Spring 2014 beauty trends: 6 takes on the best hair and makeup from New York Fashion Week

Date September 19, 2013

Fall may be upon us, but with the Spring 2014 shows providing never-ending inspiration in the beauty department, we can’t help but get excited for what’s to come next season.

Though it seems like we’ve seen countless stunning beauty looks over the past couple of weeks, New York Fashion Week’s backstage beauty is still freshly instilled in our minds. How could we forget Prabal Gurung’s Ladurée macaron inspired lips and Alexander Wang’s raw-yet-glowing beauty that strutted down the runway? For us beauty junkies, there is no question that we’re ready to try out some of the Spring 2014 looks now. And who better than to share their favourite picks from the runways than the Beauty Panel?

Challenge 28: What was your favourite look for Spring 2014 from New York Fashion Week? See the answers now! »

Inspired by Rodarte’s ’80s rock chic beauty, Alexa Lowe of Stealing Beauty helped make the complex look easy to achieve in her tutorial, taking you through the steps to build the fierce graphic cat eye look and bronze complexion. While Product Wars’ Fiona Man loved the ’50s-inspired appeal of Oscar de la Renta and shows us how to carry off a soft-yet-polished look, Joyce Wong of Sparkly Playground went bold and daring as she took cues from Rag & Bone’s statement orange lips. And because backstage beauty is just as much about the hair as it is the makeup, SFYGF’s JJ Cowan mastered the sleek and slicked back ponytail à la Hervé Léger.

Have a beauty question you want to see the panel answer? Send it our way at [email protected]. Read on for the answers to this week’s challenge and for more goodness, get to know all contributors on our Beauty Panel hub page.

JJ Cowan
Toronto | Secrets From Your Girlfriends

Spring 2014 beauty trends are all about the super sleek hair, deep side parts and lips shaded with matte and glossy coral tones – a combination that dominated the runways of New York Fashion Week. The first show that caught my eye and I believe captured this trend perfectly was Herve Leger, a show that left me completely and forever obsessed with Spring 2014 beauty trends. Like the beauty guru that I am, I matched my new beauty obsession with an equally persistent urge to master the new trend – from sleeked and secure pony tails to a deep side part clipped just right, I began testing and training my hair to make sure the trend would transfer from the runway into real life. What I discovered about this sleek and coral trend, is that it held supreme versatility making it an easy DIY.

So, how did I rock the sleek side parted pony?

For my hair, I decided to leave it dirty in order to maintain my natural oils so I didn’t need to rely on an overabundance of product to slick my hair down. In addition, sporting dirty hair for this look added some extra volume. First, I lightly misted the crown of my head with water and mixed a tablespoon of gel from the front to mid crown and began brushing with a thick bristled brush. I then used a thin comb to craft my deep part, moving back to the thick brush to ward off and bumps or lumps and combed my hair into a low ponytail. I finished the ponytail by positioning it at the lowest point of my head securing it with an elastic band. To complete my Spring 2014 beauty look I went heavy on what I believe is the best high performance lipstick “#435” by Artdeco.

Joyce Wong
Toronto | Sparkly Playground

My favourite look for Spring 2014 from New York Fashion Week is bold orange lips as seen on the Rag & Bone runway! I love simplicity in my everyday make up with one statement feature, in this case, LIPS! To bring out the focus on lips, you can play around with textures: keep a clean luminous face, pair it with subtle eyes, strong brows and bold lips! If I want to add more drama to the eye, I would do a simple winged eyeliner and voila!!   For nails, I decided to play on some nail art by doing a gradient orange from opaque to pastel. All it took was just a sponge and I was done dabbing my mani in 5 minutes!

Products used: Clarins Skin Illusion in “Nude 105,” Mark Super Conceal Concealer in “Light Medium,” Caryl Baker Winter Bronzer, Annabelle Quad Eyeshadow in “Chai Chai Chai,” Avon Perfect Eyebrow Kit in “Deep Brown,” Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow in “Bikini-Tini,” Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in “Coral Queen,” Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in “Cruise Collection 075,” Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in “Espresso,” Essence Colour & Go in “Wake Up!,” L’Oréal Paris Nail Colour in “Orange You Jealous? 109” and Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in “Peachy 405”

Stephanie Lau
Toronto | Fun Size Beauty

Whenever I hear the words “fashion week”, the first thing I do is stalk live streams and recaps in search for dramatic makeup looks to recreate. My fave look for Spring 2014 from New York Fashion Week is the brown and golden glam eye created by Lancôme makeup artist Diane Kendal for Jason Wu.

