London Fashion Week for the autumn/winter 2026 season has concluded, revealing key hair and makeup inspirations from the runways. Vogue identified five prominent trends: misty eyes, cranberry blush, twisted coiffures, bold brows, and gigantic accessories. These looks draw from urban influences, cultural references, and romantic elements.
The fall/winter 2026 shows at London Fashion Week wrapped up after four days of presentations, offering fresh beauty ideas across various designers. Eyeshadow made a strong return with misty eyes dominating several runways. At Tolu Coker's opening show, models featured smoky-grey powdered lids inspired by 1990s aesthetics and city landscapes. Makeup artist Bea Sweet explained, “Tolu wanted something very ’90s, but I was keen to move away from a heavy lipliner. This season, we focused on cold tones—as soon as I saw the swatch of gray fabric, I knew that it was the color we needed to work with.” She described the misty grey as quintessentially London.
Conner Ives presented misty eyes with a soft-wash effect in green, gray, and pink shades, evoking cinema's femme fatales, according to Dominic Skinner, director of makeup artistry at MAC UK and Ireland. Harris Reed's bridal-themed show included subtle misty eyes with glowing skin and natural lips, as lead makeup artist Sofia Tilbury noted: “We wanted something more ethereal and radiant, so focused on glowing skin, dimensional shimmer and natural, just-kissed lips. A modern interpretation of soft glam that still felt powerful within Harris’s world.” Burberry closed the week with an unstructured black smoky eye paired with a nude lip, created by Lauren Parsons.
Cranberry blush emerged as a romantic staple. For Simone Rocha, Thomas de Kluyver used Byredo's Stromboli lipstick for a ruddy effect, saying, “We wanted to take the Simone Rocha girl in a slightly more moody and punky direction. The skin is a little bit rawer than it normally is—we’ve also got this red blush where we’ve actually taken the Stromboli lipstick from Byredo and dragged it down to the cheeks.” At Erdem, Fara Homidi applied a light dusting inspired by the collection's pink satins and red ribbons, using products like the Essential Face Compact for a natural matte finish. Annie Doble's show at Spencer House emphasized natural skin with blended Nars blushers Hunger and Wild Bunch, as Becky Moore described: “We worked with the models’ natural skin and used just one pump of foundation, removing concealer from the process altogether.”
Hairstyles featured chic twists. Sam McKnight crafted aerodynamic chignons and voluminous twists for Richard Quinn, stating, “There is an aerodynamic feel to each look. I wanted to bring a modernity to sculptural, ergonomic shapes. In essence, it was Back to the Future, glossy and form-fitting with statuesque twists.” Claire Grech's French twists at Conner Ives used Bumble & Bumble Thickening High Drama Styling Hair Foam for hold and shine. Labrum incorporated twisted sections referencing West and central African braiding techniques, per Nick Irwin: “Instead of threading the hair, we twisted more hair around it to create isolated sections, to inject some more drama into the look.”
Bold brows added edge. Thomas de Kluyver at Simone Rocha added fake piercings over brows and shaped skinny 1930s-style arches with a sharp turn. Brows were bleached live at Richard Quinn, while Emilia Wickstead opted for brushed-up brows in a minimal look by Amy Conway.
Gigantic accessories completed many styles. Annie’s show had down hair with jumbo flower clips, embracing natural texture, as McKnight said: “The brief was all about embracing hair’s natural texture and movement with joy, freedom, and femininity.” Chet Lo featured layered feathers inspired by Peking Opera headdresses, reflecting Southeast Asian identity, according to Anna Cofone. Bora Aksu used beaded hats and veils with lace and bridal motifs, as Larry King explained: “There was a lot of lace, veiling, and bridal references—black veils and white dresses in particular—which felt romantic but slightly eerie.”