Fall Beauty Trend Report

The thought of writing this article before summer had even really begun pained me to the core. However, it is now an appropriate time since the Fourth of July has passed and the other day I bought my first late summer into fall cardigan. So here is the Fall Trend Report and a preview of what we will be seeing the stores over the next few weeks. I pulled this from an issue of Allure since I have found their Runway Reports are usually very accurate. This fall will be bassed on practicality but the hair and makeup trends are leaning toward the stronger side and a heavier application. Pat McGarth was quoted as saying that this seaon will be one of extremes; makeup will be either bare or full-on with nothing in between.

Here we go!

Red Lips - A number of designers chose crimson lipstick to convey strength. "Red lips make you feel powerful," said makeup artist Tom Pecheux. At some shows the color was glossy and bright, but more often it was deep and velvety.

Crazy Shadow - Inspired by David Bowie and '80s club kids, the eye makeup was kooky at times. At Dior, McGarth appiled orange, violet, and yellow shades, while at Prada, she brushed red glitter on the lids. The pros often drew the shadow beyond the outer corners of the eyes to give them an elongated shape.

Hot Buns - With so many high collars on the runways, the hair was often swept into a chignon. Some were slick and masculine; others looked as if they had been gathered without a glance in the mirror.

Dark Eyes - The toughest makeup look for fall: eyes loaded with black shadow and liner, often with glittery blue, brown, or gunmetal on the lids. "The eyes here are a bit hard-core, " said makeup artist Dick Page at Michael Kors.

Rough Waves - When the hair was worn down, the pros employed a curling iron to create tousled, but not bed-head-y waves. "With the graphic eye makeup, casual waves help to keep the look young," said hairstylist Sam McKnight at Chanel.

Messy Ponytails - Offsetting fall's crisp clothes, loose ponytails looked sexy, not sloppy. Hairstylists finger-raked them back for a rumpled finish, sometimes teasing them, and let loose pieces of hair fall where they may. "Unbothered and carefree" was what hairstylist Orlando Pita called the result.

Defined Brows - Intense brows set off all kinds of makeup looks. At Yves Saint Laurent, Pecheux paired red lips with darkly penciled brows. At Vera Wang, Lucia Pieroni kept the makeup nude but emphasized the brow shape with powder for "strength without a lot of makeup."

Hair Decor - The hair accessories were far from sweet. Black leather strips toughened up the chignons at Yves Saint Laurent; at Lanvin, black feathers were cut into jagged shapes and pinned in the hair.

Rosy Cheeks - Since the foundation and powder were so throughly refined, the models' faces got an energy boost from pink blush. "With matte skin, you need a little blush to avoid looking so sallow," said Philips.

Pale Lips - Soft shades of lipstick such as beige and baby pink balanced the aggressive eye makeup; they actually seemed racy on a pared-down face. When topped with gloss, these pale hues made the models' mouths "look sexy and full," said McGarth. At Louis Vuitton, where the models' shiny beige lips were paired with neutral cheeks, "the overall look was monochromatic," she said.

Ummm...welll...SO EXCITED!! I have been test driving three different MAC red lipstick shades for several weeks now (details upcoming, I swear!) and I have fallen into the red lipstick lust. I was already plotting more shades that I was going to get and now that they are the top trend, I should be seeing tons of new choices in fall collections. I love the strong eye looks but the real question will be if I can pull them off. I that I will have to tone them down but this will be an experiment for this fall. I already love rosy cheeks so this season will be no change for me and now I want to try the nude lipsticks that were used to offset the eyes.

My hair is rough waves naturally so maybe for one day I will actually forego my iron and try this out. Maybe...

photo courtesy of Style.com and Marc Jacobs