FASHION Magazine

See our glitter product picks »

Glitter and shimmer are reflecting from all manner of surfaces this season. Metallic mouths, jewel-encrusted eyes, silver-striped cheeks and pewter nails shone on the runways. Apply and wear with sparkly abandon.

See the backstage beauty report for Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013 »

For Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013, the divine beauty look complemented the religious iconography that inspired the collection. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana blessed their designs with elaborate motifs from the mosaics in Sicily’s Cathedral of Monreale. “We love the contrast it creates with the sensuality and the passion of the Dolce & Gabbana woman,” says Gabbana. Hair was backcombed for extra volume volume and gathered at the nape of the neck for what Guido Palau described as “natural Italian allure.”

The allure continued with the makeup, inspired by the country’s iconic screen siren, Sophia Loren. Pat McGrath paid homage with a classic cat eye and bold brow. As for the ultra-rich red lips, two shades of lipstick were mixed to create a custom hue and applied overtop a base of ruby-red pencil. Finally, the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013 beauty look became a complete sensory experience with a few spritzes of the label’s latest scent, Intense. “Every time we go to Sicily, we are overwhelmed by the smell of the land,” says Dolce. “Flowers of every kind mix with the notes of the sea to create a unique bouquet.”

Somehow when fall rolls through we’re so enamored by the deep-toned lipsticks and warm eyeshadows that we tend to neglect our cheeks. While we wish we could still embrace the bronze-y glow of summer, when winter comes calling nothing looks better than flushed, “just in from the ski slopes” cheeks.

As the colder months tend to dull our complexion, we thank the beauty gods for blush to highlight the cheekbones and brighten up our faces. Wine-stained shades ranging from rosy-pink to deep-plum provide the perfect complement to the berry and jewel tones that we’re also coveting for our clothes . That being said, it can be a challenge to decipher the right product for you—from finding the right colour to choosing between the creamy consistencies of cheek stains, polishes and powders, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to blush. But fear not: We’ve enlisted our Beauty Panel’s wealth of knowledge to help you achieve the perfect fall flush.

Challenge 37: What’s your blush must-have for fall? See the answers now! »

See our product picks for mastering the big hair trend »

Achieving voluminous, shampoo-commercial hair is an aspiration common to many of us—and with big hair being a big beauty trend on the Fall 2013 runways, now’s the time to embrace it. From ’40s-inspired curls at Bottega Veneta to frizzed-out styles at L’Wren Scott and Rick Owens, the big hair trend is excellent news for anyone with thick, curly hair. But if your hair tends to fall flat just minutes after a blow out and you don’t have a crew of hair pros working their magic, it can be hard to get the look at home.

Thankfully, new technology is making it easier than ever to pump up the volume on your own and get a Marc by Marc Jacobs-worthy style. Here are some of the latest gravity-defying products hitting the market and our tips on how to use them. Bring on the big hair!

See our haunted beauty picks »

Wraiths and spectres of all kinds haunted the fall runways. At Altuzarra, eyes were rimmed with “spooky” grey shadow and an ominous reddish blur; models wore a “ghostly” pallor and eerily shining eyes at Mary Katrantzou; Gareth Pugh’s soot-washed damsels looked as if they’d just entered the netherworld through a burning house; and nails were scrawled with “redrum” at The Blonds, a nod to The Shining.

This season lips are getting a high dose of drama. Those simple few swoops of classic brights in the summertime have transitioned into multifaceted, textured looks for fall. From layering sharp colours with other shades to playing with matte and stain finishes, the Fall 2013 runways introduced many new ways to embrace—and apply—lipstick.

We saw textured lips make a big statement on the runway at Lanvin, with a matte berry-toned lip being the perfect pop to an almost bare face. Over at Kenneth Cole, makeup artists layered lipsticks for an on-trend ombré effect. And don’t forget your favourite dark shades: Dolce and Gabbana had models pouting a deep burgundy shade while Holly Fulton took the classic red to another level by lining it with a maroon liner.

Challenge 32: Texture is in for lips this fall with everything from stained smears to two-tone looks trending. How are you reinventing the way you wear lipstick this season? See the answers now! »

See all the backstage beauty details from Jason Wu Fall 2013 »

If you’re looking to add a little drama to your beauty look, purple is certainly the way to go. While the Jason Wu Fall 2013 collection was primarily black and white, the runway was given a burst of colour in the form of an exaggerated violet cat-eye that anchored every look. The bold colour choice was taken from Wu’s finale dress. To get the look, makeup artist Diane Kendal applied purple eye pencil, indigo shadow and shimmering lilac pigment, blending the edges as she went. Several coats of black mascara added definition while a subtle lip balm and velvet skin ensured the rest of the look was soft—keeping the eyes as the focus point of it all.

