The highly anticipated NYFW SS24 wrapped up and left behind a whirlwind of trends for the beauty industry to enjoy. A range of themes surfaced on the runway, from sleek and spiky hairstyles to dewy, fresh makeup and pearlescent simplistic nail looks. BeautyMatter takes a closer look, as told by the designers and stylists themselves:
Bumble and Bumble: The cruelty-free haircare brand provided hair looks for many NYFW shows. At Luar, Evanie Frausto was the lead stylist for Bumble and Bumble, using products including Bb.Holding Spray, Sumogel, Bb.Gel, Bb.Sunday Shampoo, and Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer. The looks ranged from sharp spikes protruding in a mohawk fashion to sleek, gelled-down buns with baby hairs attached firmly to the face, complementing the “street but elegant” vibe of the clothing. The contrasting hairstyles also spoke to the people that inspired the collection, brought on by designer Raul Lopez’s memory of a car ride to his best friend’s house in the El Hoyo region of the Dominican Republic, surrounded by preachers and risqué dancers.
"We are bringing an extreme modern edge by doing a 2020s take on 1920s," Frausto told BeautyMatter. "This modern wet set is pulled back and sculpted—our hairstyles for this show have a duality, showing sharpness with hair spikes together with curvature in perfect circles."
At Collina Strada, Evanie Frausto took the lead once again for Bumble and Bumble. Hero Products such as Bb.Prep, Spray de Mode, Semisumo, Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Dry Oil Finishing Spray, and Sumo Liquid Wax + Finishing Spray were used to create looks including individual braids falling from sharp bob cuts and box braids with Collina Strada Fabrics woven into them, matching the stray materials that twisted around models' hips, trailed off their backs, and flew off of garments. The various hair looks complemented the theme of the collection, called “Soft Is Hard,” which blended corsetry and silky fabrics with more androgynous aspects such as denim and boxer shorts.
"Today is an evolution of the looks we've created together from previous seasons, continuing with a grungy yet organic style, with a touch of refinement to give us a controlled-chaos look—speaking to the theme Soft I s Hard. We integrated razored Collina Strada fabrics into hair to give a combined voice of Collina Strada, Evanie, and Bumble and Bumble," added Frausto.
Sola Salons x Living Proof: The salon group had its debut at NYFW as the official hair sponsor of Alice + Olivia's SS24 presentation, with 13 beauty professionals from varying salon locations collaborating with Matthew Curtis, the lead hair stylist for Alice + Olivia. The looks followed the show's theme, inspired by Truman Capote's "swans"—socialites the novelist surrounded himself with, whom he once described as “women with style, money, connections, and a flare for living well.” The team collaborated on styles for 30 models, including spiked top knots, sharp-cut bobs, and intricately detailed updos with encrusted pearls and crystals. Living Proof was the official product sponsor for the show, with stylists using products such as the Full Dry Volume & Texture Spray, No Frizz Smooth Styling Serum, and Living Proof Style Lab Flex Hairspray.
“I’m honored to have joined forces with Sola Salons’ elite group of independent beauty professionals, together we created one-of-a-kind hair looks for Alice + Olivia,” said Matthew Curtis, lead hair stylist for Alice + Olivia’s SS24 Presentation. “New York Fashion Week is a dream for many beauty professionals, and with Sola Salons, we worked to break barriers and increase accessibility for beauty professionals to participate in New York Fashion Week.”
Kevin.Murphy: The haircare brand sponsored 3.1 Phillip Lim's NYFW SS24 show, with Kevin.Murphy lead hairstylist Mustafa Yanaz and Style/Color Master Leland Olsen taking charge of models' hair. The duo worked together to both enhance natural locks to create looks of free-flowing curls and voluminous blowouts, as well as contrasting edgy, spiked buns. The stylists used Kevin. Murphy's Motion.Lotion, Young.Again, Dry Conditioner, Anti.Gravity Spray, Hair.Resort Spray, and Session.Spray Flex. The hairstyles were incorporated into the theme of “American sportswear with a twist,” with many looks being versatile and wearable for everyday, but able to be turned around for a more formal, high-fashion evening look.
"For 3.1 Phillip Lim, we have a lot of natural hair and a group of diverse models, which is really cool and gives us many textures to work with. Our overall goal was to enhance natural beauty. When I came into the fitting, Phillip held the hair up by himself, and we really liked that look, so I worked with it and made a mid-low bun with some spikes to embody the power of a strong New York woman. Phillip Lim hasn't shown during New York Fashion Week since before COVID-19, so when I asked him what he wanted the hair to look like, he simply said, 'Do whatever you want," Yanaz told BeautyMatter.
