The Futuristic Way to Wear Colorful Eye Makeup, According to the Valentino Runway
"In your eyes I can see eternity," wrote Mustafa The Poet as part of a compilation of works inspired by Valentino's Fall 2019 collection, presented this afternoon at Les Invalides in Paris. And in exploring humankind's enduring search for love, nuanced gazes were a vital part of this season's story for designer Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Underneath architectural bucket hats and whimsical, '70s-inspired chignons—hairstylist Guido Palau pulled out fuzzy, face-grazing wisps and misted them with Redken's Triple Dry 15 Dry Texture Spray for a touch of modern elegance—were ethereal jolts of color and alienesque bleached brows. "This is a futuristic, romantic Valentino girl," explained makeup artist Pat McGrath backstage, dabbing Skin Fetish Highlighter on the high planes of the face for supercharged complexions.
Mirroring the vivid palette of the plumed overcoats, graphic-art print dresses, and ruffled tulle gowns, McGrath encased eyes in sumptuous jewel tones such as magenta to ultraviolet (courtesy of shades Rose Risque and Purple Reign from the MTHRSHP Subversive La Vie En Rose palette, respectively), fluidly blending the bright pigments on the lids, outer corners, and beneath the waterlines. Adding a soft veil of lavender to the hazel gaze of Texan beauty Sara Grace Wallerstedt, the delicate burst was a cool contrast to the model's frothy orange netted gown as she glided down the runway.
The beauty lesson? While a monochromatic pop of color on the eyes can skew retro, canceling out one's natural arches can instantly catapult the look into exquisitely extraterrestrial territory.
