The 7 Biggest NYFW Beauty Trends Are Too Good Not To Try Right Now

The New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer season is equivalent to September’s back-to-school season for the fashion crowd. You refresh your wardrobe for the week’s events, you catch up with old friends, and you’re introduced to a new set of looks that will inspire your outfits next season, a curriculum of sorts. But while you have to wait until spring to get your hands on your favorite pieces from the collections, you can try the biggest NYFW S/S ‘24 beauty trends right now.

This season, hair and makeup artists looked to the past and the future while crafting the runway looks. A number of nostalgic ‘90s trends were given new life the upcoming season — think slicked-back buns and minimalist makeup. On the flip side, the internet and technology were a common theme backstage. Dion Lee featured models with blurred, radiant skin that mimicked AI-generated photos while Sandy Liang’s glowy complexions and wet look waves reinvented TikTok’s ‘mermaidcore’ trend.

Ahead, TZR breaks down the seven most popular hair and makeup trends from the NYFW runways that will inevitably be everywhere next season. You heard (and saw) it here first.

Mermaidcore Hair & Makeup

Mermaidcore has evolved from a social media aesthetic to a bonafide fashion week beauty trend. Designers like Sandy Liang, Jason Wu, and Anna Sui looked to the sea when conjuring up their runway hair and makeup this season. With skin care brands like Estée Lauder (Sandy Liang) sponsoring shows, the models’ skin looked plump and radiant. For hair, wet-like waves transformed models into sirens that just emerged from the water. Jimmy Paul called the look he created with TRESemmé at Jason Wu “shipwrecked finger waves.” On the maximalist end of the spectrum, Dame Pat McGrath created a color-blocked eye makeup look for Anna Sui that mimicked the blue, yellow, and pink tones of iridescent fish scales.

Windblown Hair

Backstage at Eckhaus Latta, hairstylist Dylan Chavles told TZR that she was inspired by photographs of people sticking their heads out of car windows, their hair blowing in the breeze. Needless to say, the partially slicked-back style she created using Oribe products perfectly captured the specific reference. The hair at Dion Lee by Evanie Fausto was also swept back using gel and hairspray. At Proenza Schouler, Guido Palau created a cool, effortless textured look with an arsenal of Bumble and bumble products that resembled what your hair is like after walking through the city on a blustery spring day. The bottom line? Don’t stress about your hair getting messed up next season.

Graphic Lines

Ah, the cat eye. A classic but intimidating makeup look because it requires a precise and steady hand to draw a clean, even wing on each eye. Thankfully, S/S ‘24 is all about drawing outside the lines. Runways featured bold, graphic takes on the style that were less fussy. At Helmut Lang, Daniel Sallstrom for MAC used gel liner for a bold double cat eye, and at Eckhaus Latta, he drew a pen-like circle around models’ eyes. For Khaite’s sleek collection, Diane Kendal added a subtle swipe of gel liner just below the brow bone.

Balletcore Hair Ribbons

Ballet-inspired fashion and beauty looks continue to have designers in a chokehold, and the number of hair ribbons seen on models at the S/S ‘24 shows are proof. Leaning into the theme of Christian Siriano’s collection, Unilever stylist and celebrity hair artist Lacy Redway created corset braids tied with blush pink ribbon weaved in and on, some models, added peak-a-boo pieces to their super sleek strands. For Collina Strada, hairstylist Evanie Frausto used Bumble and bumble products and gauzy ribbon for a more artistic take on the trend.

Brushstroke Eyeshadow

You don’t need to be an artist to partake in this soft yet playful trend that popped up on a number of runways. Using bold matte eyeshadows or soft, shimmery ones, makeup artists turned models’ eyes into watercolor paintings backstage. At Mansur Gavriel, Kanako Takase, creative director of ADDICTION Tokyo used the brand’s eyeshadows for a whimsy swipe of color in mint and Robin’s egg blue, while Diane Kendal used a flat brush to swipe on vibrant blue and green pigments at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Ulla Johnson went a more subtle route, with Romy Soleimani using Sisley Paris eyeshadows to create a rosy-gold ombré look.

Knotted Buns

While Hailey Bieber is responsible for the dominance of ‘clean girl’ look last year, you can’t argue that a slick bun isn’t a convenient style for hot, sweaty days. While the updo isn’t going anywhere next spring, it is a little less ‘done’. Slightly messy, knotted buns were flooding the runways this season, and it’s a refreshingly effortless style option. A few examples? 3.1 Phillip Lim’s look led by Mustafa Yanaz using Kevin.Murphy, Khaite’s high buns by Guido Palau using TRESmmé, and Helmut Lang’s low buns and ‘90s headbands by Jawara using Dyson tools and Bumble and bumble products.

Ethereal Skin

Dewy skin is a runway staple but, this season, the models’ complexions were so glowy, they looked filtered. Backstage at Dion Lee, makeup artist Marcelo Gutierrez told TZR he was inspired by the blurred effect of AI-generated photos, prepping the skin with Kjaer Weis products, applying concealer where needed, and using highlighter and white cream to create reflections on the models’ faces and exaggerate their features. Sponsored by 111SKIN and his namesake makeup brand, Diane Kendal gave Jason Wu’s models unbelievably glowy complexions. Area followed suit, with lead artist Kanako Takase adding a dewy highlight with ADDICTION Tokyo’s The Glow Stick.