The Best Makeup Trends From Spring 2018

Trend: bright red lips 


Statement red lips returned to the make-up trend roster at Max Mara, where they were made all the more dramatic for their pairing with slicked-back hair and glowing yet bare-looking skin. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: modern rock chic


Graphic eyeliner was the main make-up statement at Tommy Hilfiger, but lead make-up artist Mark Carrasquillo stressed that it was far from an "Amy Winehouse eye". This was "tougher and not too precious, so that the make-up felt young." It was "straight, so no true flick and super dense and matte", created using Mac's Pro Longwear Fluidline in Blacktrack, £16.50, all over the eyelid to prime and then Eye Shadow in Carbon, £13.50, over the top. The rest of the look was almost bare, with "no tricks, no contour", ensuring the "jet black eye" took centre stage. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: the night before


For the make-up look at Christopher Kane, Lucia Pieroni used the new Christopher Kane for NARS collection to create what perhaps would have been
the remnants of last night's make-up. Pieroni washed pale iridescent shades from the Chrome Eyeshadow Palette over the lids "and a pop of a darker shade pressed just over the pupil." The monotone, pale and interesting faces were left blush- and mascara- free, while the only memories left from last night's make-up tale was highlighter, "and a coat of the weird but fabulous, cool matte Chroma Chrome lipstick."

Photo: Getty

Trend: dancing queen


Erdem's beauty always comes with a backstory.  This season the make-up told the tale of "the Queen having gone dancing all night in a Harlem jazz club in the Forties," explained Val Garland.  "It's 3am, she's been drinking rum and her skin is a little moist." As with many of Garland's looks, the hero here was black liner; "I used Nars' Black Valley Eye Paint, £19, to make girls feel proper and perfect. But we wanted it edgy, so I kept the liner linear, all without mascara, finished with beautiful groomed, finished brows." (Thanks to Nars' Oural Brow Gel, £18.50).  "Remember," she added, "this is just the template for graphic, horizontal liner.  If it doesn't fit your face, as it didn't with some of the models, customise the line it to suit your eye."

Photo: Getty

Trend: grungy glitter


The main part of the Emporio Armani make-up look, which was created by Linda Cantello, was a "lived-in pastel green eyeshadow toughened-up with a touch of black. Then finished with a tear in white glitter". It was inspired by "young girls who don't know how to do their make-up well" and, as a result, recreating it is all about being experimental. To do so, start with lots of Armani Beauty's Eyes To Fill Classico Mascara, £28, for clunky lashes. Then, use Smooth Silk Eye Pencil, £28.99, well into the outer corner for a "slept in morning after look", before applying the, new for 2018, Eye Tint in Acqua just underneath the eye in a light yet imperfect way.

Photo: Getty

Trend: lip stains 


The look at Roksanda was "polished and natural, with clean and fresh skin", commented lead make-up artist Miranda Joyce. Start by hydrating your face with Mac's Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Gel, £37, and then add Mixing Medium Shine, £16.50, to achieve an "expensive" high sheen finish. Finally, add a flush of colour to your lips with the Lip Pencil in Beet, £16, pressing it off slightly with a tissue to make it look more like a stain.

Photo: Getty

Trend: smudged gel liner


'This Topshop look is inspired by the electric colours of the early nineties Soho party scene", revealed lead make-up artist Lynsey Alexander. "It's all about the eyes. Bright, vivid hues and worn in glitter. It is imperfectly beautiful - lived in, even slept in." It was created using the fingers "for a DIY feel", with gel liner pressed into the lash roots and glitter and eyeshadow smudged across the eyelids. Use Topshop's Lip Kit Set, £18, to recreate the pink look now and then, come 2018, try the green shade using Green Gliter Eyeshadow Mono. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: brushed up brows 


"It's a celebration of the brushed-up eyebrow", revealed the Mac pro team at Roland Mouret. To create the natural-looking but enhanced "bushy look", Mac's False Lashes Maximizer, £14.50, or Pro Longwear Brow Set, £14.50, were brushed through the brows to create the impression of fullness, while the eye area was left contrastingly bare without any mascara.

