5 Beauty Lessons We Learned From London Fashion Week 

There’s nothing quite like London Fashion Week. The schedule is hectic, the shows are packed and stylish people are everywhere. It’s a whirlwind, in the best way – and eventually, out of all of the chaos, come the looks that will set the tone for how we’ll be styling ourselves for the season ahead. Now, as much as we love fashion, designer labels aren’t something everyone is able to purchase. But the one surefire way you can channel the runway trends is through your beauty game.  

If you’ve checked out our Instagram recently, you’ll see that Team Service95 was busy backstage at the AW24 shows, from Fashion East and Erdem to Yuhan Wang, where we got the lowdown from the hair, makeup and skincare experts on the beauty trends to know for the season ahead – and their tips to recreating the looks at home. These are our five biggest beauty takeaways from London Fashion Week… 

1. PSA: Hair Nets Are Back 

Yes, you heard that right. Hair nets are a thing again – and they’re a surprisingly easy way to achieve a refined finish with minimal effort. At Erdem, models sported low, slicked-back buns with not one, but two hair nets. The muse was opera singer Maria Callas – known as the world’s ‘greatest diva’: “She’s come off stage, taken off her wig, put on her Erdem coat and left,” as makeup artist Amy Conway told Service95 backstage. 

This might sound unrelatable to those of us who aren’t stars of the stage, but the look actually translates well for everyday life. Hairstylist Adam Garland twisted the hair into a flat, secure bun, fixing it in place with Authentic Beauty Concept Strong Hold Hairspray. Instead of draping a hair net completely over the head, it was carefully folded into a headband, securing hair in place and adding interest to an otherwise pared-back style. The real key here is the second bun net: anyone with short hair or layers will understand how hard it is to twist those non-uniform lengths into a sleek style. With a simple net laid over the top and secured with bobby pins, it keeps the bun secure and in place all day. Genius. 

2. It’s All About The Skin 

Lit-from-within skin was the basis of almost every makeup look we saw at London Fashion Week. A seemingly barefaced look provides a blank canvas for makeup artists to create a statement eye or lip – but while it looks natural, good skin takes work. And that’s where the skincare comes in. While we were backstage at Erdem, we spoke to experts from 111Skin, who were on hand to prep models’ complexions before they went into makeup. 

To create that gentle glow, the experts used a multi-step regime focused on key ingredients to cleanse, hydrate and brighten: 

1. An exfoliating cleanser, to remove makeup and dead skin cells – here, they used 111Skin Exfoliating Enzyme Cleanser. 
2. A soothing essence, to calm and repair skin – such as 111Skin Antioxidant Essence NAC Y². 
3. An under-eye mask, to depuff and reduce dark circles – 111Skin Rose Gold Illuminating Eye Mask. 
4. A contouring eye gel to tighten skin and hydrate without leaving any residue – 111Skin Celestial Black Diamond Contour Gel. 
5. A vitamin C serum, to brighten skin – 111Skin Black Diamond Vitamin C Brightening Booster. 
6. A repairing serum, to lock in moisture and provide deep hydration – 111Skin Repair Serum NAC Y². 

As a result, makeup artist Amy Conway kept makeup bases light for models, applying Bobbi Brown Skin Longwear Weightless Foundation only where needed, and setting with Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder to reduce shine. Proof that a good skin regime means you can spend less time on your makeup – win, win. 

3. Balloons Are The New Backcombing 

Stick with us on this one. To offset the clean lines, diaphanous fabrics and structured tailoring at Eudon Choi, hairstylist Adam Garland opted for elegantly ‘undone’ hair: drawn back into ponytails with tendrils left loose; braided back into cornrows with the edges left natural; and short hair pulled back from the face, with the ends gently waved. 

Garland invited us backstage to discover his unusual technique for achieving elegant yet dishevelled volume: rather than backcombing hair or using a volumising powder, instead he used… a balloon. To prep models’ hair – which can often be over-processed due to excessive styling, particularly during fashion month – he used Authentic Beauty Concept Replenish Spray Conditioner, which allowed him “to get product into the hair to create shape and texture while also adding to the condition of the hair – unlike if I used a texture spray”. Garland then turned to static to help create the look, taking sections of dry hair and gently rubbing the balloon upwards to create texture, before using hairspray to help maintain volume. 

4. Sleeping In Your Makeup Is A Thing 

This might sound like we’re going against every skincare rule you’ve ever heard – but don’t worry, your skin is safe here. Rather than keeping your foundation on overnight, this look is all about the eyes. At Yuhan Wang, the look was inspired by powerful women in the legal field, from US Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg to British judge Brenda Hal. It’s “like she’s been up all night working on a case – it’s got character. She’s powerful. She’s ready to go all over again,” said one makeup artist backstage. 

To get the smudged, smokey, slept-in eye look, coal liner (specifically Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink) was swept across models’ eyes. Now, you could apply before bed and wake up hoping to have achieved a similar look, but to save time (and any white pillowcases), replicate the techniques used backstage and apply a thick sweep of liner above and below the eyes using a brush, before buffing and blending out the product using your ring finger. Done, but undone. 

5. Embrace The Flyaways 

It’s the hairstyle busy people have all been waiting for: perfection is out, imperfection is in. At Johanna Parv, who showed as part of Fashion East, models walked down the runway with hair that looked as though they had been caught in the blustery British weather – and it worked. Think delicately windswept buns, curly fringes with the odd flyaway and hair gently kinked like you’ve been caught in the drizzle. 

To add this windswept finish to hair, hairstylist Mark Hampton used the innovative Supernovapro hair tool: a three-in-one straightener, curling tong and waving wand for a tousled finish. For up-dos, Hampton turned to Matrix Total Results Miracle Creator to prep hair, adding moisture and protecting from heat damage before he created the ‘weathered’ look with a hairdryer, directing the flow of hair from root to tip, creating texture and disrupting the perfection of a slick-backed hairstyle. Matrix Vavoom Freeze Spray held the look in place. Of course, you could just head outside with your hair down on a windy, rainy day and hope for the best – the look is about embracing imperfection, after all. 

Olivia McCrea-Hedley is Copy Editor at Service95