For this look, it’s all about the eyes. I patted the chunky golden-bronze glitter in the Revlon PhotoReady Primer, Shadow + Sparkle Palette in Metropolitan all over the lid and drew a harsh line above the crease with the dark brown. I dusted a yellowy-gold pigment onto the centre of the eye for dimension and sparkle and finished with subtle liner and mascara. Staying true to the look, I kept the face and lips simple by using a luminous matte foundation by Make Up For Ever and a light pink lipgloss from Nars.

As for making it work for the everyday girl, try blending out the dark brown. Harsh lines make the look more “runway ready” but blending out the darker shadow will make this glittery look perfectly wearable for a night out.

Products used: Revlon PhotoReady Primer, Shadow + Sparkle in “Metropolitan,” Madison Street Beauty Pigment in “Mint,” Nars Lipgloss in “Turkish Delight” and Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Foundation

Alexa Lowe
Montreal | Stealing Beauty

Products used: Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation in “Sand 35,” L’Oréal True Match Concealer in “4-5 Warm,” Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Powder in “04,” Rimmel Shimmering Maxi Bronzer in “Sun Kiss,” Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in “Tiki,” M.A.C Paint Pot in “Painterly,” M.A.C Eyeshadow in “Bisque,” Urban Decay Eyeshadow in “Virgin,” Nars Blush in “Gilda,” Inglot Matte Eyeshadow in “360,” Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eye Liner, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in “Blackout,” Nars Larger Than Life Eyeliner in “Rue Bonaparte,” Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara, Rimmel Moisture Renew in “Nude Delight” and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in “Rendezvous”

Marilou Moles
Ottawa | Twenty York Street

This year’s New York Fashion Week presented some very outstanding look that although bold, can be modified a bit to translate to off the runway for a more subtle every day look.

One such make-up trend is the defiant lip colour seen at Rag & Bone, a strikingly bold matte orange lip against a barely there overall make-up. Keeping the same thin cat-eye look using precision style eyeliner, make sure to apply at least two coats of mascara to get away with light or no eye shadow. Counter that look by choosing a bright orange lippy that matches your skin tone. Line the lips to prevent your lipstick from bleeding and use either a lip brush to apply your lipstick or use your index finger to dab the colour to achieve a more matte finish.   Lightly brush your face with a setting or highlighting powder all over your T-zone for a flawless finish!

Products used: Maybelline Master Precise in “Black,” Ecotools Brush, L’Oréal Anti-Feathering Lip Liner in “All About Pink” and Maybelline Vivid Sensational in “885 Vibrant Mandarin”

Fiona Man
Toronto | Product Wars

Though the weather is starting to cool down in Toronto, collections for Spring 2014 have been premiering at New York Fashion Week. One of my favourite looks was from Oscar de la Renta done by Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman. Since the clothes from Oscar’s collection had a ’50s vibe, Westman wanted to create a polished look. She kept the skin luminous, incorporated peach and coral tones on the lips and cheek while pairing it with soft plum eye. Compared to most looks during fashion week, this is definitely one of the most wearable and is very quick and simple to do.

1. Using your fingers, apply the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow all over the lid
2. Apply the plum eyeshadow to the lid and lower lash line with a fluffy brush
3. Using the same fluffy brush, apply the M.A.C eyeshadow into the eye socket as a transition colour
4. Use the darker end of the Revlon PhotoReady Kajal to line the upper waterline
5. Flip the Revlon PhotoReady Kajal around and use the lighter end to line the lower waterline
6. Apply L’Oréal La Couleur Infallible Eyeshadow to the inner tear ducts
7. Apply a generous coat of Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara
8. Since Pure + Simple Face Colour is super pigmented, brush excess on the back of your hand before applying it onto the cheeks
9. Top off your lips with Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

Products used: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow in “Heather,” Pixi Eye Glow Cube in “Plum,” M.A.C. Eyeshadow Shadow in “Wedge,” L’Oréal La Couleur Infallible Eyeshadow in “Hourglass Beige,” Revlon PhotoReady Kajal Intense Eye Liner + Brightener in “001 Carbon Cleopatra,” Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara in “Blackest Black,” Pure + Simple Face Colour in “Soleil” and Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in “Coral Reef”