Runway Trends For Real Life

Last month saw the Spring/Summer 2015 shows take over runways in fashion capitals New York, London, Milan and Paris. There were plenty of wacky beauty looks showing up on the runway, as well as a select few we’ll be working into our real life repertoire.

Low Bun

Ballerina-style buns perched on top of the head have been all the rage for the past few years, but it’s nice to mix it up with a messy low bun. Don’t worry about a few layers escaping and framing the face; this look is about being soft and effortless. The red lip certainly ups the glamour quotient, but even a slick of gloss will be enough to keep this look fresh and appealing.

Messy Braids

Another fortuitous trend, in that for most of us, a self-made fishtail braid ends up looking rather messy whether we intend it to or not. Embrace the imperfection for a lowmaintenance goddess look. If you don’t know where to start with the fishtail braid, check out www.thebeautydepartment.com for a helpful, step-by-step tutorial. The messy fishtail also looks great worn on the side (which makes it easier if you are DIY-ing it).

Simple Nail Art

This simple geometric look will be a cinch for your friendly local nail art technician, but it’s also easy to DIY if you are one of the few Shanghai expats who doesn’t go out to get their nails done. We love the light background colour with metallic accent. Although there are a number of specialised nail art pens on the market now, our go-to is still the good old Sharpie pen. Particularly for gold, as the Sharpie gold looks really shiny on nails, unlike many of its more expensive competitors. It glides over the top of dry nail polish or gel nails smoothly and can be removed with rubbing alcohol before you add the top coat, in case you make a boo boo.

Purple Eye Shadow

As a long-time fan of mixing up a neutral eye shadow palette with the occasional vibrant burst of purple, we were rather excited to see shades of the colour coating lids at both Derek Lam and Vera Wang. This look works particularly well for those with dark eyes, though it’s best not to overdo it, lest your eye area look more accented by violence than violet.