Whether you call it “Cruise,” “Resort,” or the newly popular “Pre-Spring,” the designer collectsions that debut in May and June every year are like catnip for the beauty set for a very simple reason: The models’ hair and makeup looks, like the breezy clothes themselves, are generally conceived with warm-weather getaways in mind. So even as the distinctions between seasons continue to blur, these seven beauty ideas from the recent run of shows and lookbooks feel particularly relevant now with summer (finally) in full swing.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy Scott / @itsjeremyscott1/8Master the Art of Hat Hair
If ever there was a time to embrace a hat—whether a psychedelic-glam Moschino cap, a beaded Chanel beret, or a floppy Bardot-on-the-Riviera wide brim à la Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini—now might be it. But whatever style you choose, remember to mind your texture underneath so that in the unlikely event you are asked to remove such an accessory, a spritz of salt spray and a quick scrunch will have you sorted.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior Official / @dior2/8With Eyes, More Is More
Fashion’s newfound obsession with extreme ’80s dressing is bleeding over into the beauty space—and not just in the obvious places, like Marc Jacobs’s club-kid collectsion replete with heavily rimmed eyes. At Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière accented his sophisticated, sporty collectsion with a swipe of electro-pop cerulean eye paint, while Riccardo Tisci showed thick, elongated black cat-eyes at Givenchy with a subversive punk twist reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux. At Dior (shown here), makeup maestro Peter Philips went all in, dragging a stormy bronze powder from the lashes all the way through the eyebrows. Skipping the mascara provided a welcome dose of modernity.
Photo: Courtesy of Narciso Rodriguez3/8A Signature Brow Is Everything
Riffing off another beauty trend from the era of excess, well-groomed and beefed-up arches have been a constant on the Resort runways. But the ombré brow that harked back to a ’90s “tadpole” shape at Narciso Rodriguez (shown here) added an unexpectedly graphic, face-shaping detail to the designer’s classically chic, streamlined collectsion.
Photo: Luca Tombolini / Indigital.tv4/8Embrace Your Frizz
Maybe it’s to be expected when brands stage outdoor runway spectaculars in exotic locales—like Louis Vuitton in sun-soaked Rio de Janeiro (shown here)—but humidity-enhanced waves, curls, and coils have never looked so good. The muggy-right-now Upper East Side is also a good place to revel in your natural texture, according to Peter Copping at Oscar de la Renta, where mismatched tweeds and cocktail dresses got an infusion of real-girl attitude, thanks to wonderfully fuzzy flyways that halo-ed low-slung, messy ponytails.
Photo: Courtesy of Calvin Klein5/8It’s Time to Get Reacquainted With Hair Gel
But if you just can’t bare a muggy mane, take comfort in the fact that fall’s flirtation with hair gel seems to have legs: Wet-look styles persisted from Dior to Calvin Klein (shown here). At Christopher Kane, there were smooth half-ponytails fastened at the crown; Giambattista Valli nodded to the sort of West Coast social media darlings who have little time to dry their fresh-out-of-the-pool hair before posting their next Snap. At Jonny Johansson’s Grateful Dead–inflected Acne show, daughters of Deadheads wore watercolor streaks in their slicked-back strands to reinterpret the ’60s-era subculture in true festival-generation form.
Photo: Courtesy of @backstagebombshell6/8Choose Outside-the-Box Lip Colors
The cobalt blue and black pouts Alessandro Michele showed at Gucci have dominated the lipstick conversation over the past few weeks. But if you’re not quite ready for a Kylie Lip Kit kind of statement, there have been a few other compelling shade ideas worth replicating, from the glossy coral at Anna Sui to the deep, dusty rose Tomas Maier offered at Bottega Veneta. That surprisingly versatile matte color seemed ripped from Look 10’s contrasting geometric prints and intarsia flap bag, but its ability to play equally well with the collectsion’s bright greens, electric purples, and pale citrines has compelled our new obsession to find a precise color match. (Sisley’s Phyto-Lèvres Perfect lipliner in #4 Rose Passion is a good place to start.)
Photo: Courtesy of Sonia Rykiel7/8You Can Never Have Enough Lashes
There have also been plenty of classic, minimalist moments to latch on to this season, putting raw skin and groomed brows in the spotlight. But Julie de Libran’s Paris-meets-Provence Sonia Rykiel collectsion offered a friendly reminder that a little lash embellishment goes a long way on a clean canvas. De Libran’s clothes hinted at the house’s retro-gamine sensibility without a heavy hand, which meant that mascara-coated false lashes—on both top and bottom lash lines—felt surprisingly fresh, rather than overtly mod.
Photo: Courtesy of Fendi8/8Why Settle for One Messy Chignon, When You Can Have Two?
Fendi’s relaxed double-knot updo is a great idea for a trip to a tropical destination—or a low-key weekend in June. The keys to pulling off a subtly stegosaurus-esque profile? A little height just past the hairline, and as many wisps as you can successfully free up.