Photo: Getty

Trend: Imperfect liner


Anyone who struggles with perfect eyeliner can rejoice, imperfections were celebrated and encouraged at Eudon Choi. For Adam de Cruz, the look - which consisted of Mac's Brushstroke Liner in Brushblack, £18.50, being applied freehand and deliberately wobbly - was all about the story of "an aristocratic woman who spends her summertime in her house by the sea while painting." The imperfect liner is the result of her darting into the car and trying to apply her eye make-up as the car "goes over a pebble." The woman's sense of haste is exacerbated by her barefaced skin and lack of mascara or prominent lipstick. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: healthy shine


Subtle shine allowed the models to appear barefaced but with super healthy skin at Mary Katrantzou. The look was inspired by the 80's, said Lynsey Alexander, so the period's "patent-wet, plastic shiny textures and sequins were mirrored with a translucent, lacquered face." To recreate it, use Mac's Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Gel, £37, over your whole face and Mixing Medium Shine, £16.50, over your cheekbones. Add a little Lipglass in Clear, £15, to your eyes for additional sheen and finish by pressing Matte Lipstick in Honeylove, £16.50, lightly over the lips. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: shimmer


It was back to the 70's disco at Peter Pilotto, thanks to lead make-up artist Thomas De Kluyver. Creating the imperfection that the models were "going out dancing" so there was a "nice energy but nothing too perfect" about the look, the main focus was a "naive-looking glitter eye". It was created using a combination of Mac's Glitter in Silver, £16.50, and The Forecast Spring 18 Eye in Silverquick!, available spring / summer 2018, applied not only on the eyelid but on the cheekbones and beneath the eyes. Prep + Prime Essential Oils Grapefruit and Chamomile, £21.50,then added a further sweaty sheen.

Photo: Getty

Trend: graphic eyeliner


"This look was inspired by the great and glorious Amy Winehouse' iconic punky, graphic, overdrawn Feline Flick, as well as Kate Moss' signature eye," revealed Charlotte Tilbury. To create the "lived in feline flick", Rock 'n' Kohl Liquid Eyeliner in Bedroom Black, £19, was smudged along the waterline with Vaseline, before another flick, using The Feline Flick Liquid Eye Pen in Panther, £45, was applied on top. Straight afterwards the models squeezed their eyes tight to ensure an imperfect finish. "Donatella wanted every model to have a slightly different makeup personality, but all feel like they were from the same tribe."

Photo: Versus by Versace

Trend: a touch of pink


Terry Barber's "city grime to country fresh" look at Marques Almeida translated to flawless skin - use Mac's Face and Body Foundation, £28, - and little touches of pink on the eyelids, cheeks and lips. Mix together a combination of  shades from the Pro Eye Palette, £36, for the perfect cheek and eye flush, before using the same palette to apply some colour to the outer lip line for a "chafed appearance."

Photo: Getty

Trend: glossy skin


This look is French Riviera fresh with a forties twist", explained Charlotte Tilbury, who used her own products to achieve the make-up backstage at Temperley. "It's all about a healthy glowing complexion that's been kissed by the Riviera sun: movie-star highlights (use Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Contour Wand and Beauty Light Wand, £29 each), a wash of light on the eye, and brilliantly bold modern matte orange-red geranium lips" because of Hot Lips Lipstick in Tell Laura, £24.

Photo: Temperley

Trends: shine


Preen's make-up was all about "purity" meaning the whole face was super glossy. The skin got its healthy appearance due to Mac's Mineralize Moisturise Foundation, £29.50, and the lips by applying Satin Lipstick in Paramount, £16.50, with the fingers. Then, to create the glimmering eye make-up another lip product, Lipmix in Dark Nude, £15.50, was mixed with Mixing Medium Shine, £16.50, to provide a wash of defining but not over-pigmented colour.

Photo: Getty

Trend: glitter lashes 


"Angelic and youthful" translated to amazingly glittery lashes for lead make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench at Ryan Lo. To create the "dramatic, full, wispy, winged" look, Ffrench used Mac's 34 and 48 Lashes, £11.50 each, and coated them with a wealth of Glitter in 3D Pink, £16.50. The rest of the look was kept pared-down, with only a little Powder Blush in Melba, £25, and Pink Swoon, £19.50, applied on the cheeks.

