Runway Beauty Report: 15 Standout Beauty Trends That Emerged At NZFW 2026

As New Zealand Fashion Week Kahuria 2026 draws to a close, beauty editor Ash Cometti reflects on the top hair and makeup trends that defined the country’s biggest week in fashion. New Zealand Fashion Week Kahuria is an incredible display of local talent and creativity - from emerging designers As impressive as the garments on the runway are the hair and makeup looks, an additional platform used to enhance storytelling, evoke mood or moment and ultimately, complement the designer’s vision. Aleph Beauty, a support partner for NZFW 2026, was the force behind the makeup direction for a strong line-up of shows including NZFW Opening Night, twenty-seven names, Taylor, The Studio, and Viva presents Greatest Hits Vol.1 and Vol.2.According to Aleph founder Emma Peters, a recurring request from both designers and stylists was to keep models looking like individuals. “This was probably the biggest shift I noticed in comparison to previous years,” she says. “Rather than creating a completely uniform lineup, the direction was to work with each model’s own features and character. That felt very current and, for me, much more interesting.”From oil-slick eyes and artistic flourishes to “whisper hair”, we round up the best of NZFW beauty. Photo / RadicalCool-Toned ContouringAs seen at NZFW Opening NightIn keeping with the central principle of the show - personal style should feel personal - the beauty direction ensured there was no identical look across all models. What united them visually was the overarching direction to keep tones cool rather than warm, avoiding warm-bronzing and a conventional glowing beauty look in favour of something with an editorial and theatrical bent. “Cool-toned contouring also featured heavily. Instead of warmer, bronzed sculpting, we used cooler cream tones to frame the face and, in some looks, to desaturate cheek and lip colour,” Peters says. Contour was more visible around the eyes, nose and under cheekbones to increase bone structure definition, applied in a way that felt painterly and organic, not structured and polished. Model Alex Cater and her bleached brow at Friday's Zambesi show. Photo / LJS StudiosBarely There BrowsAs seen throughout NZFWPeters says says one of the biggest trends she noticed off the runway was barely there brows, with many models arriving backstage with their brows bleached out completely. In keeping with the theme of celebrating individuality, the Aleph team worked to enhance what models had. “We did not bleach brows ourselves, but where models already had them, we made them part of the look rather than covering them up,” she says. For example, at The Graduate Show, the Aleph team softened brows by running Concealer/Foundation through them, and pairing the look with a smoky eye. “It gave the face structure without the brow feeling too defined,” Peters says. Photo / Loren WagenerBlush BlindnessAs seen at Caitlin CrispThe beauty look at Caitlin Crisp’s Tuesday morning show, courtesy of makeup lead Alex Penton and the Penton & Co. team, captured the essence of Caitlin Crisp’s newest drop perfectly - swathes of silk in various shades of pink, delicate prints and feather detail. Anything barely there just wouldn’t cut it. Instead, Penton and her team of nine makeup artists got to work creating what she calls a “beautiful, polished” makeup using key products from Bobbi Brown and M.A.C. Photo / RadicalOversized Hair AccessoriesAs seen at twenty-seven names Never ones to shy away from an accessory or frilly detail, twenty-seven names delivered hair accessories that were a maximalist’s dream at its Tuesday afternoon show. Oversized bows were affixed to the back of half-up, half-done styles with loosely bent waves peeping out from underneath, courtesy of Sean Mahoney and the Colleen team for Davines. XXL scrunchies scooped strands back into low-slung ponytails, the ideal style to show off one of the many Peter Pan-style collars or pussy-bow neck ties. Photo / Natalie JaneArtistic FlourishesAs seen at NOM*d & PlumeMakeup lead Lochie Stonehouse created two distinct beauty looks at Nom*d and Plume’s dual presentation on Tuesday night, located at Hotel Britomart. Using products supplied by Mecca, Stonehouse describes how Plume’s beauty look was centred around “ghostly, graphic eyeliner”. “Imperfectly painterly in application, revealing itself beneath a thin veil of hair in a way that felt glitchy and disrupted,” Stonehouse says. He worked with cream-based eyeshadows from Victoria Beckham Beauty, Stila and Ellis Faas to build three different colour stories - murky white, faded yellow and dusky pink - all of which aligned with a corresponding hair piece designed by hair lead Stephen Marr. “As the exaggerated eyeliner shapes ran through the tail-end of the brow, all models had their eyebrows bleached to achieve a blank canvas to draw onto,” Stonehouse says. Photo / Chloe Hill for Cool Pretty CoolAfter a brief intermission, models reappeared for NOM*d’s presentation - their graphic eyeliner removed and lipstick painted across six of the 11 models’ faces. Stonehouse worked with Dries Van Noten Lipstick in the shade Abstract Red, using the bullet to draw abstract motifs across each model’s face. “Each of the six character scribbles felt playful, unserious and imperfect, with nods to past moments in beauty including gothic and bogan-esque eyebrows, KISS-like eyeliner, theatrical tears and a Salvador Dalí moustache,” Stonehouse says. Photo / Natalie JaneBoxer BraidsAs seen at NOM*d & PlumeHair lead Stephen Marr made a strong case for this school-yard style when it appeared on the runway at NOM*d & Plume’s Hotel Britomart runway show. Models wore two tight braids plaited using an underhand technique, meaning the braid sat on top of their head rather than sinking into it, giving a three-dimensional appearance. The style’s smooth execution was thanks to a selection of products by O&M, ensuring hair appeared sleek and tidy.Holly Rose