AUTUMN/WINTER BEAUTY TRENDS

Chanel Fall 2014 RTW

Hello! It finally feels like autumn has finally come so today I'll be sharing some beauty trends you should try this Autumn/Winter straight from Fashion Week!

Grey:

Valentino Fall 2014 RTW | Giorgio Armani Fall 2014 RTW

Grey was used in so many looks at Fashion Week, whether it was used as liner or eyeshadow all over the eye. Charcoal grey is actually a really nice colour to use because it can define your eyes and make your lashes look fuller and longer, without being as harsh as a black. It would also be a nice colour for a day to night look because it looks nice on most eye colours. 

Valentino used grey liner for definition and products like Revlon's Colorstay Eyeliner in Charcoal can be used to recreate this look. Just line your upper lash line with these products and apply mascara. If you want you can line your waterline with grey, but using a white or nude eyeliner will help open up your eyes and make them seem bigger. Great for a natural look for school or work.

Giorgio Armani used grey eye shadow all over the lid. Using a darker eye shadow, is great for a night look or if you want to subtly darken your eye look. Use something like Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt, MAC's Knight Divine (shimmery silver grey with blue undertones), Scene (blue-grey with a slight sheen but no shimmer or glitter), Print (dark grey with semi matte finish), Silver Ring (mid toned grey with slight shimmer) or Copperplate (a matte grey-brown). Rimmel also does palettes like the Glam Eyes Quad in Smokey Noir or the Glam Eyes HD in Black Cab. Apply the grey eyeshadow over your eyelid and blend it out and if you want, smudge some under your lower lash line.  You can also  blend a matte brown for a more daytime look.  Remember to use a primer so it doesn't look muddy.

Dark lips:

Zimmermann Fall 2014 RTW | Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2014 RTW | Giorgio Armani Fall 2014 RTW

I love dark lips for the winter and I was so glad to see some vampy lips at Fashion Week. There are so many shades for vampy lips ranging from purples to more burgundy colours, so you're bound to find one for your skin tone.

Zimmermann used a lovely dark lipstick called CK's One Colour Pure Colour in Velvet (currently discontinued) which is a dark burgundy and quite 'Lorde-esque'. Rebecca Minkoff also used Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Amore which is a plum shade which is perfect for Autumn/Winter. Now, dark lipsticks may be daunting but start by trying something like Rimmel Kate Moss Matte in 107 (my personal favourite) or Revlon's Matte Balm Stain in Standout and slowly get more 'vampy' when you want to. Other colours for a lovely dark lip are MAC's Media, MAC's Darkside or Revlon Lipstick in Black Cherry (I haven't been able to find this colour recently and I'm hoping it isn't discontinued!). Remember with a dark lipstick to apply a lip liner first!

Again, if you are a bit scared of wearing a dark lip, try applying a darker lip colour and then blotting it off.

Giorgio Armani used their lipstick called Rouge Ecstacy Lipstick in 602 Night Viper. It's a beautiful purple/plum which was blotted off. Tibi used Bobbi Brown's Creamy Matte Lip Colour in Port (limited edition from 2009) which was blotted off but created a perfect Autumn lip. Try something like Korres' Lip Butter in Wild Rose or Revlon's Lip Butter in Red Velvet or just blot off a darker lipstick.

Contouring:

 Fendi Fall 2014 RTW | Versace Fall 2014 RTW | 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2014 RTW
Fashion Week featured heaps of heavy contouring and whilst obviously when you contour it doesn't have to be heavy, but adding some dimension is always good! 

Fendi and Versace used a taupe shade for contouring. This might seem strange but a taupe shade is actually more natural than a bronzer. Contouring is meant to create shadows, which a shimmery bronzer with more red/orange tones (just generalising here) cannot do. A taupe shade is perfect for creating shadows but keep in mind this is for those who are more pale. 

Products like NYX's blush in Taupe and Illamasqua's Cream Pigment in Hollow are great for contouring with taupe. 

