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Eyecatching eye makeup among 2015 fashion trends

NEW YORK — Clothing trends for fall 2015 weren’t the only thing that had style enthusiasts buzzing around the tents at New York Fashion Week this season.
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Creative nails were a staple of the runway this year. This Star Wars sunset-inspired manicure was from Zoya at New York Fashion Week in February.

NEW YORK — Clothing trends for fall 2015 weren’t the only thing that had style enthusiasts buzzing around the tents at New York Fashion Week this season. Models’ hair, makeup and nail looks offered plenty more to gush about — and to try to re-create at home.

Here’s a recap of some of the beauty highlights from the fall 2015 shows last month. And although the apparel won’t appear in stores for several more months, who says you can’t incorporate these trends into your hair and makeup routine now?

A strong eye: Break out the smoky shadows and the liners! Eye makeup that’s, well, eye-catching was everywhere on runways for fall 2015. There was the more traditional bold look that relied heavily on charcoals, browns and greys, which designers like Diane von Furstenberg used to tap into models’ sultry sides. Others opted for a sweep of a metallic across the eyelids for a dose of drama. In the David Tlale show, heavy liner applied at an angle was meant to convey the “vision of a strong girl in the aftermath,” said Louise Zizzo for MAC Cosmetics, recommending a good angled brush to achieve the look.

On the Rodarte runway, a row of tiny Swarovski crystals lined models’ lower lashes for an unexpected way to highlight their eyes. The extra eclectic can take a lesson from Jeremy Scott, who brought his sense of humour and whimsy as a designer to life with bright rainbows of colour, such as lime green and hot pink, that encompassed eyelids in their entirety — and even included the eyebrow.

Flowing free: Designers drew a lot of inspiration from the 1970s for fall, so it was only fitting that models had hairstyles from the decade, too. Several stuck with the freshly-shampooed-and-blow-dried look, with locks loose and bouncing thanks to their natural wave. Parts were down the center, or softly separated on the side. (Backstage beauty tip: Slip a sock diffuser over a hair dryer nozzle when drying hair. The stretchy, lightweight fabric will help prevent heat damage and keep hair from frizzing.)

Bare to bold nails: Manicures came in two camps: Sheer nails barely looked polished or they were so stylized you couldn’t help but notice their artistry. For the former — which some backstage dubbed the “nude” or “naked” manicure — nail technicians worked with flesh-toned polishes, neutrals and the occasional luminescent white. Other interpretations included a French manicure with a fine white tip.

In other cases, creativity — literally — came to life on models’ fingertips through nail art with a more organic sensibility. Instead of stencilling designs onto nails with precision, nail techs often worked free-handed when applying multiple colours or layered hues (a triangle shape done in a gold-flecked polish on an emerald base, for instance) by blotting one atop another with a wedged makeup sponge.

A fresh twist: A simple French twist or top knot is so blasé, so stylists gave these dos a modern twist. There were buns with fabric or other embellished materials woven throughout for a regal effect. Behind the scenes at the Tlale show, a Rene Furterer stylist used a hair product can to create a perfect curl for a refreshed French twist. For tighter curls, stylists wrapped small sections of hair around long sticks and then heated the hair to set it. Once the stick was removed voila! — instant curls.

Pucker up: Neutrals dominated runways, but for those designers who did dabble in color, rich jewel tones were their go-to hues. Lip looks mimicked the trend with lots of shows featuring models with pouts that popped in deep berries, wine tones and even marsala, the Pantone colour of the year.

Banded together: There was a significant resurgence of hair accessories on the runway, the likes of which has not been seen to this degree in quite some time. Chief among them was the hair wrap, in all its varieties — thick headbands, thin headbands, metallic ponytail wraps, leather pony holders, etc.