A beauty breakdown of AW22 from Copenhagen & New York

By Raine Tauber

We are two fashion weeks into this AW season and it’s gearing up to be a season of individuality. Never before have we seen such diversity in ethnicity, ages, sizes and in looks on a single runway. It's a celebration of self in all its glory and it's about time.

Let’s start with a beauty breakdown for Copenhagen Fashion Week. I've identified 7 key beauty trends over the 30 shows that were both digital and in person.

This is no surprise I'm sure but many collections opted for a barely-there beauty look including invisibly perfected skin and effortless almost-untouched hair for the ultimate ‘I woke up like this’ look.

For many seasons we have seen models’ hair being forced into styles, for certain textures and types of hair that can be a big challenge (and ultimately damage the hair). This season saw hair being respected and although not left entirely natural looks were designed to work with the hair type/texture/length in a way that showcased the models’ individuality and identities.

it's the return of the lip! Two years of mask wearing was bound to make us miss lipstick. We saw everything from dark browns, greys, wine tones and even black in an array of textures gracing the runways this season.

Not an obvious trend for AW, this season saw a lot of spa fresh plumped and hydrated skin with humid highlights and even in some cases a completely glossy skin. Get ready to ditch the powder and embrace the glow.

This goes hand in hand with the humid skin we just discussed. Hair was wet and tousled for a fresh out the shower look or wet and slicked loose, up or in a low pony. However you want to wear it, this was probably the strongest hair trend for CPHFW.

If lips weren't dark chances are they were that magical shade of velvety rose. Pushed in for a full romantic effect, there was definitely a love affair with lips this season.

Many shows chose to feature a flushed cheek this season, mimicking the look of skin outdoors in the winter sun. This is definitely a contender for strongest makeup trend for CPHFW.

That wraps up Copenhagen, lets see what they got up to in New York and if there are any trends that span both cities. NYFW was based at Spring Studios this season and had a show schedule for there as well as digital, digital with in person screenings and live offsite shows that saw over 76 designers showcase. 

Here are my top beauty trends for New York Fashion Week.

There was a lot of blue used this season in an array of shades, from sky blue to cyan and even cobalt, but always on the eyes and always matte. This is in keeping with the love affair we have been having with denim this season and I guess forever.

So this picks up on what we saw in Copenhagen, many shows opted for a wet-look sleek hair style, whether it was a low pony with a side part or straight back and loose or even into neat buns, it's clear this is a big trend for the season.

A lot of designers opted for muted tonal makeup in caramels, beiges and soft browns that sculpted all features of the face. This is the ultimate New York glam in my opinion, it's chic but unfussy and can be just as comfortable with a cocktail dress as with a power suit.

HUGE trend alert! As if it ever went away, liner dominated the runway in NY, this season. From really thick and sharp winged liners to really delicate kitten liners that just accentuate the eyes, we saw it all, but the one thing they all had in common was a wing.

It’s the return of the hair accessory, both traditional and a more unconventional take. We saw the use of gemstones in partings and on hair nets, jeweled slides and grips, feathers and even wearing thousands of silver clips to create a futuristic look. This is a super fun and easy trend to achieve.

It’s the return of the hair accessory, both traditional and a more unconventional take. We saw the use of gemstones in partings and on hair nets, jeweled slides and grips, feathers and even wearing thousands of silver clips to create a futuristic look. This is a super fun and easy trend to achieve.