ALL THE BACKSTAGE BEAUTY TRENDS FROM
MERCEDES-BENZ
FASHION WEEK AUSTRALIA 2017

Just like that, another year of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia comes to a close.

And you would’ve missed it if it weren’t for all the street style snaps flooding your instagram feed over the last week and still at this very moment. More importantly, here’s what you didn’t see – all the backstage beauty trends that’ll dictate and define what we’re wearing (on our faces) in the next six to 12 months.

Get ready for a whole lotta this…

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The buzzword backstage for hair was “individual”. Natural curls were enhanced or softened (see: Albus Lumen, pictured), and naturally straight or wavy hair it was texturised, undone or left as such. Basically, what you were born with was what you left with. Hairstyles were customised to suit the models’ natural hair type and no girl looked the same as the next – just like in real life, there was something for everyone.

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Colour was king at this year’s MBFWA shows to the point of sensory overload after seasons of minimal, ‘no-makeup’ makeup. Three cheers to M.A.C Cosmetics for being its main proponent and bringing us some of the most memorable beauty highlights of the week, from electric blue eyeliner at Sass & Bide to sweeping washes of yellow eyeshadow at Bianca Spender; Napoleon Perdis also showed up with colour at Christopher Esber with models rocking greyish lilac or lemony yellow hand-painted eyeshadow.

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Blush tones on eyes was the micro-colour trend of the week. Spotted at We Are Kindred, Alice McCall and more, M.A.C Cosmetics Makeup Artists used the same pigmented pink lipsticks and glosses on eyes, cheeks and lips. Maybelline New York Makeup Director, Nigel Stanislaus avoided it looking “too girly” by layering powder bronzer over the top of blush on eyes at C/MEO Collective (pictured).

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If hair accessories ever make a mainstream comeback, oh please let them be precious gold. At Sass & Bide, Renya Xydis, Head Stylist for Cloud Nine created what she dubbed “the new-wave corn row”, weaving gold ringed hardware into each section. At Anna Quan, nuggety gold earrings by Alighieri Jewellery were bent to shape and used to finish twisted rope-braids created by Head Stylist Byron Turnbull for Kevin.Murphy.

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At this year’s show, there was only one colour on models’ lips: a bright, youthful festive-red with warm orange undertones that felt discernibly Australian, especially when it was paired with luminous holiday skin. Most noticeable at Bec & Bridge and Anna Quan, the respective shades – M.A.C Cosmetics Lipstick in So Chaud and  Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte in #144  – were pressed into lips with fingers, liner was used as necessary and it was matted off with powders to ensure long-wear. We can’t wait to wear this all summer long.

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Don’t stop till you’ve strobed enough was the brief for skin backstage. Maybelline Makeup Director, Nigel Stanislaus and his team got highlighter-happy backstage at Albus Lumen giving models and ethereal-silvery glisten with Maybelline Master Strobing Sticks patted all over the face, but especially on the high points. We’d hazard a guess they churned through over 100 sticks by the end of the week. Backstage at Sass & Bide, Head Makeup Artist for Lancôme, Lara Srokowski used Lancôme Eclat Miracle (a silvery-white illuminator cream) which she “mixed in with a bit of gold Belle de Teint for girls with that bronzed-tan complexion”. Again, a customised approach.

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If there’s one product you should stock up on based on Fashion Week beauty trends – it’s the cushion foundation. Maybelline Dream Cushion Foundation and the award-winning Lancôme Miracale Cushion Compact got a workout at several shows including Dion Lee, Ginger & Smart and Albus Lumen giving models a translucent hydrated base. Alternatively, invest in a sponge applicator like Shu Uemura Lightbulb Sponge which was used backstage to apply fluid foundation at Hansen & Gretel.

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Another major beauty trend was facial oils to achieve a hydrated glow without cosmetic shimmers. Head Makeup Artist for Shu Uemura, Panda Peng says she allocated half her makeup time on skincare at Hansen & Gretel. Adding, “First we cleansed the skin with Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and then we used Shu Uemura The Skin Perfector Oil.”  Similarly at Karla Spetic, The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Reviving Oil was applied all over the face before foundation for a shine-from-within glow.

What was your favourite beauty trend from MBFWA Resort 2018?

Would you try any of these makeup & hair trends?