Much like the runway collections, this season’s top hair and makeup ran the gamut from glamorous and otherworldly to surprisingly natural. (See the “anti-gravity braid” at Melitta Baumeister and Ex Machina–inspired makeup at Junya Watanabe, and the minimal, low-effort styles at Prada and Gabriela Hearst.)
We also saw the return of certain beauty trends from recent seasons, like the precise low ponytails and glossy waves spotted for Spring 2024, and flower face embellishments of years past. After all, if it works — and is possible to replicate en masse for the runway in a short amount of time — why fix it?
Still, for those who seek novelty, the spring runways did showcase some hair and makeup trends that feel particularly of the moment or offer a fresh take on evergreen styles.
Ahead, five runway-inspired ways to update your beauty look for the season ahead.
Retro volume
At the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood show in Paris, MAC makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench created a bronzy, “Princess Diana in Saint-Tropez” beauty look, while hairstylist Sam McKnight created ’80s-inspired hairstyles. Working with Dyson tools, McKnight created “really perfectly blow-dried volume in the front with a sweep,” he told CBC Life. Reminiscent of past styles, the look was decisively updated. “The hair is swept over to the side in the front and pinned in, but the back is left completely natural because [it’s] inspiration from the ’80s, but we’re doing it in a modern way.”
There were similarly voluminous, retro-inspired hairstyles at other Spring 2025 Fashion Week shows including Anna Sui, Marni and Richard Quinn.
Shadow play
Bright, monochrome eyeshadow was a hit this season at shows like Harris Reed, Marques Almeida and All-In. At some, the same statement hue was used for every look, while at others, there were a range of bold colours chosen to match the clothing.
The key with this makeup look is to use a highly pigmented eyeshadow, and apply it venturously to areas like your inner lid and above the crease of your eye.
Bed heads
Sleek buns and glossy, flat-ironed locks aren’t going anywhere. But this season, a surprising number of runway shows featured slightly messy, “I woke up like this” hairstyles. At shows including Fendi, Prada, Gabriela Hearst and Prabal Gurung, the look was intentionally “undone,” featuring imperfect parts, irregular textures, and even some frizz and flyaways.
Barely there lips
A fitting companion to the low-maintenance hair spotted on the spring catwalks, the matte, ultra-neutral lip was also ubiquitous this season. Spotted at many shows including Acne Studios, Valentino, Miu Miu and Fendi, this trend isn’t about a “natural” coloured lip — there is a little pigment or gloss — so much as de-emphasizing the area so the focus lands elsewhere.
Line up
Time to pull out your liquid liners or sharpen your best eye pencils. We saw thin, precise and sometimes quite long lines drawn around eyes on the Spring 2025 runways. At Marni, makeup artist Yadim drew fine-line eyebrows on models, while the straight black eyeliner at Alexander McQueen and Mame Kurogouchi extended neatly from eye to hairline.
