Did Statement Beauty Make Its New York Fashion Week Comeback This Season?

Choppy bobs and theatrical, pencil-thin brows weren’t mere supporting acts in Christian Cowan’s murder mystery-inspired spring 2025 runway show — they were main characters. 

Inspired by Bette Davis’ portrayal of criminal mastermind Madame Sin in the eponymic 1972 thriller film, 28 models strutted (or in some cases, wearily pranced with a perpetual glance over the shoulder) down the runway with faces as boldly made up as the sequin-adorned and lingerie-inspired pieces they donned. 

Such seemed to be the theme at New York Fashion Week, where “no-makeup makeup,” for what felt like the first time in a long time, wasn’t beauty’s beating heart. 

Take the leopard-printed eyelids and vinyl, faux-python brows at Luar, described by makeup artist Yadim Carranza for MAC Cosmetics as “New York punk” meets “a return to the inspiration of drag, and the queer archetypes that have become part of the Luar lexicon.” 

Even the oft-minimalist — or, one could say, demure — players got in on the action. 

Proenza Schouler, which kicked off the week by showing ahead of the official calendar, flirted with grunge via a slightly smudged black eye makeup look. Crafted by Hannah Murray using Bobbi Brown’s (aptly named) Polished Grunge collection, the look offered an edgy counterpart to the soft, tousled tresses Guido Palau imagined for Bumble and bumble. 

Meanwhile at Carolina Herrera, the ultra-feminine motifs seen in the collection’s drop-waist ball gowns and floral embroidery manifested, too, in the form of yellow flowers perched atop models’ otherwise understated chignons. 

“It’s pretty, it’s Seventh Avenue classic, and it’s supposed to be a little romantic,” said hairstylist Jimmy Paul for Bumble and bumble, adding of the statement flowers: “It’s the kind of thing that would look so cool if you were getting married for the second or third time, and you didn’t want a veil, but you wanted that little something.” 

Dramatic winged eyeliner, meanwhile, was the makeup focal point. “We wanted that intense liner look, especially because a lot of the clothes are strong, statement pieces — we wanted to mimic that,” said Sam Visser, who used the brand’s eponymous color cosmetics line for the look.

Collina Strada may have eschewed melodramatic makeup in favor of a dewy, Dieux Skin-assisted fresh faced look, but the designer did pair her cascading gowns with similarly cascading tresses — which in the most extreme cases, trailed all the way down to models’ grass-stained feet. 

The Micro of It All

“Make sure none of the models are crossing their legs,” hairstylist Lacy Redway’s voice could be heard echoing backstage at Christian Cowan. True, choppiness was central to the bobbed wigs her Tresemmé team of stylists were cutting an hour and a half before the show, but it was a strategic choppy — not a haphazard one. 

“I’m calling it a contour bob — it’s going to be a trend,” said Redway, adding the world has “seen versions of this bob before,” but what differentiates this particular crop is the slight flick carefully aligned with each model’s cheekbone, interrupting the otherwise-blunt micro-bang, and creating a natural contour to the face. 

“Christian [Cowan] wanted these women to feel strong and powerful. This woman doesn’t f—k around, which is why we have this severe color and shape,” she continued, citing flapper-era bobs — particularly that of American actress Louise Brooks — as a starting point for the look. 

The style played well with the micro-brows Kanako Takase perfected for Addiction Tokyo at the same show, a near-identical replication of fictional mastermind Madame Sin’s “thin, half-moon shaped” arches achieved via a one-two punch of Elmer’s Glue Sticks plus Addiction Tokyo’s ultra-precise micro brow pencil. 

At Luar, too, ultra-skinny brows took center stage — though they weren’t drawn on, they were pasted on in the form of the collection’s vinyl, faux-python material. 

Paint It Black

As per usual, the inspiration at Proenza Schouler was all about the ‘90s – think soft, tousled hair and slightly grunge, smudged eyes. 

Murray’s “’90s polish” combined glossy skin with punky, kohl-infused eye makeup. “We’re just washing it on the eyelid to create tone and texture,” Murray said.

That worked in tandem with the lived-in tresses Guido Palau created with Bumble and bumble at the show. “The hair is very naturalistic, which is very Proenza,” he said.

