The Key Beauty Trends From Milan Fashion Week

The Italian take on beauty for autumn/winter 2024? Milan’s runways took on an altogether sexier undertone, with lived-in eye looks and androgynous side-partings ruling the roost. Here, Vogue takes a closer look at some of the key trends from the shows.

High-shine side partings

Slick, androgynous side partings were everywhere on the Milan runways – and they’re versatile enough to be worn in different ways. At Max Mara, wet-look hair was the subtle sidekick to the house’s effortless workwear, while at Fendi, hair was secured at the nape of the neck and featured elaborate loop detailing. All with a high-shine finish, of course. It was Guido Palau’s rosette hair at Prada that really got the Vogue team chatting: “We used hair gel and high-shine lacquer to achieve a very sculpted, futuristic feeling to the hair,” he told us, explaining that he combined finger wave and pin curl techniques to achieve the show-stopping look.

Liner love

Jet-black eyeliner was also prevalent in Milan, with Gucci, Versace, Moschino, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Tom Ford and Roberto Cavalli sending models out with eyes lined in some form of inky pencil, powder or liquid. At Gucci, the look featured a thick line on the top of the eye, and a thin one beneath it, and was inspired by Sophia Loren. At Versace, Gigi Hadid and co traversed the catwalk wearing statement graphic liner, and at Roberto Cavalli, it was all about a smudged aesthetic.

Silk-finish hair

If you’re not wielding the hair gel next season, you’ll be adopting a silk-finish texture that’s almost fluffy to touch – see Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta and Tom Ford for examples. Achieving the look is all about ensuring hair is really, really clean and product free – it should float as you walk.

Hyper-nude skin

“There’s something magical and mesmerising about a very modern nude face, so that’s what we did,” said make-up artist, Lynsey Alexander, of the beauty look at Prada, where bare skin was paired with a pop of nude on lips. Skin was equally fresh and minimal at Bottega and Ferragamo, but don’t be fooled, it takes more effort to achieve than you might think. Alexander and her team spent a long time priming and nurturing the skin, then layered foundation and serums over the top to create different textures. “The skincare is as important as the make-up itself – the key is that we don’t want to see the make-up,” she said.