Kevin.Murphy also sponsored the Palomo Spain show, with lead stylist Sarah Lund utilizing products Killer.Twirls, Hair.Resort, Young.Again, Shimmer.Shine, and Session.Spray to create slicked-back looks and cornrows. The styles were created to look "really romantic on one hand, and very rough, sexual, almost animalistic on the other," echoing the fashion looks that incorporated floral motifs, leather tops, and partially sheer satin dresses.
"For Palomo Spain's SS24 show, it was all about keeping everything sleek and away from the face. From loop ponytails to braids, the peek-a-boo red panels were a cool nod to the '90s and really worked to elevate the look, while the rest of the looks highlighted natural texture. What I love about these looks is that the clothes become the main focus—it's pulling everything away but having an elegant and sophisticated finish to the hair," said Lund.
Fekkai: The clean haircare brand sponsored Altuzarra's SS24 show, with hairstyles crafted by international hairstylist Jawara. The collection, which was inspired by Rosemary's Baby, the timeless horror film by Roman Polanski, featured fitted silhouettes of everyday classy and feminine looks with a haunting twist. Hairstyles were inspired by modern femininity and undone elegance. Altuzarra wished to portray an unfinished look through the hairstyles, which led to Jawara creating looks, including low buns, designed to seem as if they were assembled in a hurry.
"The inspiration for these looks began when one of the models came in and Altuzar liked her hair. He realized it was really effortless and she just basically put it back, but what he liked about it was that the center part gave it a structure and the looseness and messiness of the back gave it a certain chicness—but it also wasn't necessarily 'done'," commented Jawara. "I feel like because the clothes are so considered we want the hair to have a bit of ease. We're embracing the textures of different hair types and mimicking what that ease is with braids and afros. We have a loose half-knot situation which is kind of unfinished—we're going to call it 'unfinished business.' The unfinished loose knot makes your hair look like your hair is being pulled back but it's actually not, so it's kind of confusing, but it's cool. Effortless, easy hair."
MAC Cosmetics: The artistry-led brand made several appearances, beginning with the minimalist debut outing of Peter Do for Helmut Lang. The show featured expert, androgynous tailoring, as well as yellow print and seat-belt straps across torsos to reference Lang’s then-groundbreaking use of New York taxicabs for advertising placements in the late '90s. To complement the looks, key makeup artist Daniel Sallstrom created graphic liner looks in shades of fuchsia, white, black, and taxi yellow using the brand’s Acrylic Paint and Chromaline Cream Liner, while skin was given a radiant base with Hyper Real Serumizer Skin Balancing Hydration Serum and Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation.
At Priscavera, makeup artist Susie Sobol used the themes of nostalgia to guide the makeup looks, as clothing took inspiration from themes of '90s nostalgia, the early days of rave, and a modern gothic aesthetic. Think of the era’s ubiquitous brown eyeshadow and lips in the form of Brown Script Eyeshadow paired with Chestnut Lip Liner and Mars to Your Venus Luster Glass, or a grungy lip courtesy of Night Moth Lip Liner. A natural base glow to nod back to the innocence of childhood days was achieved with Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation and Strobe Cream in Peachlite / Goldlite.
Too Faced: Retrofête's show presented bold designs meant to encapsulate a desert mirage, with models wearing feminine nightlife-inspired garments, of which many were encrusted with gems, as well as diamantes that dangled from head pieces, and bright feather boas that wrapped around the sholders. Too Faced, led by Executive Director Global Beauty Elyse Reneau, took the lead with dewy, cocoa-colored makeup looks, which they named Whipped Chocolate.
The makeup look began with the Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer & Setting Spray to hydrate the skin, and the Moon Crush Highlighter under the Born This Way Flawless Coverage Natural Finish Foundation to create a radiant, warm glow. Skin was sculpted with the Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer and further highlighted with the Moon Crush Highlighter and Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer & Setting Spray. Brows were fluffy, held in place by the Fluff & Hold Laminating Brow Wax, with eyes decorated in a warm matte brown using the Born This Way The Natural Nudes Eye Shadow Palette and Better Than Sex Chocolate Mascara. The look was completed with Hangover Pillow Balm Ultra-Hydrating Lip Balm and Cocoa Bold Lipstick in various shades on the lips, depending on the models' skin tones.
