Classic red; vampy oxblood; shocking pink; and even gold—we saw nearly every shade swathed across lips for spring '16. Whether you credit the birth of this beauty trend to Rihanna's ever-changing lipstick wardrobe, or the simple fact that a quick coat of crimson polishes off a Marchesa ball gown just as well as it does a pin-striped blazer from Topshop, we're glad the mouth is having a moment. Here, our favorite lip looks fresh off the catwalks—and the tubes to help you achieve them.
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Jason Wu
Hellin Kay
Makeup artist Yadim topped two shades of liquid lipstick with loose pigment to lend the classic crimson mouth a modern "velvet" finish.
Inspired by the fluffy, pastel finale gowns in the collection, makeup pro Gucci Westman lacquered lips with four different products to achieve the ultimate pop of pink.
Face painter Aaron de Mey aimed to "blast punk and street toughness with luxury." In addition to gold glitter and bold swoops of black liner, he alternated between natural and "perfect, perfect" red lips.
Crystals, pearls, lace, and beads were painstakingly glued to models' faces to exquisite effect hours before this show, but a dramatic swipe of deep berry lipstick is equally as striking (and a lot simpler to DIY).
You don't have to be an "East Village party girl" who loves "playing dress-up in '60s vintage" to pull off the custom coral lipstick backstage pro Kabuki applied to models' mouths.
Even if you're not able to enjoy a sunny Roman holiday (the scene depicted on the catwalk in Milan), a cheerful swipe of rosy lipstick offers a brief beauty escape. Snap a selfie—as models did at the end of the runway—and savor the moment.
"Femme fatale" is how makeup artist Gato described the designers' woman. To contrast the sweet, sorbet-colored dresses in the collection, he reached for a vampy, wine-colored lipstick that played off the sultry cutouts and plunging necklines.
"Princess Margaret meets Courtney Love" is how makeup artist Hannah Murray described the "rebellious beauties" at Topshop Unique. Red lipstick feels so much more rock 'n' roll when slicked on straight from the tube and paired with "destroyed kohl" around eyes.
Like a chocolate covered cherry, lips at this show were a cross between burgundy and brown—an effect achieved by layering a ruby stain with a mahogany cream shadow.
Molten metallic mouths are a guaranteed showstopper. Maquillage master Pat McGrath premiered her first product (dubbed Gold 001) under her own label backstage, reaching for the reflective pigment to craft 24-karat pouts. Getting your hands on this glittery powder, however, isn't going to be easy—the formula launches later this month on the makeup artist's new website (date to be announced on Instagram) for only 24 hours.
"It will be a nice little surprise in the show," said makeup artist Yadim of sending a handful of models down the runway with tomato-red pouts inspired by Peter Lindbergh's iconic portraits of '90s supermodels. "It's power dressing and the power woman done in a fresh and modern way."