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That’s a wrap on the spring/summer 2026 shows in London, a season that brought us natural hair at Burberry, “tattooed” lips at Simone Rocha, architectural updos at Richard Quinn (whose show opened with a surprise walk from Naomi Campbell), and glistening, sand-speckled beauty at Labrum.
Here, Vogue outlines seven key beauty trends spotted on the runways at London Fashion Week.
Statement lips
Roksanda Ilinčić—who is known for her signature swipe of red lipstick—took the artist Barbara Hepworth as her muse this season. “We wanted to take the beautiful [eye for] modernity that she had by keeping the skin luminous, just like Barbara s marble sculptures, and have accents on the lips for just a few models,” the designer told Vogue backstage. “The color palette for this was rustic reds.” This was realized by makeup artist Sharryn Hinchliffe.
Dramatically defined lips were also a feature at Chopova Lowena, where face gems were used by makeup artist Lauren Reynolds in place of a traditional liner to sculpt and shape the pouts.
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At Simone Rocha, lips were the ultimate accessory. The designer was inspired by a distinct “teenage, debutante feeling,” and makeup artist Thomas de Kluyver created three intricate, über-shiny looks to complement her vision. First, there was a bright magenta flower design, concentrated in the centre of the lips. Second, lettering that reads “sweet dream,” and finally a glossy black lip.
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Conner Ives’s show was an ode to trans excellence and pop culture moments of the 2000s and early 2010s. It made sense then to create a beauty look that packed a creative punch. Makeup artist Lucy Bridge “created custom pastel neon lips using a mix of MAC Paintsticks and Chromalines, to create a fresh modern twist on an ’80s look”. This was set against a bare, grungy ghost lash.
At Erdem, makeup artist Fara Homidi applied a blurred lip using either pink or red pigment from her Essential Lip Compact in the shades “Red 1” and “Holiday 1”, using a flat brush and quick tapping motions. “We made the colour pool in the centre of the lip, allowing it to fade out as you look towards the outer edges,” she told Vogue backstage.
The architectural ’do
At Richard Quinn, Vogue caught up with hairstylist Sam McKnight. “My inspiration for the look came directly from Richard’s clothes themselves—they’re glamorous couture—and the hair reflects this,” McKnight said. “This season, we have the classic sweeping updo with a masculine edge, and a Hollywood Hitchcock and David Bowie ’80s element to it.”
Elsewhere, Labrum brought elegant drop-braids to the runway. The Osmosis collection “was all about flow, migration, and blending identities—we wanted the hair to feel organic yet modern—structured, with space for softness and individuality,” said hairstylist Johanna Cree Brown. The finished result? Mismatched, chunky sections of free-falling braids, adorned with copper accents.
At Edeline Lee, hair was slicked down rather than up. Hairstylist Philipp Haug “swept back the hair using a jelly product from Session Label. The hair was then either pulled into a ponytail or neatly tucked into the statement collars, allowing the clothes to take centre stage while maintaining a polished finish.”
Clean girls no more
Dilara Findikoğlu had the models’ faces smoothed over by key makeup artist Yadim Carranza with patches of mud, to represent innocent figures breaking free from rigid societal gender norms.
Sand-kissed was the brief over at Labrum. Key makeup artist Joey Choy created a striking look by pressing the side of a few models’ faces into a tray of coloured sand. “We focused on layering elements and textures,” Choy told Vogue backstage. “[Foday Dumbuya’s] collection is inspired by nature and spirituality—I used sand, glass pebbles and traditional gold markings to complement this ethereal theme.”
Greek designer Dimitra Petsa presented a collection that paid homage to her heritage. The Archaeology of Self collection was inspired by images of archaeologists, tourists and goddesses. The show featured clay-clad models who walked the runway with glossy, wet-look hair by Efi Davies—a Di Petsa signature.
Accessories galore!
Hair accessories of all kinds became a talking point this season. Susan Fang draped models with glistening crystal ball headresses, while hairstylist Anna Cofone ensured each strand had an extra dose of shine to match.
At Bora Aksu, hairstylist Larry King focused on giving the hair “soft, natural movement while keeping detail and structure.” This was achieved by framing curls around the face beneath delicate bonnets. Shimmering headbands were also spotted on Simone Rocha’s runway.
The eyes have it
When it came to eyes, it was a case of the bolder the better. At Ashish, shimmering eyeshadow bled into the browbone and melted down onto the cheeks. Inspired by Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, ’70s Biba, and ’30s Greta Garbo beauty, makeup artist Terry Barber used MAC’s Dazzleshadow Liquid Eyeshadow, Glitters, Paintstick and Hi-Fi Color palettes to achieve the look.
At Harris Reed, eyes were dusted with Charlotte Tilbury’s Palette Of Beautifying Eye Trends in shades Super Neutral and Digital Lilac to craft a bold and cinematic look, while the eyeliner at Marques Almeida was inspired by Amy Winehouse.
Psychedelic nails
This season, the manicures spotted on the runway were bigger and bolder than ever. Manicurist Ella Vivii led the charge at Chopova Lowena with a range of colorful, trippy nail designs, including a black and pink set with chequered patterns and swirls. Simone Cummings created three sets for Harris Reed, one ombre blue, another pale pink with a sharp black stripe, and the last a blocky black outer border. At Ahluwalia, Cherrie Snow was behind the long, square-shaped cinnamon nails. Finally, Ama Quashie added her rubber stamp of approval with diamond-encrusted toes for Burberry.
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Ruffled hair, don’t care
Speaking of Burberry, tousled tresses were the hair brief at the show that closed out London Fashion Week. The work of hairstylist Shiori Takahashi, natural textures were played up for an effortless, undone effect. Emilia Wickstead, Tove, and Erdem also followed suit, showcasing matte, lived-in strands.