At Fashion Month SS26, All Eyes Were on the Lips

When it comes to runway makeup, the face is a canvas — and at fashion month Spring/Summer 2026, lips played an influential role in the season's most impactful beauty looks. Whether you're looking to New York, London, Milan, Paris or beyond — there's no denying that fashion month has brought us a multitude of bold lip looks. Because although lips might not be the first beauty detail that comes to mind, they've always been the focal point.

Although eyes are often believed to anchor beauty looks, lips are even more essential. When it comes to minimalistic makeup, eye looks can be extraneous — but lips are always factored into the equation. Whether its subtle gloss at Thom Browne or barely-there flushed lips at Miu Miu, lip looks are a necessity at every caliber.

 

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Even though the clean girl makeup look has a firm hold on the runway, SS26 has proven that bold, editorial lips alone are enough to generate innovative glam. While Simone Rocha used lips to display slogans, Caroline Hu sent smudged checkerboard lips down the runway. Beyond that, even the most complex lip looks rely on intentionality over excess. Maximalist eye looks can often take on countless elements that clash with each other — but even the loudest lips are still defined by their natural shape.

Like most beauty details, lips are an extension of the designer's vision. At Torishéju, ombre black lips matched the collection's dark, sophisticated vibes — while baby pink lips at Chloé spoke to the show's classic femininity. Lips don't need to defy proportion or transform into other things in order to shape a show, they just need to be acknowledged.

 

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In our own personal beauty routines, bright blue lipstick and intricate flower motifs are impractical. But, at fashion month, lips are an artistic medium. Regardless of whether they're pastel, smudged or nonexistent — lips will always be the first thing our eyes are drawn to.

While you're here, read about the eight beauty trends to watch for SS26.

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