The beauty community has recently found itself happily in a sticky situation. In the wake of John Galliano’s dazzling couture collection for Maison Margiela, which shone literally and metaphorically, Pat McGrath’s expertly executed porcelain doll-like make-up has etched itself into our collective consciousness.

Defined by pencil-thin brows, powdery flushes of pigment, dark lipliner and of course glossy lips and glass-like skin, the makeup engineered Pat piqued the interest of millions of TikTokers. With the #glassyskin videos reaching over 20 million views, Pat revealed in a TikTok of her own just how she achieved that mannequin-like look.


Maison Margiela Spring 2024 Couture

While there was no singular product, Pat and her team mixed a range of gel and water-based face masks and airbrushed them onto the model’s faces, glazing them with a porcelain finish. And while you may not have time for such alchemy in the mornings, there are plenty of products that are quick fixes for all-over glossy skin, even without years of expertise and a fully loaded airbrush on hand.

Gone are the days of ultra-matte makeup, Kardashian-esque contouring, and precisely sculpted brows; now, it's all about the allure of glossy lips and luminous skin – a trend that glided its way across the Autumn/Winter 2024 collections over Fashion Month and is on its way to seamlessly transition into our own everyday aesthetic.

Kicking things off at London Fashion Week, Conner Ives AW24 show was a shining sensation, with the beauty looks managing to outshine the gilded ballroom show space. Makeup artist, Lucy Bridge ensured that each of the looks was finished off with a generous helping of Byredo’s Fantôme liquid lipstick vinyl in transparent, giving gloss its moment to shine.


Conner Ives AW24

For Susan Fang’s fairy-infused show, models were treated to an indulgent skin prep using glow-inducing Dr Levy products. With glassy skin locked in, ample swiping of lipgloss and high points slathered in Isamaya SKINLAQ, the lustrous looks only enhanced the already ethereal vibes of the show. )See our round up of the biggest beauty moment from the London shows here.)

The gleaming goodness doesn't stop there. At Milan Fashion Week, makeup artist Dick Page was of course on hand to generously apply plenty of lipgloss for the Tom Ford AW24 show. Taking it one step further, the sexy smokey eye that usually makes an appearance at Tom Ford got the gloss treatment, adding more of an illuminating dimension to the density of the dark shadow.


Tom Ford AW24

At Fendi, while the colour palette of the collection was suitably autumnal, makeup artist Peter Philips took a more incandescent approach to the beauty looks. Taking to his Instagram, Peter said he opted for “luminous, glowing skin” and “plump shining lips”, ensuring a truly glowing runway performance for Fendi.

While Pat McGrath may have shot the glossy, glassy look to beauty fame, designers across Fashion Month proved that the look of the moment can be more user-friendly. With subtle glow products and copious lashings of lipgloss, while you may not reach a porcelain-doll complexion, you’ll certainly still be able to shine in a more public transport-friendly way. Here are some of our favourite glossifying products…

With packaging sprinkled with gilded stars akin to the gleaming effect post-application, Gucci recently introduced a line of Gloss à Levres in six shining shades. Featuring sumptuous pinks, brilliant vermilions, a cool-toned brown plus a handy clear shade, Gucci covers all bases for any glossy needs. The plumping product has been formulated with a concoction of ginger root and capsicum, ensuring pillowy lips that will be left feeling hydrated for up to 8 hours.

Gucci joins the ranks alongside glossy lip maverick Isamaya Ffrench. The brand’s LIPLACQ is a maximising lip serum that oozes high glamour with its glittering finishes in unique shades of black, silver and rusted orange. But Isamaya’s forays into glossy beauty don’t end there, enter the dewy SKINLACQ, which can archive a gleaming visage, without a glittery finish.


MAC’s Squirt Gloss Stick range allows for all the convenience of a lip balm, whilst maintaining the drama of a high-shine lip gloss. In 15 shades from neutral browns to vibrant oranges and pinks, the gloss sticks are a fun alternative to the typical doe foot applicators.


And of course, we can’t talk about glossy lips without mentioning Lâncome’s legendary Juicy Tubes. Upon their release in the year 2000, Lâncome sold 20 Juicy tubes every minute in the US alone, and with the resurgence of lipgloss love, the brand relaunched its famed product in 2020.


By Olivia Barrett