The last stop of the SS23 fashion week tour is after all Paris, which pulls every season to an in depth. With big names on the schedule, this season we were treated to a feast of beauty, each on and off the catwalk. On the front row Doja Cat stole the show wherever she went with wildly creative looks by make-up artist Laurel Charleston. Starting from being covered entirely in metallic gold to rocking a No Face-esque painted look, Doja and Charleston were fearless in pushing the boundaries of celebrity frow make-up.

Meanwhile, on the runway, Junya Watanabe and Vivienne Westwood looked to the past for inspiration for beauty this season. Hair was wild and massive, big, big at Junya Watanabe due to Eugene Souleiman who reimagined London’s 80s Recent Romantic search for the fashionable day. Isamaya Ffrench referenced the 20s for Vivienne Westwood where models including Bella Hadid and breakout star this season Amelia Gray Hamlin walked the runway with pencil-thin skinny brows and finger waves.

Elsewhere we saw heavy metal wear at Balenciaga, sci-fi halos at Vaquera and candy-floss hair at Kiko Kostadinov. See below for all the main points.

Beauty at Kiko Kostadinov rarely disappoints. From the animalistic looks in SS19 to the hair and make-up at AW19 that was inspired by Nineteenth-century female bandits, to the Regency-era curls on the men’s SS20 show, you never know what to anticipate from the sweetness.

This season was no different. Hair was spun candy floss coated in pastel pinks and purples and blues due to Olivier Schawalder who also created two-toned multi-colour highlighted looks. Complementing the hair was make-up by Cécile Paravina who sent models down the catwalk with superhero-esque airbrushed masks in matching pastel shades. Veils with diamanté stars accomplished the looks.

At Vivienne Westwood this season, Andreas Kronthaler drew inspiration from Fifteenth-century poet John Donne. It was the Nineteen Twenties, nevertheless, that provided the references for the hair and make-up which heavily featured slicked finger waves and pencil-thin eyebrows courtesy of Isamaya Ffrench. 

To realize the look, Ffrench used the Brow Laminator from her brand to dam the brows after which drew on the thin lines with the black shade from her palette. Meanwhile, on hair Charlie Le Mindu created slick, almost greasy, finger curls and low buns alongside one model who wore a mohawk.

Balenciaga

It was all in regards to the piercings at Balenciaga, where models had their faces decked out in subcultural spiked studs, barbells and rings. The piercings and prosthetics – horns that protruded from the brow, got here courtesy of Alexis Stone who was called off the front row this season to affix Inge Grognard on the make-up team.

Make-up was kept relatively easy in order not to attract focus away from the body mod models, although some, including Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray Hamlin had their eyebrows bleached making a Lisbeth Salander vibe. Meanwhile, Gary Gill slicked hair into multi-stranded fringes, or tightly away from the face.

The highlight of the sweetness at Valentino this season was undoubtedly the 2 models who were completely tattooed within the brand’s monogram. The tattooed face took five to seven hours, in keeping with Pat McGrath, who keyed the make-up for the show. Her team began applying the take a look at five within the morning.

Otherwise beauty was minimal, with healthy dewy skin, nude lips and a natural eye. For hair there have been mohawks, cornrows and long loose locks as hairstylist Guido Palau worked with the model’s own styles.

Junya Watanabe

For SS23, Junya Watanabe reimagined the style and aesthetic of the Recent Romantic subculture in 80s London, transporting it to the current day. Beauty team Isamaya Ffrench and Eugene Souleiman put their all into the transient and had a blast doing it, creating looks with big, wild brightly dyed hair and extreme make-up which included metallic lips, heavy stylistic contours and gems that crossed the face, temple to temple. 

At Vaquera, make-up artist Fara Homidi created silvery lilac iridescent eye bags that prolonged down across the face and used the identical shade on the lips to create what she called a “sci-fi halo” effect. For hair it was all about sleek volume with Lucas Wilson creating ponytails that stood up like a horse’s mane and slicked-back styles that bushed up towards the underside.

Dries Van Noten

As Lucy Bridge told Dazed backstage on the show, the sweetness take a look at Dries Van Noten this season was eye-focused with “graphic, defined shapes in matte blacks, blues and taupes” which was then finished off with a metallic gold. Skin was kept fresh and natural, while on the lips, lip balm was used for a dewy finish.  

On hair, Sam McKnight used gel to slick back the hair and create a wet-look effect. He described the style as having “a masculine vibe with a rockabilly edge”.