"For our NYFW debut, we are thrilled to partner with Too Faced Cosmetics. Elyse Reneau immediately understood my vision, capturing the perfect minimalistic look—a natural complement to our over-the-top Spring 2024 designs. To encapsulate the desert mirage, glittering sand tones are applied throughout, with a bronzed complexion and high-shine accents. Glazed skin, sexy sunkissed eyes, and dewy lips add a dose of femininity to the dramatic edge of the runway," said Ohad Seroya, Creative Director of Retrofête.
Attitude: The EWG-verified color brand was used by makeup artist Asami Matsuda to create the color looks for Advisry’s latest collection, presented in the theme of Technicolor. The story of technicolor is ultimately a story of chromatic saturation, which was achieved using the Oceanly Blush in shades Happy Berry and Corail and Happy Berry mixed with Oceanly Foundation in the Espresso for red flushed cheeks, blended out across cheekbones and into the outer corner of the eyebrow. Lips were toped with Oceanly Lip gloss in Silky Pink while eyes were adorned with Oceanly Makeup Cream Highlighter Stick.
KIKI World: The nail brand partnered with editorial manicurist Holly Falcone to create pearlescent nail looks for the Sandy Liang runway. The collection was inspired by the idea of women matching with each other and looking beautiful while doing so, as showcased in Sofia Coppola’s flick The Virgin Suicides. The general theme of models' garments followed classic Liang style, showcasing pleated skirts and delicate bows, often in soft baby pinks and reds. Using KIKI World's Pretty Nail Graffiti in the shade Pearl, Falcone decorated models' nails with the sheer chrome shade and accompanied them with small silver gems that dotted across the hands and onto the nails, furthering the whimsical and playful feel of the collection.
"The look is inspired by a mermaid girl daydreaming and wandering the shore," shares Falcone. "She's collecting shells and rocks and treasures. She's casually doodling on her nails with KIKI World Pretty Nail Graffiti in Pearl to match the shells she is finding and the crystals are 'treasures' she's collected.”
Sundays Nontoxic Nail Studio: Alice + Olivia's SS24 show also featured nail looks from Sunday's Nontoxic Nail Studio. Following this season's trend of pearlescent manicures, models' nails were decorated with pearl effects, as well as bright-red and bold white skinny stipes that acted as French manicures, just as Capote’s swans would often be seen wearing. The nail technicians used Sunday's products, including No.7 Nail Polish, L.08 Nail Polish, French Base B.04, French Lines L.04, No.09, No.16, and No.42 Nail Polishes.
"Our nail look for SS24 was created to complement Alice + Olivia's inspiration for the season: society swans from Truman Capote's Black and White Ball but with a modern minimalist Sundays' twist. Colored skinny French manicures are effortlessly chic while white pearl effect nails are feminine, empowering and versatile for all skin tones,” said Amy Ling Lin, founder of Sundays Nontoxic Nail Studio.
Pattie Yankee: Nail artist Pattie Yankee created eye-catching aura nails in shades of black, lavender, and lime green for the Private Policy collection which was themed around reef protection. Alongside utilitarian workwear and wetsuit-inspired garments, as well as otherwise bare nails, the dramatic coffin-shaped creations took center stage.
Kiss Nails: For The Blonds springtime outing, mythic creatures such as mermaids and unicorns took center stage. Fulfilling that fantasy were talons of glory. Nail artist Juan Alvear used Kiss Nails Acrylic Natural XXL and Bare But Better XXL to create the look, which were shaped in stiletto and coffin shapes with seafoam green chrome and black polish sprinkled with crystals. “I love how a coffin nail looks, but there's something very dangerous about a stiletto that feels very vixen, very hot,” Alvear said.
CND: To complement Mirror Palais' heavenly collection with reinterpretedOld World religious references, nail artist Leanne Woodley created light-pink stiletto nails with a chrome finish using CND Shellac in Quartz Correct, Soft Peony, and Sweet Cider, topped with CND Over The Top Effects in Pearl Obsession for an ethereal shine. "The inspiration for the nails this season is the classic ballet slipper. Mirror Palais is very beautiful, sexy, and elegant so we wanted to do something that would oomph it up and complement the gorgeous collection," Woodley comments.
Starface: At Collina Strada, Starface celebrated acne with a fashionable stance. Pimple patches, including Hydro-Star + Salicylic Acid, Black Star, and the brand's latest Hydro-Star iteration, Hydro-Star + Tea Tree, were dotted across models' faces and bodies to create a range of patterns and designs not previously seen on the runway. The show was concluded with a performance by King Princess, who was also seen wearing the patches to promote playful moments of self-expression.
