October 1st, 2020
In the current climate there was understandable uncertainty about whether the various Fashion Weeks could take place around the world. NY proved that spring 2021 collections could still be shown in a Covid-safe environment, and London then started immediately afterwards, with most designers opting to show elaborate performance art videos and look books, while some stuck to traditional runway shows and in-person presentations.
LFW didn’t fail to live up to expectations, bringing to life some of the more adventurous and eccentric beauty looks in the fashion show month. Loud colours, glitter accents and crystal tattoos were incorporated by MUAs such as Thomas de Kluyver, Isamaya Ffrench and Terry Barber as well as facepainter Valentina Li.
Unsurprisingly, considering almost the whole world is wearing masks, a lot of the designers focussed their looks on the eyes, brows and cheeks. And at first glance there was a lot of cross-over from February’s AW20 looks with winged eyes, bold gothic lips, gilded eyes, 3D embellishments and pops of vivid colour being very much in evidence, along with the more neutral “no makeup” looks. However for SS21 unexpected colour combinations, brightly coloured brows and flushed blush, dolphin-skin looks were also out in force, with some designer’s inspiration clearly being taken from the 70s and 80s.
Eyes and brows

Image: MAC
Halpern featured bold eyes and contrasting lips with MAC’s Terry Barber creating lavender eyes teamed with black cherry lips.
Bethany Williams’ MUA Rebecca Davenport used primary colours with red and blue contrasting eyes and lips.
Christian Siriano opted for bold eyeliner in the crease of the lid, surrounding vivid eyeshadow.

Image: instagram.com/lula_laora
Lula Laora also went for bold colour choices with MUA Miranda Baron creating a monochromatic fuschia pink look – coating brows, cheeks and temples with the same colour. Roksanda opted for a strong brow as well, but in more natural tones.

Image: instagram.com/osmanstudio
Osman showcased painterly brows with gold metallic adornments over a natural looking face while Rixo added silver metallics to their models’ eyelids.

Image: R+Co
Mark Fast and MUA Pablo Rodriguez channeled the 1980s with bright colours and very vivid eyes while Vivienne Westwood’s MUA Isamaya Ffrench opted for ultra-thick winged eyeliner and smudged red lips. Francesca Liberatore used a more abstract eye liner design.
Cheeks

Image: instagram.com/victoriabeckham
The flushed cheeks and cheekbones at Erdem were created by MUA Jane Richardson, with Marrknull’s models also sporting a pink flush. Victoria Beckham opted for “dolphin skin”; full blown radiance with glossy cheekbones over an otherwise minimal look, as created by MUA Lucia Pieroni.
MUA Thomas de Kluyver used peachy pigments on Simone Rocha’s models contrasting with nude lips and matte skin, showcasing a Victorian glamour look, very different from today’s modern blending trend.
Embellishments

Image: instagram.com/charlotteknowleslondon
At Charlotte Knowles Thomas de Kluyver applied crystal tattoos to the models’ bodies, upping the glitz and glam considerably.
For Susan Fang, facepainter Valentina Li eschewed her brushes and amplified the glow of the models’s complexions with a dewy finish before stringing water-droplet like beads around faces and heads.

Image: instagram.com/bora_aksu
Bora Aksu fully embraced face coverings as MUA Janeen Witherspoon paired bold lips with sheer, veil-like masks.
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