Prada’s spooky horror lashes were the best beauty at MFW SS23

After botched lips in New York and feather, tie-dye and oil-spill hair in London, we turn our attention to the next fashion capital on our SS23 tour: Milan. If London is the “dumb slutty” sister of the group, then Milan is the flashy, gaudy one with fashion giants like Gucci, Prada and Versace on the schedule.

When it came to the beauty, there were some surprises. Matty Bovan, which you can usually rely on for a bit of pizazz, sent models down the runway with a pretty pared-back look. Make-up was minimal with just a “grown out” bleached brow, while the models whose heads weren’t engulfed in massive cone hats wore their hair either long and loose or in stiff gelled-up styles.

The flashy looks, instead, came courtesy of labels like Gucci and Diesel, where make-up artists Thomas de Kluyver and Inge Grognard respectively loaded up on the glitter with shimmering body paint and flashbulb highlighter so that models gleamed under the lights. Meanwhile, Versace returned to the Julia Fox-esque graphic eye look from the AW22 runway. But it was Prada who stole the show for us with their spooky XXL lashes providing the perfect Halloween inspo.

Here are the biggest beauty moments from Milan Fashion Week SS23.

DIESEL

Not content to stick to just the face when it comes to make-up, Glenn Martens’ Diesel often sends models down the runway painted head-to-toe in bright colours. This season was no exception, with shimmering galactic greens and reds the shades of choice. For models who weren’t covered in paint, Inge Grognard kept the make-up minimal and dewy, while Cyndia Harvey created hair that looked like it had been flecked or dipped with paint.

The beauty on the front row was just as hot thanks to Julia Fox, who showed up with hair that looked like it had also been streaked in icy blue paint and then left to dry. She paired this with bleached brows and her signature Fox graphic eyeliner.

GUCCI

Gucci’s SS23 Twinsburg collection saw 68 pairs of identical twins walk hand-in-hand down the runway. Tasked with making up the twins was Thomas de Kluyver who kept the spotlight on the models by giving them flashbulb highlighter in the old Hollywood style. To create this technique, highlighter was placed in the centre of the face including the inner corners of the eyes, forehead and across the bridge of the nose. The overall effect was illuminated skin that gleamed in the light.

On hair, Paul Hanlon kept the styles true to the model’s regular look, mostly down or slicked back into low ponytails, while nail artist Jenny Longworth created two-toned pointed manicures.

MATTY BOVAN

The beauty at Matty Bovan was kept more minimal than we have been used to in the past. For the designer’s debut in Milan, make-up was simple and natural with Miranda Joyce adding a subtle subversive touch with “grown-out” bleached brows. 

With the collection itself being, as our fashion team described it, so “retina-burning, vibration-raising, and brain-melting” it’s not surprising that beauty was kept more minimal. Some models’ heads weren’t seen at all, engulfed as they were in massive cone hats. Others wore their hair long and loose, or Anthony Turner gelled it up into stiff, sculptural shapes that looked as if the models had been caught in a windstorm.

BLUMARINE

Dishevelled mermaids from the lagoon was the vibe at Blumarine this season. Anthony Turner popped up again, this time to create long, flowing tresses that reached down to the models’ knees. It was part Kajillionaire hair, part Disney mermaid – at times, perfect waves, at times, dredged up from the depths.     

Inge Grognard on make-up meanwhile, kept the complexion fresh and just dewy enough to hint that the models had just emerged from the ocean and were still glistening with water drops.

PRADA

Prada loves a good spooky beauty look. For AW19, models took to the runway in long, sleek Wednesday Addams braids parted severely in the middle and bleached-out eyebrows. This season, the brand offered up some more Halloween inspo with haunted doll lashes that completely covered the eyes of the models.

To create this nightmare look, Pat McGrath used extra long custom faux lashes that pointed downwards which she emphasised with PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil in the shade Xtreme Black. The complexion was kept minimal with dewy skin and a nude lip. “The make-up showed up in a captivating major way!” says McGrath, who called the lashes the “perfect accessory” for the collection. “Distinct drama is delivered.” 

Keeping the attention on the eyes, Guido Palau left hair with a healthy shine, centre parting and not much more.

VERSACE

A slinky, gothic collection at Versace this season was complemented by the make-up which, in turn, was equally dark and sultry. Dark purple was the shade of choice, with Pat McGrath using the rich colour for lips on some models and bold smokey eyes for the others. The eye looks recalled the Julia Fox-esque look from the previous season, but this time pops of gold and deep turquoise.

On hair, Guido Palau kept things simple but glossy, with shiny hair worn long and straight or slicked back. 

Surprise guest Paris Hilton was an exception to the sultry dark make-up. For her the look was described as “pretty in pink” with a soft pink-nude lip, rosy blush and eyeshadow from McGrath’s Celestial Nirvana palette in the shades ‘peony’ and ‘nude nectar’.