Elsewhere at LaQuan Smith, “LaQuan’s aesthetic is always sexy, sexy, sexy,” said Sheika Daley, using Lancôme. “This is a very sexy eye, but more dimensional. We like a strong eye, a very definite eye that’ll pierce through as they walk down the runway. It’s less graphic and more of a sultry, sexy look.”

At the trend’s darkest, Raisa Flowers at Elena Velez “ended up coming up with an eye that’s super smoky. I did it on the fly,” she said. “I tossed black loose shadow on top of the eye with black eyeliner underneath, and I used Wyn Beauty’s Big Vision Lengthening & Defining Tubing Mascara, which is heavy and chunky, and if it got on the area around the eye, it was left there.”

Though the hair at Area wasn’t all black, it was just as punk. “Area, for me, is always very glam but in a punk way. Very chic but very rock ‘n’ roll as well,” said Mustafa Yanaz, who used Tresemmé products behind the scenes. “One of my two looks is long and lived in, and the other is spiked all the way up.”

Lip Service

A different kind of “lipstick effect” shone bright on the runways this season, with statement lips abounding, from über-pink at Sandy Liang to oxblood and other vampy shades at Wiederhoeft’s tulle- and raffia-filled show. 

At Sandy Liang, Romy Soleimani for Estée Lauder brought a dash of fantasy to the show’s signature pink lip with strokes of white and silver eye shadows layered atop for a frosty effect, pairing well with the metallic accents in Liang’s collection. 

Meanwhile, Area, Luar, Christian Cowan and Rodarte went dark, bold and beautiful. In other words: out with austerity, viva la “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” chic. 

Wet, Wetter and Wettest

Wet hair looks of varying intensities brought both the drama and the demure to the catwalk. 

In the case of the latter: a uniform, slicked-back bun dominated at Alaïa, while at Off-White, hairstylist Jawara for Bumble and bumble interposed sleek ponytails for certain models. 

Models at Wiederhoeft sported a more straightforward, freshly showered wet hair look, while at Luar, it was all about the ultra-gelled front swoop, seen laid atop an otherwise slicked-back style on models including TikTok-loved Alex Consani. It’s a look hairstylist Evanie Frausto for Tresemmé described as “glass hair”; it requires lots of Freeze Hold Hairspray and, even with six hands on deck, roughly 30 minutes a head. 

Now a routine collaborator with Luar’s Raul Lopez, Frausto said the pair are creating a “hair universe” together — one that’s “always elegant, always cultural, and always has an elegance and a fantasy to it.” 

At Christian Siriano’s “dark fairytale” themed show, Redway similarly played in slick, S-shaped swoops. They might not have been full of secrets — à la Gretchen Weiners — though they were full of glitter, with green, purple and blue flecks glimmering in contrast with the collection’s primarily black and white designs. 

Blurred Lines

Designers are also making their marks on the beauty looks — literally.

At Area, some models sported temporary tattoos on their faces of the same fingerprint motif that snaked through the collection. “These girls are getting a superimposed pattern from the clothes,” said Yadim Carranza, who keyed the show with MAC Cosmetics.

That fashion-meets-beauty ethos carried over into his work at Luar as well.

“There’s a lot of synergy between the collection and the makeup; even just having the python in the brows, it’s almost like the collection is jumping into the beauty — the actual textures and prints of the collection are moving into the face,” said Carranza, who created the look by printing one of the animal prints from the collection onto tattoo transfer paper. 

At Sandy Liang, Soleimani took her mandate less literally. Using Estée Lauder makeup, the statement lips relied on hues shade matched to the pink fabrics Liang used. “It feels fresh in a weird way. It’s just bouncing off of different elements in the collection,” said Soleimani.

Marcelo Gutierrez, on the other hand, combined MAC products with the same materials seen on the runways at Palomo Spain.

“We have one special boy wearing ostrich feather pants, and we are individually applying ostrich feathers to his chest to create the illusion of a sheer tank top,” he said. “Some boys have a beautiful white brow that ties into the theatrical elements of the collection,” he continued, a clear nod to the plumage and playful proportions in the collection.

“The Palomo boy is all grown up, the extreme beauty of the clothes plus the boys themselves is this nightlife-inspired combination that conveys that,” he continued.