Hot off the fall 2023 runways, we have a lot to talk about: larger-than-life lashes, crystalized red lips, and exaggerated winged eyeliner. “This season has been exquisite,” makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath tells Allure, reflecting on the makeup that caught her eye on the catwalks (several of the divine looks were, in fact, ones she dreamed up herself). So many of our everyday favorites (mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, the classics, if you will) displayed their maximum potential.
Sure, there were plenty of fresh faces that gleamed under bright lights and quite a few bare lips, too, but it was the razor-sharp wings at Rodarte and Versace; the pastel, feathery lashes at Prada; and the strips of sequins underlining the eyes at Louis Vuitton that made us audibly gasp. As McGrath says, “It’s hard to pick out favorites because they all had such impeccable character.” Hard to? Yes. But that didn’t stop us from narrowing it down.
There’s something to be said for the offbeat, the bizarre, the jaw-dropping glamour that makes you pause… and then do a double take. And it was these over-the-top interpretations of the classics that top our lists. The unexpected — liquid liner traced on in the funkiest of shapes, contrasting neon shades of eye shadow, metallics that make glitter seem boring — is what we see ourselves daring to wear in the coming months.
Ahead, the greatest makeup inspiration from the fall 2023 runways.
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Allure Backstage Beauty: Ice Queen, Fall 2008
Here is your permission slip to reimagine liquid eyeliner. Grab hold of your inkiest one, frame your eyes with a little bit of freehand, and don’t be afraid to inch away from your lash line.
At Rodarte, makeup artist James Kaliardos transformed models into “goth fairies” with intense wings that pointed up and out well past brows. McGrath added black diamond-inspired glitter to make punk elongated wings sparkle for “metallic majorness” at Versace, she says. At Valentino’s show, she drew on ultra-thin lines that jetted from the outer corners of the eyes all the way to the hairline. And a trio of fine streaks surrounded the eyes at Elisabetti Franchi.
We love Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner to make all those imaginative lines look crisp and clean.
Eye Candy
Lime green, neon purple, bubblegum pink — electric shades worn as eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara (sometimes all at once!) are as playful as they are bright. With pigments these splashy, it’s all about a strategic application. Color blocking two shades (one on lids and another along the bottom lash lines) as seen at Sergio Hudson, makes a beautiful statement. At Anna Sui, McGrath sandwiched the eyes in vibrant teal and pink and painted the lashes shades of blue for even more impact.
That said, you don’t have to cover a lot of real estate to get shock value. An excellent example: the flick of lemon-yellow liner along the lash line at Carolina Herrera’s fall show.
For intense, saturated brights, try About Face Matte Fluid Eye Paints, with a range of colors you’d normally see in a Crayola box (the 26 shades include bright purple Karma, bubblegum La Zona Rose, sky blue Blue Monday, and more). With a palette this eccentric, keep the rest of your makeup fresh.
Red Alert
A crimson lip is classic — and it’s always fun to reimagine. Lines were blurred at Gucci — you might think models had just finished a coffee and forgotten to reapply — but the slightly smudgy effect was completely intentional “worn-in” lipstick created by makeup artist Thomas de Kluyver.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, lips were fully blinged out, with the bottom lip embellished with crystals, at David Koma. For another take, makeup artist Romero Jennings painted on ombré lips — fading from a raspberry-red center to a violet border (using MAC Locked Kiss Ink 24HR Lipcolour in Gossip and Sardonic, respectively) — at Kim Shui.
On days when you want something brighter, a slick magenta pink is just as striking, as seen at Cristian Siriano’s show. Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s team applied her own K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Velvet Underground topped with a slick of Collagen Lip Bath in Refresh Rose.
Lash Out
Several coats of the most dramatic mascara in your makeup bag would merely be a warm-up for what’s to come in the lash department. A few of our favorite eye-opening moments (and we mean that literally and figuratively):
At Kiko Kostadinov, makeup artist Cécile Paravina adhered what looked like black-and-white-striped antennas to lashes. And models were sent down the runway at Chet Lo and Luar with clunky, spidery fringe. One trick for intentionally clumping lashes together: Hold a mascara wand parallel to your lashes and sweep it back and forth like a windshield wiper, then paint a little extra mascara on with the tip of the wand where you want even more clumps.
At Prada’s fall 2023 show, McGrath framed models’ eyes with custom-dyed, faux-feather lashes, tinted in shades like mint green, powder blue, and baby pink. In just a blink, pastels became fresh again — and we have set aside our black mascara until further notice.
We like the Pop art pinks, yellows, and greens of Ciaté Keep An Eye On Coloured Mascara and Star Wars X Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star Colour Blitz Mascara Trio.
Heavy Metal
All that glitters isn’t gold — and thank goodness for that when you’ve got makeup artists serving up mirrored appliqué and gleaming rainbow inspiration. At Giambattista Valli, models’ lids were a canvas for a multicolor mosaic created with shining foils by makeup artist Lauren Parsons. At Louis Vuitton, strips of mirrored embellishments glimmered under eyes when McGrath used them as underliner.
Metallic paints were otherworldly at Thom Browne, where makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench looked to the stars — and The Little Prince (a children’s story in which a prince visits other planets) — for inspiration. She swirled MAC Gold Pigment into stars and celestial sweeps of color across the brows.
Chloé offered more everyday inspiration with silver and gold accents that makeup artist Fara Homidi smudged onto just the inner corners of the eyes for a wink of shine that was, nevertheless, beautifully bright. Try a similar look with Armani Beauty Eye Tint Long-Lasting Liquid Eyeshadow in Liquid Gold or Liquid Silver.
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