3.1 Phillip Lim also used contouring however didn't use a taupe shade. Instead they used NARS' Nico blush ('natural glow' blush shade) + Zen blush (brown/tawny blush shade). This created a more glowy look on the cheeks, but was still contoured which looks great for the winter to add warmth. Which ever way you contour, the key is to create shadow! 

If you have darker skin a taupe shade will appear muddy so go for a matte bronzer with more grey tones and less orange tones like TheBalm's Bahama Mama Bronzer or as a general rule, use foundation that is 2 shades darker than your skin tone. 

Pop of colour:

Kenzo Fall 2014 RTW | Giles Fall 2014 RTW | Chloé Fall 2014 RTW

I feel like a having a pop of colour in Autum/Winter is very cliché, but this year Chanel (pictured as header) and Kenzo both sported pops of colour in the form of winged liner. Inglot Gel Liner and Face of Australia Budgeproof Gel Liner are great gel liners with some bright colours in their range. If you prefer liquid, Make Up For Ever and Urban Decay have some budgeproof liquid liners, however some are shimmery. You could also use a pencil liner to create winged liners if you want! 

Giles had their pop of colour on the waterline and used MAC'sChromographic Pencil in Hi-Def Cyan which is a PRO Product (you can still buy it though). Products to use for this look would be something like Maybelline's Colour Show liners or if you find bright pops of colour a bit daunting try Tarte's Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliners which have some more neutral colours. If you don't want to invest into something expensive try Essence's Long Lasting Liners or Australis' 10hr Wear Pencil. Apply a neutral wash of colour over the lid. Giles actually used MAC's eyeshadow in Copperplate and Scene (greys I mentioned above).

Chloé had their pop of colour in the form of a wash of colour over the lid and used MAC's eyeshadow in Beautiful Iris which is a lovely lilac eyeshadow (with a great name too) and blended this out with a taupe shade. bh Cosmetics and Coastal Scents have massive palettes with pigmented shadows which would be great for this look. Remember to blend out with a taupe or brown shade!

Fresh face:

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2014 RTW | Prabal Gurung Fall 2014 RTW | Stella McCartney Fall 2014 RTW
Now an over-riding look at Fashion Week had to be a natural, healthy looking face. So many brands had fresh and natural faces such as Dolce & Gabbana, Diane von Furstenberg, Prabal Gurung and Stella McCartney just to name a few! Definitely shop around for a blush that is natural and will help create that healthy flush in your cheeks all through Autumn and Winter. Brands like Tarte, NYX, elf, Milani and NARS do amazing blushes, so just shop around for the blush that matches your skin tone. To enhance your healthy glow, use a highlighter like TheBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer or Benefit's Watts Up. Natural face makeup is a must!

Nails:

Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2014 RTW Nails - Essie Midnight Cami and Bahama Mama

To me, Autumn/Winter nails usually consist of darker shades and this season it's no different. On the runway, darker purples were a trend as well as darker reds/plums. Burberry used one of their colours called Elderberry which will be available later this year, but it is a lovely plum colour. Other colours that would look great are Essie's Midnight Cami (a very deep navy with shimmer), Bahama Mama (berry plum) and After school Boy Blazer (very dark navy that looks almost black) or OPI's Linkin Park After Dark. Revlon's Vixen and Covergirl's Wine Stain nail polishes are also great colours. 

Neutrals are always a hit no matter what season. Some suggestions are Rimmel's Salon Pro Nail Polish in Oh, Mr Darcy (I saw this in Target the other day but it's not online) or Topshop's Threadbare (this is one of my favourite nail polishes). Maybelline also has a new collection called "Striped Nudes" with neutral nail polish shades. Now if you don't want to wear a dark colour, but still want a bit of colour try an ice blue like Essie's Find Me an Oasis.

Sorry for taking so long to publish a post; my laptop randomly shuts down and it's getting really annoying. What are your favourite A/W beauty trends? Comment below!  

(Images sourced from style.com,  fashionising.com, rebeccaminkoff.com and beautylish.com)