The AW20 beauty trends you can actually wear

 
The runway can be an intimidating mash-up of colours and textures that satisfy our need for beauty inspiration but don't always translate well with our day-to-day style. Autumn/winter 2020, however, was full of incredibly wearable trends. From the long-awaited return of eyeliner to moody plum lips and easy pops of colour, these are the makeup trends we'll actually be replicating this autumn. 

Shop Beauty

 

 

The lady is a vamp 

A dark, plummy lip is quite possibly the most autumnal of all beauty looks, and we're delighted that this season it's back with vengeance. At Fendi (Bella Hadid, pictured), lips were left matte and smudged - imagine the aftereffects of a good bottle of Bordeaux - while at Anna Sui, lipstick was applied with a little more precision in a true burgundy shade. At Rodarte, things got a little more gothic, with pale, powdered faces accompanying rich, dark brown lips.

Look to Tom Ford, Guerlain and Charlotte Tilbury for varying plum shades, from oxblood to deep reds and warm browns. 

 


Seeing red


A red lip is always in style but it was particularly prevalent on the runway this season, as seen at Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, MSGM (pictured), Jil Sander, Oscar de la Renta, Jason Wu and Longchamp, among others. When paired with flawless skin and minimal eye makeup, a bold red lip is an easy way to look instantly striking and well put together, and the typical French-girl formula was certainly at play this season.

The good news is, both matte finishes and high-shine gloss were favoured, meaning there truly is a formula and style out there for everyone. Top of our list for the perfect red lipstick? Giorgio Armani, MAC and Dior's glossy Addict Stellar Shine offering.


 

Colour pop

Everyday makeup has become more experimental over the past few years with navy mascaras and eyeliners becoming increasingly viable alternatives to the classic blacks and browns we’re used to, and the AW20 catwalks were awash with inspiration. From smudges of colour on the lids at Philipp Plein (pictured) and blocks of brights on the upper eyelids at Self Portrait, to coloured mascara at Off-White, the autumn beauty mood is upbeat and we’re 100% here for it.

The beauty brands are fully on board too, offering a plethora of colourful options for your makeup bag. Ease yourself in with colourful eye liners from Dior, try a forest green mascara from Yves Saint Laurent, or go all out with playfully electric eyeshadows from the masters of the palette, Urban Decay.


 

Wing it 

 

Eyeliner had taken a bit of backseat over the past few years, but in a world of Zoom calls and masks the eyes have had a renewed focus. Luckily, the AW20 runway was ahead of the curve, with eyeliner of every shape and style featuring heavily. At Versace (Gigi Hadid, pictured) the classic cat eye made its return, while legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath created a plethora of liner-clad eyes at Marc Jacobs. At Stella McCartney it was all flicks, and Dior went for different styles of thick black shapes.

Whether you prefer your eyeliner in a pencil, liquid pen or a malleable gel pot, there’s something out there for everyone. The trick? Practice makes perfect. Oh, and lashings of black mascara can hide a multitude of sins.