Paris Fashion Week confirmed that skinny brows are back

The last stop of the SS23 fashion week tour is of course Paris, which draws every season to a close. With big names on the schedule, this season we were treated to a feast of beauty, both on and off the catwalk. On the front row Doja Cat stole the show wherever she went with wildly creative looks by make-up artist Laurel Charleston. Ranging from being covered entirely in metallic gold to rocking a No Face-esque painted look, Doja and Charleston were fearless in pushing the boundaries of celebrity frow make-up.

Meanwhile, on the runway, Junya Watanabe and Vivienne Westwood looked to the past for inspiration for beauty this season. Hair was wild and big, big, big at Junya Watanabe thanks to Eugene Souleiman who reimagined London’s 80s New Romantic look for the modern day. Isamaya Ffrench referenced the 20s for Vivienne Westwood where models including Bella Hadid and breakout star this season Amelia Gray Hamlin walked the runway with pencil-thin skinny brows and finger waves.

Elsewhere we saw heavy metal wear at Balenciaga, sci-fi halos at Vaquera and candy-floss hair at Kiko Kostadinov. See below for all the details.

Kiko Kostadinov

Beauty at Kiko Kostadinov rarely disappoints. From the animalistic looks in SS19 to the hair and make-up at AW19 that was inspired by 19th-century female bandits, to the Regency-era curls at the men’s SS20 show, you never know what to expect from the beauty.

This season was no different. Hair was spun candy floss coated in pastel pinks and purples and blues thanks to Olivier Schawalder who also created two-toned multi-colour highlighted looks. Complementing the hair was make-up by Cécile Paravina who sent models down the catwalk with superhero-esque airbrushed masks in matching pastel shades. Veils with diamanté stars completed the looks.

Vivienne Westwood

At Vivienne Westwood this season, Andreas Kronthaler drew inspiration from 15th-century poet John Donne. It was the 1920s, however, that provided the references for the hair and make-up which heavily featured slicked finger waves and pencil-thin eyebrows courtesy of Isamaya Ffrench. 

To achieve the look, Ffrench used the Brow Laminator from her brand to block the brows and then drew on the skinny lines with the black shade from her palette. Meanwhile, on hair Charlie Le Mindu created slick, almost greasy, finger curls and low buns alongside one model who wore a mohawk.

Balenciaga

It was all about the piercings at Balenciaga, where models had their faces decked out in subcultural spiked studs, barbells and rings. The piercings and prosthetics – horns that protruded from the forehead, came courtesy of Alexis Stone who was called off the front row this season to join Inge Grognard on the make-up team.

Make-up was kept relatively simple so as not to draw focus away from the body mod models, although some, including Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray Hamlin had their eyebrows bleached creating a Lisbeth Salander vibe. Meanwhile, Gary Gill slicked hair into multi-stranded fringes, or tightly away from the face.

Valentino

The highlight of the beauty at Valentino this season was undoubtedly the two models who were completely tattooed in the brand’s monogram. The tattooed face took five to seven hours, according to Pat McGrath, who keyed the make-up for the show. Her team started applying the look at five in the morning.

Otherwise beauty was minimal, with healthy dewy skin, nude lips and a natural eye. For hair there were mohawks, cornrows and long loose locks as hairstylist Guido Palau worked with the model’s own styles.

Junya Watanabe

For SS23, Junya Watanabe reimagined the style and aesthetic of the New Romantic subculture in 80s London, transporting it to the present day. Beauty team Isamaya Ffrench and Eugene Souleiman put their all into the brief and had a blast doing it, creating looks with big, wild brightly dyed hair and extreme make-up which included metallic lips, heavy stylistic contours and gems that crossed the face, temple to temple. 

Vaquera

At Vaquera, make-up artist Fara Homidi created silvery lilac iridescent eye bags that extended down across the face and used the same shade on the lips to create what she called a “sci-fi halo” effect. For hair it was all about sleek volume with Lucas Wilson creating ponytails that stood up like a horse’s mane and slicked-back styles that bushed up towards the bottom.

Dries Van Noten

As Lucy Bridge told Dazed backstage at the show, the beauty look at Dries Van Noten this season was eye-focused with “graphic, defined shapes in matte blacks, blues and taupes” which was then finished off with a metallic gold. Skin was kept fresh and natural, while on the lips, lip balm was used for a dewy finish.  

On hair, Sam McKnight used gel to slick back the hair and create a wet-look effect. He described the style as having “a masculine vibe with a rockabilly edge”.