TheIndustry.beauty has rounded up the key beauty trends from London Fashion Week SS27, where beauty teams working with Charlotte Tilbury, Authentic Beauty Concept, Merit, VIEVE, MAC Cosmetics and others converged on a distinct set of ideas. Hair was left with plenty of room for natural texture, and complexions were meticulously prepped with skincare and kept light on coverage. Colour was focused on a single feature at a time.

Authentic Beauty Concept worked with hair lead Anna Cofone across Harris Reed, Susan Fang and Roksanda, while Charlotte Tilbury Beauty returned to Harris Reed for the eleventh time. Merit created the make-up look for Erdem following the launch of a limited-edition collaboration with the designer, and MAC Cosmetics supported all three Fashion East designers.

Controlled texture, deliberately undone

• Sam McKnight created an easy twisted mid-pony, soft waves, and diffused curls and coils for Marks & Spencer’s first London Fashion Week show. “We worked with each model’s natural hair – their texture, movement and character – enhancing rather than imposing,” he said.
• At Harris Reed, Cofone created a low ponytail that contrasted a high-shine, graphic crown with airy, naturally textured lengths. At Susan Fang, Dutch plaits were deliberately pulled apart, with flyaways and loose tendrils in what Cofone described as “polished, but never too perfect”.
• At Erdem, Kevin Murphy Global Artistic Ambassador Eugene Souleiman paired a windswept style inspired by a 1940s Hollywood men’s cut with a sharp centre part and a low braid.
• Sam McKnight styled Annie’s Ibiza with braids that appeared slept-in. At Dreaming Eli, Revlon Professional UK & Ireland Artistic Director Danilo Giangreco developed a hair story that moved from romantic braided semi-up styles into increasingly disrupted textures.

Skincare becomes the new base

• Elemis, the official skincare partner for Annie’s Ibiza, ran a nine-step preparation, from the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm through to a toning mist, before make-up began.
• At Ahluwalia, Rebecca Davenport prepped with ILIA’s The Base Face Milk. Sofia Tilbury’s routine for Harris Reed opened with toner, serums and a hydrator mist.
• For Erdem, SkinCeuticals offered each model an express lifting and sculpting protocol. Merit’s Lynsey Alexander then used the brand’s complexion products only where needed, along with Great Skin Serum for added sheen.
• MAC’s Sabina Gatej described a “crystallised glass skin” look, mixing Fix+ with Face Glass for a glowing finish.

One feature takes the focus

• At Harris Reed, Tilbury layered translucent cream blush and reflective pigment from the cheeks across the temples, eyelids and ears in iridescent pink and dimensional violet, set over dewy skin and near-bare lips.
• Richard Quinn’s VIEVE look, led by Kim Brown, kept the complexion polished and brows soft while the eyes received repeated coats of Icon Mascara. “The inspiration was a modern mannequin doll,” Brown said.
• Annie’s Ibiza set black-cherry lips against luminous skin, while strong, brushed-up brows anchored an otherwise bare face at Erdem.
• Thomas de Kluyver adorned brows with pearls and floral embellishments at Simone Rocha. White pigment appeared as graphic liner at Mulberry, and Alexander McQueen pushed hair into sculptural horns finished in metallic silver.

Versatility is the commercial takeaway

• Artists used products beyond their conventional categories, applying ILIA’s Lip Sketch crayon to cheeks and Merit lipsticks as blush.
• Texture sprays and powders supported hair that moved rather than appearing rigidly set, and shades and finishes took on a different character across skin tones.

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