Paris Fashion Week Is Calling It: Metallic Eyeshadow Is Back In A Big Way

The last models have walked the Paris Fashion Week runways, a signal that fashion month has officially come to a close. While it will be months until the next set of shows, the Fall/Winter 2023 season has been ripe with noteworthy runway beauty looks that are bound to be everywhere in the near future because while they’re the pinnacle of fashion, they’re also all extremely wearable. And the biggest beauty trends from the PFW F/W ‘23 runways are no exception.

In true Parisian style, the French runways were flowing with retro-inspired hair and makeup looks with a few modern twists. Essentially, all of the top trends are oozing with the effortless je nais se quoi the country’s inhabitants are known for. Take the metallic eyeshadow seen at Chanel, Loewe, and Chloé: While heavy metal finish is often associated with Y2K, the application on these runways were fresh and modern. And then there are middle parts. Designers like Stella McCartney, Hermès, Vaquera, and more cosigned the Gen Z hairstyle this season, but paired it with models’ natural hair textures. The early aughts was also present at the Dries Van Noten, Valentino, and Balenciaga shows where models wore grown-up versions of emo cat eyes.

So while fashion week has come and gone, the beauty inspiration from the PFW F/W ‘23 shows lives on. Ahead, TZR’s guide on the must-see beauty trends from the Paris runways.

Heavy Metal Eyes

Whether metallic eyeshadow is worn dramatic or subtle, the shimmery finishes always make an impact — just take the Chanel, Lowe, and Chloé runways for example. While Chanel went with a bold pewter smoky eye paired with doe-eye lashes created by Lisa Butler with the Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in Modern Glamour, makeup artist Pat McGrath added just a hint of shimmer over the neutral taupe eyes at Loewe. The makeup look at Chloé is smack-dab in the middle, with swipes of gold or silver added to the inner or outer corners of the models’ eyes.

Middle Parts

According to the PFW F/W ‘23 runways, Gen Z was onto something: the middle part is extremely cool. Designers including Stella McCartney, Hermès, and Vaquera showed uniform parts paired with models’ natural hair textures.

High-Shine Decals

The beauty of colorful eye decals is that crafting an impressive, statement-making look simply requires sticking them on — albeit very carefully of course. At Giambattista Valli, a kaleidoscope of foils were added to models’ eyelids to create a mosaic effect, while at Louis Vuitton, makeup artist Pat McGrath placed reflective squares along the models’ lower lash lines for a graphic design.

Statement Hair Accessories

A foolproof way to dress up your favorite hairstyles this fall? Simply adding a bold hair accessory. While the floral pieces at Givenchy are technically earrings, they doubled as barrettes, helping to keep the models’ hair tucked behind their ears. For Chanel’s show, hairstylist Sam McKnight transformed the fashion house’s signature camellia flower into a must-have accessory. Finally, Balmain accessorized some of the models’ middle parts with a bejeweled floral clip.

Exaggerated Cat Eyes

Sure, messy, grungy eyeliner is having a moment, but a sharp cat eye remains resilient throughout the F/W ‘23 trend cycle. For this season, the classic look is reimagined with precise, exaggerated wings as seen at Dries Van Noten, Valentino, and Balenciaga.