5 Divisive Beauty Trends From The AW17 Catwalks

The catwalks often throw up their fair share of bonkers beauty looks, many of which are fun to admire from afar but which we might not want to sport to the pub. This fashion month was no exception. The trick is to take aspects from a particularly oddball look, and interpret it into a more subtle, wearable way. But there were some looks that really caused a raised eyebrow – here are a few of the most polarising of all.

From the giant 'streaks' of colour over the lids at Versus, to the matching crimson liner 'n’ lips at Valentino, eye make up was anything but pedestrian. Whether we’d sport outré eyeliner ourselves is another matter – but you might just catch us wearing a bolder colourful hue or a slightly thicker line just to shake up our normal routine. Why not try {NYX Professional Make Up Vivid Brights Eyeliner} in a kaleidoscope of rainbow hues? Start off small and close to the lash line – once you hit your stride you can always go bigger and bolder.

As much as we love the dearly departed Starman, whether we’d be cool enough to 'pull a Ziggy' at Cousin Barry’s wedding is another matter entirely. Not that these looks aren’t fantastic - at Fashion East, models wore a reverse 'V' painted-on mask (together with blue lashes) that looked utterly incredible, while at Junya Watanabe models wore neon mullets, as well as statement eyeshadow, which went up to and over bleached brows. 

Our verdict? Brilliant to look at but we won’t be recreating the cover of Aladdin Sane any time soon. (Genius can’t be duplicated, right?) For a subtle nod to David Bowie’s brilliance, why not apply a smattering of pink glitter to cheeks and lids – we love {Violet Voss Super Sparkles 8 in Rosalind Glitter}.

Once the preserve of 13-year-old boys at house parties (complete with Ben Sherman shirt, jeans and a half a can of Lynx) gelled-to-the-max hair found its way onto the catwalks for AW17. Variations abounded from the scraped side-partings complete with braids at Balmain, shiny ponytails at Loewe, to the gelled-then-dishevelled locks at Christopher Kane (i.e. when said house party’s ended and your mum’s waiting in the car outside). 

Our take on the trend? Aim for hair that’s super shiny and sleek but not so-gelled you can see the comb-marks. Slick some {Sachajuan Shine Serum} through your strands and smooth into a low-ponytail for chic and understated “wet look hair but not quite”.

You know when you begrudgingly allow your toddler to do your make up for the sake of a quiet life (cleansing wipes at the ready)? It’s now a trend! From the impressionistic eyeshadow at Coralie Marabelle and Zadig et Voltaire, to the smudged lips at Preen, application was more than a little laissez-faire. While we’re fans of a little delicate blurring on the lips, we just can’t see ourselves adopting this look on our lids - but if you're feeling brave enough, maybe start with more delicate hues and work your way up?

This is probably the easiest trend to interpret at will. So those looking for something wearable can go for the breezy, Fay Dunaway in Chinatown waves at Dior (which you can emulate with the help of {T3 Haircare’s Whirl Trio}); the soft rounded Afro à la Pam Grier at Marc Jacobs; or Topshop Unique’s sleek poker-straight locks that were pure Joni Mitchell-meets-Ali MacGraw. (Tame your own tresses with {T3 Haircare’s Single Pass X Straightening & Styling Iron}). On the more polarising end of the spectrum were exaggerated Farrah Fawcett flicks at Gucci, which we’re happy to confine to the history books…