Photo: Getty

Trend: glitter eyes 


Continuing the glitter theme that is emerging for the season, the eye make-up at Asish involved dark eyeliner combined with glitter in a nod to "ancient Hindu culture when people drew black kohl around their eyes to ward off evil spirits, but amped up with a reflective twist", revealed Isamaya Ffrench. Mac's Chromaline in Black Black, £16.50, was blended out across the lash line, with Eye Shadow in Carbon, £13.50, used on the eyelids. This was then topped with Glitter in 3D Black, £16.50, "for added dimension" and a little Glitter in 3D Mint, £16.50, was applied in "the inner corner of the eyes for a holographic highlight."

Photo: Getty

Trend: fresh skin


The focus was on creating "your skin, but better" at Joseph, explained Lynsey Alexander. ""I wanted to create a gorgeous, fresh, feminine looking girl with a boyish edge, so the finished looked shouldn't look like makeup". It's why she started by prepping the skin with Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair PowerFoil Mask £16.50 and Micro Essence Treatment Lotion, £48, before using Double Wear Nude Water Fresh Makeup, £29.25. Lynsey then used lipstick - Pure Color Love in Raw Sugar, £19 -as a soft way to define and add colour to not only the lips but the eyes and cheeks, alongside Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Restorative Balm, £125, to achieve a hydrated sheen.

Photo: Getty

Trend: artistic eyeshadow


Playing on the concept of the female artist, the make-up by Attracta Courtnet at Parmer Harding resembled brush strokes of pastel watercolours. "I used Lord & Berry products to create an unexpected look – cyberskin, reminiscent of the iridescence of the moon, using Stardust Pigment in Moon, £10, paired with bright shadows on the lids - Seta Eyeshadow in Snap Blue, Tangerine and Sunflower, £12 each, which was smudged out with fingers. This girl doesn't have to try hard to find her original beauty; her look is unexpected, fearless and unique."

Photo: Getty

Trend: dewy skin


Lucy Burt wanted the models to look like "chic young girls waking up in a floral garden with the fresh morning dew on their skin" at Shrimps. To achieve that glowy complexion, Burt used Mac's Mineralize skincare over the whole face, alongside Prep +Prime Highlighter, £20, under the eyes. Next, Prep + Prime Essential Oils Grapefruit and Chamomile, £21.50, was swept across the face's high points and a touch of Strobe Cream in Pinklite, £25, was added to the eyelids. Then, to create the "partied-out glitter lip", the models' lips were moisturised, before a sprinkle of glitter was dabbed on.

Photo: Getty

Trend: blended pastels


"Ethereal, ballerina fairies were the inspiration behind this season's beauty - dressed in a wash of lilacs and pinks with an inky grey lip at it's core", revealed lead make-up artist Sam Bryant. For the eyes, shades 3 & 4 from Revlon's ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow Palette in Seductive, £8.99, were applied around the eyes and blended up through the brows. Insta-Blush in Berry Kiss, £9.99 was then swept high on the cheeks and blended up into the eyeshadow, before the new Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in Metallic Luster, £8.99, was applied on the lips.

Photo: Getty

Trend: brightened matte skin


In keeping with the pirate themed show, the wash of bright eyeliner - in blue, pink and orange - across the models' eyes was deliberately wave-like at House of Holland,. Then, to create the "sun-bathed, desert island skin", The Body Shop's new Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation, which continued over the lips, and Honey Bronze Drops of Sun, £12, were used, to give a matte yet still lit-from-within finish.

Photo: Getty

Trend: bold blush


Creating the impression that "young fresh girls had been playing dress up in their mum's wardrobe", Sam Bryant gave the models at Simone Rocha a pop of colour down their cheeks. The shade was created using Mac's Trend Forecast Spring 18 Eye in Corally, for fairer skin tones, and in Crimson for deeper skin tones - out in 2018 - mixed with Lipmix in Fuchsia, £15. The same combination was then used on the lips. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: simple statement


"This season is all about the girl that does the opposite of what everyone expects. She's strong; she's aggressive", says Mark Carrasquillo. At JW Anderson, that meant limited make-up, just bold eyeliner. Try Nars' Eye Paint in Black Valley, £18, and the Eyeliner Pencil in Black Moon, £21.99.

Photo: Getty

Trend: new smoky eye


To allow for a softer but still-just-as-dramatic smoky eye make-up look at Molly Goddard, Hiromi Ueda blended a custom grey colour, created by mixing together Mac's Paint Sticks in Black Black and Pure White, both £16, high over the eye socket and underneath the eye but left out any eyeliner to keep "the lash lines clean and bare." 

