Lifestyle Mirror

Getting Low

The low pony was seen everywhere (Lanvin, Chalayan, DSquared2, Ports 1961, Chloé, Mulberry, etc) in multiple iterations. It was grungy at Lanvin, colored at Alexander Wang (pictured), twisted at Ports, and tousled slightly at Rachel Zoe. This is good news: It means that the trend is attainable for every hair type and every situation (especially that lazy morning). But to be honest, it looks newest and most modern when it's sleek and straight. If you have the patience, blowdry with a thermal protector (Redken's blowdry lotion is excellent) and make sure to hydrate the pony with an oil (Rodin's is life-changing) for a high gloss finish. Pair with either a bold brow or a statement lip.

Just Bitten

Wine lips were everywhere backstage, but this wasn't last fall's ultra precise, vampy lip. "It's just a cool girl that's thrown on lipstick and flown out the door," Lucia Pieroni said of her look backstage at Vera Wang. "You want a blown rose effect. The edges should be soft, which makes your mouth look bigger. Go dark in the middle and fan out." Tom Pecheux opted for a similar effect at Derek Lam (pictured), while the pros at Marni used a Q-Tip to blur the line a bit imperfectly. You can do this look matte or glossy, but the best part? No need to buy a new lipstick... just upgrade your technique.

Let's Get Grungy

Kérastase's Akemi Tamaribuchi explained of the Libertine woman (pictured), "She's a glam girl who loves to party. This is what hair looks like after she's been out partying... it's grungy and lived in." Stylists said those very words about ten thousand times during Fashion Month, and yet, no one wakes up with bed head quite that gorgeous (unless they haven't gone to bed yet). She curled using a 1" iron in large sections rotating the direction of the curl and mussing with her fingers, spraying generously with Densitif Texture Spray for added sex appeal. The key is to not over-think it (and don't be afraid of the spray).

Smudge Story 

That same party girl was also, naturally, the makeup inspiration for a variety of brands (Phillip Lim, Tibi, Yigal Azrouel, and Roberto Cavalli, pictured). "It's a very cool, fun girl and very underground, but still sophisticated," said François Nars of his take on sixties grunge at Marc Jacobs. "We like it when the makeup gets a bit destroyed," he explained, which is why he added "some grease" to the eyelids before the girls hit the runway. Said grease is hitting NARS shelves in the fall, but try their liner all around the eyes and smudge outwards for a smoky effect.

Matte About You

Women everywhere, brace yourselves: The fashion world is in full-fledged support of matte nails and they were all over the place. We love them best in rich hues (like the burgundy at Badgley by Deborah Lippmann) or when the matte topcoat has a gorgeous, near-satin effect (stay tuned for Jin Soon's Matte Maker come fall). But by far, the highlight of the matte nail was Marian Newman's gloss-tipped French Matte Mani at Louise Goldin (color credit: MAC Coffee Break). Want to try it now? We recommend the matte finish by Essie.

Haute Buns

Imperfect buns and chignons lent highly styled outfits a sort of casual flair, as seen at Rag & Bone (pictured), Moschino, Dior, Matthew Williamson, and more. The idea of throwing one's hair up haphazardly and pinning it randomly kept in theme with the DIY, easy element of the season. May we recommend a couple of U-shaped pins for your chignon?

It's in the Crease 

We're all about the floating eyeliner trend, and playing with graphic wings and colored lines for fall. Seen here at Rag & Bone by Gucci Westman, "The eyeliner starts at the socket and then wings out. It's not too crazy, but it feels cool." From far away, it just looks like a deep crease, which helps the eyes to pop and turns up the drama. From up close, you look like a makeup pro. Try Revlon's ColorStay Eyeliner for a similar effect.

The Braided Way

Pinterest's most popular hair look is now fall's biggest trend. The French had quite a crowned moment at Alice + Olivia, but for Christian Siriano, Aveda's Antoinette Beenders was inspired by the Russian Ballet. The result: a sort of macramé fishtail look you can attempt by creating two ponytails behind the ear and starting your braid at the crown. Wrap them appropriately and pin in place. For ideal braid texture, Beenders prepped with Pure Abundance Style Prep.

Matte Mouth

Contrary to the bitten, stained lip look were the full-color, rich matte lips. The message seemed to be: If it's bright, it's flat. A poppy lip was a fresh way to inject life and color into fall's more muted jewel tones, which was exactly Maki Ryoke's idea for the Costello Tagliapietra look (pictured here). You can watch her technique in our backstage video, where she takes the MVP Lady Danger lipstick (a makeup bag staple, FYI) and mattifies it to brilliant effect with a fucshia powder. Instead of investing in a series of matte tubes next season, consider trying your hand at MAC Pigment.

Copper Queen

Earthy tones made a big statement on the eyes, but Gucci Westman's blend of burgundy (a micro-trend) and copper created a gorgeous, rich, textured look at J. Mendel (pictured). Seen also at luxe brands like Tom Ford, Gucci, and Versace, copper is a fresh and glamorous take on gold, and it blends with an autumnal palette. It's also great for highlighting on olive skin tones, so consider an eye palette that will allow you a bit of diversity. We love Tom Ford's eye quad in Cognac Sable.