The Best Bold Eye Makeup from Milan and Paris, From Easy to Expert
European designers know how to bring the drama and showmanship to Fashion Week, and that inclination extends to their taste in makeup, too. In Milan and Paris, we saw a host of statement looks focused around the eye, from Chanel's quilted lids to the exaggerated and crystal-studded winged liner at Anthony Vaccarello. Going to Vegas? Looking to spice up your parent-teacher conference? Breaking up with your winter fling? Frankly, these looks are great for all occasions.
Scroll on for our top looks from the European shows, handily ranked by difficulty level for those looking to attempt a DIY.
Difficulty level: easy
Dries Van Noten
The look at Dries Van Noten. Photo: Imaxtree
Is there anything more satisfying than ringing your eyes in black liner and then smudging the hell out of it? Moving the pigment to the outer hollow of the eye socket, the look at Dries Van Noten was ghastly, romantic in a gothic sort of way (so, ghastly) and well suited for a wild night out.
Philipp Plein
The look at Philipp Plein. Photo: Imaxtree
Grab your eyeliner. Sweep it up toward the outer end of your eyebrow. Short strokes. Make it chunky. Bonus points are awarded for unruliness.
Barbara Bui
The look at Barbara Bui. Photo: Imaxtree
Hot Topic beauty rears its head once again! In Paris! The red and black eyeliner look at Barbara Bui would be dead simple to recreate — remember how you used to do your eyeliner in high school? Do that — but the addition of a fiercely saturated red on the upper lid gives it some real momentum.
Difficulty level: moderate
Redemption
The look at Redemption. Photo: Imaxtree
The makeup at Redemption was relatively simple, jazzed up with a few downward strokes to simulate the shadow cast by heavy lashes. We'd call this medium difficult on the basis of having to be a bit more precise with your brushwork.
Fendi
Would the makeup at Fendi, with its colorful swoops and brush strokes, be difficult to recreate? Not necessarily, especially since every girl's look was a little bit different, making precision a little less important to its execution. But it's sort of like looking at a work of modern art and saying your four-year-old kid could make it: They could, but with none of the intentionality. You're making art here, people. Put some thought into it.
Difficulty level: expert
Anthony Vaccarello
The look at Anthony Vaccarello. Photo: Imaxtree
At Anthony Vaccarello, Tom Pecheux took winged liner to a whole new level. Not every model received this glossy, blingy look, which makes sense. Even for a seasoned makeup artist, this can't have been a simple construction.
Chanel
The look at Chanel. Photo: Christian Vierig/Getty Images
Another Tom Pecheux special. The eye look the makeup artist created at Chanel was beyond clever. From a distance, it reads like a standard smoky eye — up close, it reveals itself to be a quilted pattern bordering on snakeskin.
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