By the time the Paris leg of fashion month rolls around, the style crowd is running on fumes. Editors are bleary-eyed, suitcases barely zip, and it takes something genuinely good to hold anyone’s attention. Luckily, the French capital rarely disappoints — and this season was no exception.
Parisians have perfected the art of tailoring — just look at Chanel tweed sets and Dior bar jackets. French beauty, however, has built its reputation for playing things a little looser. Lipstick gets dabbed on instead of perfectly lined. Hair somehow falls into place without looking overly styled. The result always looks polished, even when it’s slightly undone.
This season, that balance between chicness and effortlessness showed up everywhere. Windswept red blush edged out the classic French girl lip, while low chignons at The Row and Balenciaga delivered a kind of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy minimalism.
Elsewhere, the glam skewed a little offbeat — in the best way. Matières Fécales put face tape on full display, poking fun at the whole idea of “effortless” beauty. Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham embraced metallic lips, and dark, blocky brows hinted that 2016 might not be as far behind as everyone thought. Then there’s the Gucci effect: a black smoky eye that’s basically just powder smudged around the lids, but managed to become the breakout beauty trend of fashion month.
Taken together, the mood was bold and playful. Ahead, all the standout hair and makeup moments from Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026.
1. Kiss Curls
Kiss curls at Junya Watanabe.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
Forehead swoops at Loewe.Getty / Estrop / Contributor
Sculpted forehead swirls have already been popping up on celebrities like Ayo Edebiri and Odessa A’Zion, and now high fashion is taking its turn at the flapper-era throwback. At Junya Watanabe, cyberpunk designs came with thick, lacquered curls glued along the hairline like faux bangs. Loewe offered a slightly more wearable version, staging wispy tendrils into a more natural pattern. Either way, the key is plenty of product. “Try texture spray or hairspray for a natural matte finish, and gels or creams for a more polished, wet look,” Philip Downing, creative director and hairstylist at Bed Head, recently told Bustle.
2. Dark Brows
Blocky brows at Vaquera.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
Filled-in shapes at Dries Van Noten.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
Love it or hate it, 2016 makeup is back — with brows that might give ABH Dipbrow Pomade devotees major flashbacks. Vaquera and Dries Van Noten both made a case for filled-in arches, swapping the fluffed-up “clean girl” brow for something darker and sharper. At Dries, just the front of the brow was deepened to a velvety espresso that framed otherwise minimal makeup, while Vaquera pushed the look further alongside chalky white powder and a dotted-on under-eye mole.
3. Beach Braids
Crimped waves at Chloé.Getty / Marc Piasecki / Contributor
Face-framing braids at Acne Studios.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
It’s time to embrace your natural hair texture, according to PFW. Air-dried waves and micro-braids showed up across the runways at Acne Studios and Chloé, giving hair that windswept, just-back-from-the-beach feel. Whether you pair it with golden hoops and cowrie shell accents a la Chloé or a smudge of graphic eyeshadow like at Balenciaga, the overall vibe felt romantic and effortless rather than overly styled. Case in point: Margot Robbie has been sporting a similarly crimped texture on the Wuthering Heights press tour.
4. Red Blush
Is red blush the new French-girl lip? Another Wuthering Heights-approved trend designers couldn’t get enough of was crimson-toned blush. The rosy hue mimics the natural color of blood beneath the skin, which is why it flatters just about every complexion. At Chloé, models wore Saie’s Dew Blush in the shade Spicy, a warm terracotta that diffused down to create a soft, windswept flush that looked almost like it came from a brisk walk outside. Paired with barely-there foundation and ghost lashes, it’s the perfect recipe for a youthful glow.
5. Purple Eyeshadow
Violet shadow at Saint Laurent.Getty / Lyvans Boolaky / Contributor
Monochrome purple at Balenciaga.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
Just look to Balenciaga and Saint Laurent as proof that purple is shaping up to be the makeup color of the season. At Saint Laurent, Bella Hadid walked the runway in a deep violet smoky eye paired with a brick-red lip, giving the shade a sultry, after-dark edge. Meanwhile, models at Balenciaga went full monochrome with draped purple blush above and below the temple, finished with a healthy swipe of metallic lavender liner.
6. Low Updos
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy stans will love this hair inspo. Low, tucked chignons showed up all over PFW, proving that even the most low-key style can still deliver fashion with a capital F. At The Row, hair was twisted loosely at the nape and clipped into place with a glossy black barrette that made it feel even more ’90s-coded. Balenciaga went sleeker with a tightly tucked bun molded so close to the head that it looked like a pixie from the front.
7. Metallic Mania
Golden finishes at Vivienne Westwood.Getty / Aurore Marechal / Staff
Chrome lips and lids at Victoria Beckham.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
Glitter fatigue? Never. Vivienne Westwood made a compelling case for metallics on both the lips and lids, pairing molten lipstick with a soft chrome shadow that caught the light from every angle. Victoria Beckham, on the other hand, took her usual less-is-more approach with a dusting of silver shimmer around the eyes and mouth. The look is easy to try at home with any metallic eyeshadow — but before you pack it on, “make sure your lips are moisturized, because the powder eyeshadow can make them feel dry,” makeup artist Ngozi Esther Edeme recently told Bustle.
8. Birkin Bangs
The ’60s were on the beauty mood board at McQueen, where models wore piecey fringes styled with a slight gap in the center — a nod to Jane Birkin’s signature cut. Clumpy bottom mascara added even more of a mod touch. The timing doesn’t feel random: Jennifer Lawrence debuted her own set of softly separated Birkin bangs in September. If you’ve been thinking about trying out a fringe, here’s your sign.
9. Face Tape
Fox eyes at Matières Fécales.Getty / Victor Virgile / Contributor
Face tape wasn’t exactly subtle at Matières Fécales. Models walked with visible strings pulling the skin taut at the temples, a backstage beauty hack that’s usually hidden. The tape sat on top of brutalist slick backs like it was any other accessory. In a show that caricatured the aesthetics of the ultra-wealthy — from plastic surgery prosthetics to jackets sewn together from dollar bills — the exposed lift suddenly felt like the punchline: “effortless” beauty always comes with strings attached.
10. Smoky Eyes
Sooty eyeshadow at Alainpaul.Getty / Justin Shin / Contributor
Black smoky eyes at Tom Ford.Vogue Runway / Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
A couple of weeks ago, Gucci sent models down the Milan runway in smudged black eyeshadow — and promptly reset everyone’s FYP. Clearly, the look isn’t done catching on. At both Tom Ford and Alainpaul, smoky eyes leaned into that same club-kid energy, with shadow blown out past the crease and under the eye, diffused with cool grays and charcoal blacks until it looked like the messy remnants of last night’s eyeliner. The takeaway of fashion month? Eye makeup is back — and, if you’re new to shadow, a little powder smudged in with your fingers is a pretty good place to start.
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