London Fashion Week: A Quiet Embrace of Eyeliner's Edge

Although New York Fashion Week kicked things off, it’s only the beginning of the fashion month festivities. For anyone unaware, there are four major cities that host each season: New York, Paris, London, and Milan. Yesterday, September 21 marked the last day of London Fashion Week S/S ‘27, and while the beauty trends stateside were all about low ponytails, almond nails, and glossy, editorial lids, across the pond, the aesthetics are getting more grungy, eye-catching, and sculptural.

​With that being said, don’t let that scare you from taking inspiration from the runways. While the looks are magazine-worthy, many are quite easy to integrate into your own beauty routine. From the ruddy, lived-in cheeks at Maximilian Raynor to the middle parts that felt like they were present at practically every show, you don’t have to completely upend your current rituals to get in on the fun. Ahead, find five of my favorite London Fashion Week beauty trends, plus products that you can use at home to replicate the high fashion glamour.

Glam Goes Grunge

While I saw quite a few grungy makeup looks (Dreaming Eli was hauntingly beautiful), what was the throughline across the shows? It was in the eyes. Whether it was a smudgy eyeliner à la Alexa Chung in the ‘00s or an intense smokey eye with equally hardcore lashes, the Indie Sleaze era is back in all its glory after a few years of slowly trickling back into the zeitgeist.

Cheeky Pops of Color

Whether or not your personal glam philosophy could get you into Berghain, anyone can get in on the pops of color that were present on quite a few cheeks during London Fashion Week. Some iterations looked flushed but perfectly pinched, while others looked futuristic and ethereal—both aesthetics are attainable using the products below.

High-Fashion Braids

There’s nothing I love more than seeing braided hairstyles get intricate, and I feel sufficiently fed by the runways this season. Edeline Lee gave the traditional ballet bun a twist, Labrum London showed one of the most beautiful crown braids I’ve ever seen, and Yuhan Wang proved that stitch braids aren’t going anywhere any time soon. In short? It’s time to get more creative with our natural hairstyles, and I, for one, will be doing just that. While you’re experimenting, use the products below to keep your hair and scalp in good health.

Middle Part or Bust

Wherever you stand on the middle-versus-side-part debate, the London fashion crowd is firmly in the former camp. Charlie Constantinou saw models combining the part positioning with voluminous curls and sometimes even a baby braid or two. Erdem stuck to the plot and even had that middle part separating a perfectly cut set of bangs. Even Roksanda paired the style with one of its gorgeously minimalist designs, a chic contrast to the show's multicolored tasseled shoes.

Neutral, Not Boring, Nails

While there were a variety of nail shapes and lengths this season, there was one thing that most of them had in common: they were all painted with neutral colors. Whether it’s a simple milky white on extra-long coffin nails, a negative space French manicure, or even a “naked” nail moment, the color palettes featured tans, blacks, and greys—the perfect color palette to take you from work to drinks with ease.

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