Shine OnTop beauty trends at Toronto Fashion Week
Toronto's Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Week, which actually ended up lasting around two weeks if you include all the off-site shows, officially finished up Tuesday night at the Ritz-Carlton with final showings from Canadian favourites Jean Pierre Braganza and Jeremy Laing. The bi-annual event showcased an extraordinary array of home-grown fashion talent in a variety of glitzy locales around the city, but arguably best of all was the beauty magic that unfolded backstage.
The makeup and hair looks throughout Toronto Fashion Week ran the gamut from edgy and goth-inspired to minimal and androgynous to soft and sweet. Despite the variety, there were definite trends established amongst the shows. So without further ado, here's our rundown of the beauty trends to try for fall -- or spring, if you're anywhere near as impatient as we are.
Dark Lips
It's safe to say that oxblood will be the must-try lip colour of the fall season, with trendsetting Pink Tartan and Chloe comme Parris shows both deciding the deep, wine hue was the look they were after. Caitlin Power took the dark lip trend one step further, giving her models the ultimate goth factor with solid black slicked across the lips. If that's too adventurous for you, try the glossy plum lip from David Dixon's show, with the darkness concentrated in the centre of the lips, getting lighter towards the edges. "She's a little dark, almost moody, and so intriguing," says Grace Lee, Maybelline New York's lead makeup artist in Canada, who practically lived in the beauty tent at David Pecaut Square, dreaming up looks with the various designers who showed during Toronto's official World MasterCard Fashion Week.
Candy Kisses
In contrast to the combat boot-clad, gothic beauties that took the runway by storm, some designers seemed to be influenced by the unseasonably warm weather we've been having here in Toronto -- and what's a better indicator of that than a pretty girl in a candy-coloured lipstick? Martin Lim's shade of choice was a delightful magenta, while Arthur Mendonça went for an anything-but-traditional lilac, which Lee said was meant to reflect the "good girl on the outside with a little naughty on the inside."
Blacked-out Eyes
Black eyeliner was the word for eyes this season. Seen in a variety of shapes and degrees of intensity at Lucian Matis, Greta Constantine and Joeffer Caoc to name a few, the trend was translated into exaggerated cat eyes at Korhani and architectural lines at VAWK. To keep it wearable and not over-the-top, try pairing the classic smoky eye seen at Matis by Lucian Matis with a nude lip -- a look that Lee describes as "a throwback to classic supermodel glamour."
Heavy Metals
Metallics are always an acceptable choice, but some designers found a way to make them fresh again for fall. At David Szeto, eyelids were painted in silver pigment to give the Kurt Cobain reference the necessary glam-rock touch. At Ruffian, on the other hand, both eyes and lips were dusted in gold, adding an expensive element to the Old Hollywood feeling. Try highly pigmented metallic eye shadows as a simple way to update an evening look.
Boyish Beauty
Sometimes, less is more, and many designers this season wanted their models to look makeup-free and as natural as possible. According to Lee, this is the most difficult and time-consuming kind of look to perfect, because you won't have the usual helpers like lipstick, mascara and blush to take attention away from any skin imperfections. The important thing, then, becomes evening out the skin tone with the mindful layering of concealers and foundations. At Rad Hourani, androgynous skin was the goal, and Lee said this was one of the most difficult looks she'd done all week. All that was used was moisturizer, concealer, foundation and a little lip gloss to highlight key points of the face, but proper technique was key. So we can't just roll out of bed and call that a trend?
Extreme Brows
Designers seemed to be evenly split in the age-old battle of the brows. Some, like Jeremy Laing early last week, went bold by filling in the brows completely, some preferred the bleached-out look, as was seen at Greta Constantine with makeup by M.A.C., and many went au naturel, grooming the brows slightly but otherwise leaving them in their original states. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, just know that you've got some Canadian designers in your corner.
Pin-straight Hair
Dust off those flat irons ladies, because the days of embracing your natural texture appear to be numbered. The Pink Tartan, Rudsak and Caitlin Power shows helped to solidify the return of the super-straight hair, and we like the way it slims out the face. Just be sure to spray your hair generously with a high-quality heat protector to avoid damaging your precious locks.
Ponytail Revival
If you're one of the constantly time-crunched, the resurgence of the fashionable ponytail will be sure to please you. Most designers kept them low and wrapped a piece of hair around the elastic for a more polished result. This look was seen at Joe Fresh, Lucian Matis and Martin Lim.
Braids for Days
Lucian Matis and Chloe comme Parris both made use of braids this week, and we're happy to see them make a comeback. Follow their lead if you dare by braiding the back of your ponytail or, if you've got enough length, try wrapping your braid around your crown and wait for the compliments to start rolling in.
Intricate Nails
If you thought this trend was on its way out, think again. The always-impeccable and insanely creative Tips Nail Bar team was on hand at nearly every show, and designers were asking them for anything but solid colours. At Lucian Matis, nails were covered in lace and adorned with dramatic feather tips. At Rudsak, a matte black, messy manicure with crosses on the index fingers was made to look as DIY as possible -- you know, for that grunge vibe. The nails at Chloe come Parris were painted a deep maroon and then engraved with a swirly, vintage-looking pattern that you could totally mimic at home using the tip of a toothpick. Finally, red burgundy nails were gold leafed at Ruffian, which was our hand-down favourite nail look of the week.
Which one of these beauty looks are you most excited to try?