To say that punk influenced the fall runways is an understatement; the late-’70s subculture bred from anti-establishment rock ’n’ roll dominated many collections. Aside from the tartan, vinyl, chains and studs, and the faux piercings on just one of the models’ lobes—a page ripped right out of the CBGB style guide—another trend rose from those anarchic ashes: choppy haircuts.

“Punk is an idea that was floating around,” Sam McKnight said backstage at Fendi, where he created haute fox-fur mohawks a few days after engineering a similar long-on-top, short-on-the-sides optical illusion at Clements Ribeiro.

“It might have been something in the air,” says Redken creative consultant Guido Palau of the punk theme, “but it wasn’t planned.” Other influences led him to create short styles at Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier—not least fashion’s fickle nature. “Designers see girls with long hair, and they get a little despondent. Sometimes they just want that different character, the kind of girl that would cut her hair.” Palau dates the move away from long, luxe locks to January 2013, when he cut over 40 wigs into gamine pixies for Raf Simons’s Spring 2013 Dior Haute Couture show. “Raf really wanted what that brings to an outfit—what that brings to a dress.”

How to master the minimalist makeup trend »

The minimalist makeup look has been going strong for a few seasons, and as our Fall 2013 beauty trend report revealed, it’s not going away anytime soon. From the perfectly powdered skin at Haider Ackerman to the glossy lids at Giambattista Valli, models appeared on the runway sans eye and lip makeup. The minimalist trend may cause beauty junkies everywhere to reluctantly put down their beloved colour cosmetics—but there’s a whole slew of other products to consider in order to achieve the look.

To say that most of us won’t leave the house without a little makeup on is putting it mildly, especially when it comes to what we apply around the eyes. (Puffiness, dark circles and redness are what keep the concealer business afloat!) However, makeup alone can’t fix the sins of the skin, so it’s important to have a good skincare routine in place. To help you master the minimalist look, we spoke to Dermalogica’s skincare guru Amanda Matcham and Plutino Group makeup artist Natalie Ventola. Their tips, techniques and must-have products are sure to help you achieve the natural look with ease.

See the best hair from the 2013 Emmy Awards »

Short hair is still where it’s at, with above-the-shoulder styles being amongst the best beauty looks on the 2013 Emmy Awards red carpet. From Elisabeth Moss’s cropped platinum cut to Kate Mara’s striking pin-straight style to Claire Danes’ faux bob, the message was clear: to stand out in a sea of Old Hollywood side parts and loose updos, you have to go short.

Not willing to let Betty Draper have all the fun, Elisabeth Moss debuted her freshly-dyed blonde hair on the Emmys red carpet. Channeling a little bit of a Charlize Theron vibe, the tousled, modern style was a new look for Moss—and a fierce one at that. As for Mad Men’s other leading ladies, both January Jones and Christina Hendricks kept their short cuts curly.

Spring may have brought back cool blue tones for eyes, but this season the trend is something much more dramatic: red eyeshadow.

Essentially drama meets punk chic (think Kristen Stewart at the 2013 Met gala), red makeup may be one of the hardest colours to master when it comes to the eyes. However, with Gucci’s cranberry-red shimmer and Emporio Armani’s subtle-yet-flirtatious red eyeliner, we can’t help but want to give this look a try. But before we jump to the punch and risk looking too costumey, we asked the Beauty Panel to share some of their tips and tricks on how to make red eyeshadow work.

Challenge 27: How do you wear red eyeshadow? See the answers now! »

With September rolling in this (long) weekend, it might be time to finally admit that summer is coming to an end. It’s time to say goodbye to our favourite warm weather-inspired beauty trends and embrace what fall has to offer. Spring’s bright lipsticks and summer’s superfluous bronzer will be dearly missed, but with the fall beauty guide out, our anticipation to try the ombre lips of Christian Dior, the fluffy hair of Marc by Marc Jacobs and the divine red eyeshadow of Gucci is at an all time high. There is no question that this fall it’s all about being bold.

But if you’re not a drop-everything-and-go-for-it kinda gal, the best way to test out a new fall trend is to ease your way in. Which means keeping some of your spring and summer favourites going strong as the seasons change. To help with the transition, we asked the Beauty Panel to share which summer styles they’re keeping into fall and how they’re making it work.

Challenge 25: How do you transition your summer hair and makeup into fall? See the answers now! »