Photo: Getty

Trend: black and coloured liner 


While the likes of Georgia May Jagger and Winnie Harlow may have walked the catwalk with an especially statement combination of Marc Jacobs Beauty's Highliner Gel Eye Crayons, £20, at Matty Bovan, expect to see black eyeliner, applied along the lash lines, paired with inky blue shades on many eyes come spring / summer 18.

Photo: Getty

Trend: statement eyeliner


"The make-up looks at Isa Arfen this season were inspired by Kabuki make-up", divulged Andrew Gallimore. While the skin was kept clear and bright using Nars' skincare products - with little touches of the brand's new Radiant Longwear Foundation where required - the standout feature was prominent eyeliner, created using Nars' Eye Paint in Black Valley, £18, or alongside the Lip Liner in Jungle Red, £16.50, and the Velvet Eyeliner in Darklight, £17, for a touch of colour.

Photo: Getty

Trend: heavy eyeliner (against a neutral palette)


You know there is a trend combination forming when you can almost exactly match-up the looks at two different shows. Both Marc Jacobs and Carolina Herrera combined natural-looking complexions and neutral glossy lips with prominent eyeliner, though the flicks were longer and more Cleopatra-inspired here, created by Diane Kendal using  Marc Jacobs Beauty's Fineliner, £19 and Highliner, £20, both in Blacquer.

Photo: Getty

Trend: horizontal ombre lips
If last season was the time to experiment with Instagram-inspired ombre lips, spring / summer 2018 is set to take it up a gear. At Helmut Lang's show, make-up artist Inge Grognard applied the style sideways - so that the models' lips were darkest in the corners and at their lightest in the middle. Use a selection of Mac's Retro Matte lipsticks, in varying red shades, with a lip brush to guarantee the precise finish.

Photo: Getty

Trend: i love summer



Makeup artist Diane Kendal wanted to create a make-up look that "embraces the optimism of summer" at Prabal Gurung. That translated to a very hydrated, barefaced look, created using Mac's Prep + Prime Fix, £18, and Moisture Cream, £25, as well as a hint of lip balm, used as a subtle blusher, on the cheeks. 

Photo: Getty

Related article: Cop Tiffany Hsu, Nicole Warne & More Asian Celebs' Beauty Looks At The Venice Film Festival

Trend: baby blue eyeliner 



Like a pared-down version of the brand's autumn / winter 2017 make-up look, baby blue eyeliner provided a subtle lift of colour at Oscar de la Renta. Recreate the look by applying the shade alongside a thin line of black eyeliner, but don't worry about it looking perfect - leave that to your attempts to copy the models' ethereal-looking skin.

Photo: Getty

Trend: the cat-eye



You'll need a very steady hand - and a very thin-nipped eyeliner pen - to recreate the sleek and inch-perfect cat-eye eyeliner at Caroline Herrera as there is no smokiness here. Use it to define and open your eyes and pair with "no make-up make-up" skin, a continuing trend, and a glossy neutral lip, for the ultimate statement. 

Photo: Getty

Trend: night-before eyes 



You know that moment when you wake up in the morning and realise you didn't quite take off all your eye make-up the night before - Coach's make-up look this season was like that. Avoiding complete panda eyes, a light application of black eyeliner rimmed the models' eyes and a little mascara lifted their lashes. The brows were similarly prominent yet imperfect, a finish you can recreate by using a blunt eyebrow pencil.

Related article: 5 Fresh Looks We Want To Wear Right Off The Coach 1941 SS18 Runway

Photo: Getty

Trend: Anna Sui



Festival season may have finished for this year but, looking ahead to spring summer 18, Anna Sui kept festival beauty alive on the catwalk. Glittery eyeshadow was applied in a cross shape over the models' eyes, so to appear haphazard, and, alongside otherwise fresh-faced complexions, a few also had childish flowers painted onto their cheeks.

Photo: Getty

Trend: high-impact highlights



In the midst of hype surrounding Rihanna's debut make-up collection release, Fenty Beauty was used exclusively at her show to give models the 'Fenty Face'. Make-up artist James Kaliardos applied Trophy Wife, £26, the yellow-gold highlighter on model Joan Smalls (pictured), from the cheekbones to the inner corners of the eyes.

