Art Of Decorating: Beauty Ideas Straight From The Spring/Summer 2020 Runways

If there is one thing that the Spring/Summer 2020 shows taught us, it's not to limit your beauty repertoire to conventional makeup products but instead, go kitschy with sparkly and pretty adornments

Shine On

When meddling with glitter, one either cranks up the voltage or goes for a tiny sprinkle. There is no in between. For the former, Frankie Morello's glitterati look of covering the whole face in mesmerising sparkles shone the brightest. House of Holland's take was just as intense, smearing neon-bright holographic flecks around the entire socket of the eye, up the temple and extending right into the hairline. Meanwhile, Fendi and CDLM pulled off the latter with the "morning after" look which involved dabbing glitter sparingly across the lid and cascading silver tear tracks respectively.

Fake It Till You Make It

It is safe to say that the industry has grown extremely fond of long, exaggerated lashes as falsies returned to the runway once more this season. No holds were barred at Marc Jacobs and Olivier Theyskens where larger-than-life, spidery extensions layered in coats of mascara were skilfully placed along the top and bottom lashes. Gucci proved to be the scene-stealer in this category with its unexpected application of strips of falsies. They were not only adhered to both top and bottom lash lines but also on the eyebrows for that extra fluttery yet arresting finish.

Over The Top

This season's next-level adornments are all about pushing the boundaries of beauty. Needless to say, we were blown away. While Area's muses were dripping in diamonds, Giambattista Valli chose to frame the face with an array of giant fresh-cut flower petals for a literal take on "nautral beauty". Equally attention-grabbing was cut-outs of faux butterfly wings glued on intricately painted faces at Manish Arora as well as Simone Rocha's otherworldly embellished twist featuring feathery strokes of a hand-painted Irish bird feather on the centre of the forehead.

Precious Stones

If the twinkly eyes that traversed the catwalks are anything to go by, there is no better time to start adorning your face in sparkling jewels than now. From Marc Jacobs' infinite bejewelled iterations, Valentino's extreme embellishments of encrusted eyes to Pyer Moss' bedazzling peepers in various shades of rhinestones, more is definitely more when it comes to bling. The most jaw-dropping creation, however, went to Schiaparelli where one model stole the spotlight with rainbow ombre crystals cascading down her face.

Simplistic Sophistication

On the other side of the spectrum, the saying "a little goes a long way" also applies when it comes to facial jewellery. Take Anna Sui, for instance. Intergalactic white graphic lines on sunny eyeshadows were complemented by a single tiny star on each of the lower lids for a touch of whimsy. Or you can make do without the abstract liner, keeping the entire face bare and simply stud the under-eye with tiny circular gems akin to tear beads à la I Love Pretty. Alternatively, you can have loose silver sequins placed across the bridge of the nose as seen at Off-White.

Mother Of Pearl

Diamonds may be forever but pearls are just as timeless. Those who are not feeling the overtly sparkly decorations can start taking cues from shows that celebrated their regality through thoughtful yet delicate pearl details. Line those iridescent balls under the eyes like how Marc Jacobs did or follow Dries Van Noten's footsteps by adding a few dainty pearl studs on desired spots. Another way to pull off sophisticated pearl embellishments? Wear them as pretty pearl freckles similar to Slashed by Tia's.