci described the matte lip color's effect, explaining "it's playing with textures a bit. The skin is very luminous using Dr. Hauschka Lip Balm on the lips and Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream for sheer coverage on the skin, and the lip is super matte."
The electric orange lip color was seen across several runways, bringing out the glow of a model's skin tone while adding a pop of color against black and white fabrics. Designers like Prabal Gurung, Creatures of the Wind and Marissa Webb all hopped on the orange lip color train, pairing it with everything from neutral looks to outlandish floral prints.
Achieve the neon tangerine look with Nars' Timanfaya Satin Lip Pencil, Nars' Red Square Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Revlon's ColorBurst Matte Balm in Mischievous, or Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Carnival. (Both Revlon shades come out in 2014).
To get that matte look without chapped lips, Gucci advises applying a hydrating color as your base (like the ColorBurst) and then a liner over the top to mattify it.
Nail Trends - New York Fashion Week
If you've got a finger on the fashion pulse, you already know last year's runway was all about meticulous artistic manicures. But this time around, runway manicurists have taken a much-needed beauty breather: with dozens of models to beautify in just a few short hours, celebrity manicurists like Pattie Yankee and Deborah Lippmann have turned to press-on nails to save time, stress and panic.
The stark white nail color trend we've been seeing on celebrities lately continued on the Spring 2014 runways, paired with just a touch of art. Other notable nail art experiments ranged from silver metal strips that mimic nail rings to a French moon manicure with Swarovski crystals. Designers like Kate Spade, Cushnie et Ochs, Honor, Kye, Desigual and Jenni Kayne all tapped into this trend.
Creatures of the Wind made the press-on nail trend their own by pulling from the collection's vinyl T-shirts for nail inspiration. The nail pros at CND designed a bisected press-on nail: half neutral polish, half squiggles in teal, brown, orange and blue.
Hair Trends - New York Fashion Week
At this year's NYFW, bigger was not better, at least when it came to hair. The overall runway look was wet, slick, matted hair that clung to a model's scalp and neck. The just-showered look was achieved with product -- and lots of it.
Just ask Prabal Gurung, who paired a signature bright lip color and those memorable rainbow glasses with matted hair fitted perfectly to his models' scalps. The finishing touch: letting one of the model's ears poke through to show off colorful earrings. Other designers who fell for slick hairstyles were Band of Outsiders and Yigal Azrouel.
Stylist James Pecis was the mastermind behind the just-out-of-the-shower hair in Yigal Azrouel's collection. How did he achieve the wet look? He sprayed Bumble and Bumble Holding Spray liberally onto the hair, twisted it into a bun, then blow-dried it through a scarf.
We'll have to wait and see how these beauty trends translate to the Red Carpet and street style, but one thing is for sure: if the runways are any indication, it's going to be a bold beauty season.