Photo: Getty

Trend: hydrated skin



At Philip Lim, makeup artist Francelle Daly didn't merely embrace the barefaced look, she focused on ensuring the skin looked healthy. "The look this season is hydrated skin with lightly sun-touched cheeks and lips", explained Daly. This meant using multiple moisturisers, such as Nars' Luminous Moisture Cream, instead of a heavy base, while Nars' new Highlighting Powders and the Orgasm Afterglow Lip Balm (out Spring 2018), gave the models a sun-kissed glow.

Photo: Getty

Trend: futuristic minimalism 



As if emerging from a 21st century delorean, the models at Jeremy Scott walked the runway with fresh faces and eyes accessorised with gemstones, for a "minimalistic make-up look, with a shiny, futuristic twist". Lead make-up artist Kabuki, used primer, eye cream, Mac's Waterweight Foundation, £27 and Cream Colour Base, £18, to enhance the models' skin, before adding a skin-tone matching sweep of lipstick. Try Mac's Cremesheen in Creme in Your Coffee, £16.50, or experiment by combining a few nude shades.

Photo: Getty

Trend: all about the base



Moisturiser came first to create Pat McGrath's look for Victoria Beckham's SS18 show.  "It's very fresh, very natural and all about skincare," explained McGrath who used just a touch of beige liner on the eyes, a little gold highlighter on the cheekbones and a hint of gloss on the lids, while she even tissued off the lipstick.  She added; "There's grooming here, but the look is really natural."

Photo: Getty

Trend: individual beauty



British make-up royalty Diane Kendall wanted 'a unique beauty,' for Alexander Wang.  "The Wang girl has her own personal style with a cool downtown feel." Kendall used Nars colours to celebrate the individual beauty of each girl and enhance their features, evening out skin tone first, before applying the universally flattering Orgasm Blush powder (out next year) as a highlighter, "brushed onto lids, cheekbones and apples."

Photo: Getty

Trend: healthy skin with a work ethic 



The face of health returned at Mansur Gavriel. But while those runway faces looked bare and beautiful, behind the backstage doors artists had exfoliated and toned skin before pressing in moisturiser, more moisture cream, eye cream and then a fine film of All Day Luminous Foundation, £75.08, (all by Nars) into skin "for fresh faced translucence," lead artist for Nars, Lizo, told us. Because when the designer asks for "effortless no make-up make-up," it actually takes real effort. "Think of this make-up as a good reality check for all the heavy social media make-up," added Rizo, who finished the naked look with a worn lip courtesy of Nars' Audacious Lipstick, £31, "in Vera, Rita, Carmen or Lana, depending on the model."

Photo: Getty

Trend: she's got the glow



"This season's look is a modern take on sun-kissed beauty," Mark Carasquillo for Nars explained. "Imagine a girl has been out and danced and danced and danced all night. When she comes back home in the wee hours of the morning she's got this amazing glow."  Cue Nars' Luminous Moisture Cream, £52, as highlighter, where the sun would hit on the cheekbones, cupid's bow, chin and hairline, and a touch of Radiant Creamy Concealer, £22.42, "to kill any colour on the lids, or where models needed it." Carasquillo added; "If we didn't need to, we wouldn't have touched the model's faces at all - it had to look really real."

Photo: Getty

Trend: make-up with energy



How do you interpret a designer's request for 'positive make-up'?  "With a fresh and gorgeous 70s inspired girl, with full bushy brows, tons of lashes, shimmery peachy pink eyes, flushed cheeks and a nude lip," explained Sada Ito, lead artist for Nars.   'There's a energy to the make-up," Sada told us, "which is why I only used warm colours." The key product? Nars' Laguna Sun Wash Diffusing Bronzer, £29.

Photo: Getty

Related article: New York Fashion Week Editor's Diary: SoHo, American Spirit & More

Trend: Graphic Eyeliner
Makeup artist Pat McGrath called the glittery black eyeliner look at Tom Ford "slightly dangerous, but very expensive." This bubbly cat-eye with a rounded wing may just be the new makeup trend of the season (only time will tell)—and it's pretty easy to DIY. Backstage, makeup artists first drew the shape with a black liner (liquid is easiest), and then used an eye gloss as glue to help the glittery eyeshadow stick


Photo: Imaxtree

From: Harper's BAZAAR UK