Find our #WhatSarahSaw as the GLAMOUR Beauty Team brings you all the latest beauty news, pics and gossip from backstage at Milan's hottest shows.
MFW: Sporty Chic at Marni
We've seen visors on catwalks in previous seasons. Most recently at DKNY SS13. But would we expect them at Marni? No. Is the simple answer. But then again, these weren't just any visors.
These were sun shields adorned in jewels and crystals. The collection had the same rich, bold feel running through it; so for hair and makeup we weren't surprised when we heard this:
"There's not much here in terms of makeup at Marni," said Tom Pecheux. "It's ultra-natural. I'm blending blush into the hollows of the cheeks and patting a beige hue onto lips. The brows have a bushy 'cloud-like' feel to them and I'm sweeping MAC Mineralize powder in pleasure model over the lids.
The minimalist feel continued for hair. "Simple and sporty," said Paul Hanlon. "Every girl has a visor, but I don't want you to envisage tennis. Think more graphic. Above the visor I'm spraying queen for a day, £12.75, Tigi for a lacquered feel and then I'm leaving a dry texture for below the cap."
#MFW: Au (so) Naturel in Milan
Newsflash: SS14 is all about flawless, perfect, pristine complexions (no pressure). You only need to look at my illegible beauty reporter notebook to see how many times I've scribbled synonyms of 'natural skin'.
"I'm seeing lots of variations of natural," said Charlotte Tilbury while transforming a model into the fresh, innocent, Sportmax girl. "This look should appear as if a makeup artist has been nowhere near the skin. She's a natural beauty that's walked straight onto the runway."
At Ermanno Scervino, Jessica Nazir said "It's all about the skin. She's an easy-going, natural kind of girl. I'm perfecting their base and then using Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle, £22, MAC to give them the ultimate glow."
Even Roberto Cavalli - renowned for being bold and daring in the beauty world - opted for raw beauty. "She's modern, cool and has a healthy glow," said Diane Kendal. "We're spending time prepping skin and once we've applied minimal makeup we're adding a top coat of moisturizer for an all over shine."
And that's not all: Iceberg, Ports 1961, Marni and Blumarine have joined forces to tell us that next season the makeup is... There is no makeup. And if there is; no one should be able to see it.
#MFW: Ports 1961 - the good news and the bad news
The Ports 1961 look is utterly gorgeous this season.
From the 'simple, beautiful, to-die-for skin' (Tom Pecheux's exact words), to the chic, sleek, pristine hair created by Eugene Souleiman.
The bad news? "You won't be doing this at home," explained Souleiman of the not-one-hair-out-of-place style. "This is what I'd call hair tailoring or nano hairdressing. For this look to work there can't be any mistakes. I'm even painting on gel instead of using a comb to avoid comb marks. And one more thing... You'll need two hairstylists to get this look perfect."
In conclusion: The upside is that we can enjoy and appreciate the beauty that is the Ports 1961 look. The downside is we won't be able to recreate this look ourselves.
Eugene's go-to for this hairstyle: Wella SP luxe oil, £24.99
#MFW: Brazilian Beauties at Etro
"Supermodels, fresh-faced Giseles, 70's goddesses," said makeup guru Charlotte Tilbury of the bronzed, slick figures backstage at Etro.
My mind started to wonder at this point. Why? Well, the above references are clearly impossible to achieve; plus the infamous Etro olive bread and homemade pizza were staring at me - or me at them. But then I heard 'easy to achieve' and I was back in the zone: It seems we're closer to looking like Gisele than we thought.
Tilbury explains here: "It's not a difficult look. I'm sweeping MAC mineralize skin finish (£22) in medium and medium dark onto cheekbones and the bridge of the nose; and then layering Casual Colour in Pleasure Model onto the apples of cheeks for the ultimate golden glow. I'm coating the top lashes in brown mascara and for once we're not giving the Etro girl statement brows. It's more about the eyes this season. I'm blending MAC Copper Beach Sculpting cream (£17.50) into the roots of lashes and up to lids."
Hair: "You need one product," explained Eugene Soulieman. "It easy, effortless hair - the kind that every girl wants. The collection has a rich Ibiza feel: There's beading, prints and colour; so I felt nonchalant hair would be the perfect combination. And here's Eugene's go-to for shiny, cool-girl locks.
Hydrate Finish, £15.50, Wella
#MFW: The Prada Gang
Every season, Prada breaks beauty boundaries - and SS14 hair and make-up has done just that. "There are 47 girls and every single one has had their hair dyed. If they didn't want their hair coloured, they weren't allowed to walk in the show", explained hair guru Josh Wood. "The colour won't scream out but they all now have ultra shiny, block colour hues. Some blondes have gone black, redheads have gone more vivid, a few have been bleached and so on".
What does this say about the future for colour? "It's getting more simple", said Wood. "I don't think colouring hair needs to be so complicated anymore". Josh Wood - we salute you and your ability to colour against the clock.
And then there's the style. "The girls are getting deep, side partings and I'm using Redken's Guts (£15) for a subtle lift", said Redkens Creative Consultant Guido Palau. "The idea is that the Prada girls should look like they're in a gang; they're not totally innocent this season..."
Make-up: "Think graffiti and gangs", said make-up artist Pat McGrath.
"These girls are rebels and so I've rebelled against make-up. Instead of classic eye shadow I'm spray-painting stone-wash shades onto lids. Blue, green, yellow, brown - you name it! Skin is raw; it's more about skincare and prep than foundation. And how can I forget... I'm bleaching all the girls' brows!"
#MFW: Just Cavalli
#WhatSarahSaw
Warning: This report may confuse you.
Our backstage experience began with the lovely - and always calm - James Pecis for Moroccanoil. "She's not real", said Pecis. "Think aliens and out-of-this-world creatures. There's something quite ethereal and space-like to the girl". So far it all makes sense. Next step: Talk to make-up maverick Terry Barber for MAC. "The girl today is real, urban and raw".
...Right. We warned you didn't we? There was one thing that they had in common: The Just Cavalli girl is young, fun and always rock n' roll. Now that we can work with! Hair: "The look today is product heavy", said Pecis of the statement, wet-look braid. "My key product I've used is the Moroccanoil Moulding Cream (new). It creates a damp, heavy texture without actually leaving hair wet. I've also layered on Moroccanoil gel and Moroccanoil hairspray (£17). Why so many products? I don't want much movement when the girls walk down the catwalk. Plus, they keep the braid in place".
Make-up: "The make-up today is all about the eyes. I've gone for an oval shape rather than feline: I want it to be a small, tight eye. For skin I've used the minimum as it should looks as raw as possible. I'm brushing up brows and adding mascara to the roots".
Terrys Kit: Casual Colour lip colour in "Have a Lovely Day", £15, MAC Feline eye kohl, £14, MAC
#WhatSarahSaw
Welcome to the MFW Blog! What better way to start Milan than with a collage of all things leopard print, bling and a sneaky snap of Roberto Cavalli - the man who personifies Italian Fashion: And why do we love MFW so much? Because nothing is ever too much!