Emery for Juliette HoganSubtle Hints Of ShimmerAs seen at Juliette HoganA blink-and-you’d-miss-it detail from Juliette Hogan’s Tuesday night presentation came in the form of a subtle silver glitter liquid liner that peeped out from under models’ lashes.Sparkle came in the form of a swipe of Urban Decay Moonlight liquid eyeliner along the top waterline, paired with a hydrated complexion and glossy lips. “This ‘new nude’ beauty look started with hydration, calm and glow. I combined Kaea The Vitaliser Multi-Omega Face Oil and The Rejuvenator Multi-Nutrient Face Balm – this combo was the key to natural luminosity,” says makeup lead Josie Wignall. Instead of matte foundation finishes and layers of concealer, came a wash of lightweight skin tints and glosses, which Wignall says created ample light across the face. “The makeup [was] more about subtraction than addition,” she says. Photo / Ruby Hamilton‘Whisper Hair’As seen at Juliette Hogan‘Whisper hair’ is a term coined by hair director Lauren Gunn, who worked with Davines to enhance the free-flowing beauty of models’ natural hair at Juliette Hogan’s 20-year NZFW celebration. “Healthy, shiny, flowing and free with a barely-there wave and a clean texture that evokes the simplicity and mimics the drape and effortless grace of Juliette’s collection,” Gunn says. Gunn succeeded in her mission - models’ hair moved in perfect synchronicity with the many fringed garments that appeared on models as they moved down the runway, framed by the four fringed circular installations that hung from above. Photo / Katie BegbieShimmering HighlighterAs seen at Claudia LiSkin-first makeup continued its reign, enhancing models’ natural skin rather than concealing it. Such was the case at Claudia Li, where each model’s skin was prepped using the Raeso Triple Mist Method, creating a balanced, fresh canvas for makeup application. Photo / Katie BegbieMakeup lead Liz Hyun describes the vibe as: “A clean, polished complexion punctuated with a colour-shifting highlight. Fresh, directional and designed to shift with the light.” Hyun created a custom highlight to suit each model’s skin tone, before applying it high on cheekbones, temples, the bridge of the nose and cupid’s bow. This included the Sephora Collection Colourful Luminizer in 03 Pink Flash across the lower cheekbones, then a custom blend of Colorgram Milk Bling Highlighter in 06 Bubbles Blue, Canmake Tokyo Munyutto Highlighter in the shade 04, and NYX Buttermelt Highlight in No 1 Butta. Photo / Hope PattersonFigure 8 TwistsAs seen at Claudia Li “The hair reflects the woman at the centre of Claudia Li’s collection: self-assured, romantic and unconventional. She feels recognisably herself, simply elevated,” says Kelly Manu, Viva Beauty Awards’ Hairstylist of the Year, and the hair lead at Claudia Li. Manu and her team created two looks for the Wednesday afternoon show, ‘A Love Letter To New York’, and said both looks balanced polish and imperfection. Photo / Hope PattersonManu’s figure 8 twist draws inspiration from the infinity symbol, emulating Claudia Li’s never-ending love for the city. “The figure 8 is deliberately not perfectly symmetrical - irregularity, texture and exposed ends keep it feeling human rather than overly constructed,” Manu says. Sculptural and romantic, Manu worked with L’Oréal Professionnel products including Tecni.Art Volume Refresh (renowned for its workable texture) and Elnett Hairspray to keep the hair’s shape without rigidity.Photo / Felix JacksonRenaissance, ReimaginedAs seen at Karen WalkerThe beauty brief at Karen Walker’s show, titled “The Grand Tour” was “a line-up of slightly dishevelled dandies with a Renaissance air about them,” says makeup lead Kiekie Stanners. “Flushed cheeks and rosebud lips akin to a Renaissance painting, slightly sweaty skin and opium-esque, oil-slick eyes reminiscent of dandies gone wild whilst travelling and participating in bohemian behaviour,” Stanners adds. Perfectly fitting given the location of the show, inside Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.Photo / Felix JacksonStanners layered a base of Stila Smudge Pot in the shade Jet Black with Question Beauty’s Misty Lavender Pigment to build a petrol-slick effect. The multi-chrome eyeshadow pigment shifts in the light, from a delicate lilac to a bright mint. A slick of M.A.C Clear Lipglass over models’ eyelids helped to round out the high-shine effect. The finishing touch? “We added the occasional beauty spot like a dandy who self-applies this or enhances their own,” Stanners says. Photo / RadicalVintage Hollywood GlamourAs seen at Kathryn Wilson The Kathryn Wilson signatures of joy, playfulness and theatricality were on full display at both of the footwear designer’s shows on Wednesday night, hair lead Danny Pato says. Drawing on inspiration from 1950s glamour, models donned brightly coloured wigs styled by Pato and his team, which heaped on the volume and frivolity. “I created these looks using Davines No Gas Hairspray to set curls with a tong, then brushed it out, Pato says. “I finished with plenty of Davines Medium Hairspray to give hold while retaining a cheeky bounce down the runway.”Photo / Hope PattersonTextured WavesAs seen at By KaiEvery touchpoint at Makaira Lee’s NZFW debut for By Kai was an ode to her home of Fiji, including the hair look designed by hair lead Kelly Manu. “The hair is a celebration of natural texture and individuality, reflecting the relaxed, effortless spirit of By Kai Resort 2027,” Manu says. “Rather than creating one uniform finish across the cast, each model’s natural hair is embraced and elevated. Curl, wave and natural movement are encouraged, creating a feeling that is effortless, free and individual.”Photo / Hope PattersonThe goal was hair that felt lived-in, not contrived, centre-parted with soft flyaways and wispy pieces breaking up the silhouette for an airy, undone quality, Manu explains. Manu worked with three L’Oréal Professionnel products to create the look, including Flex Waves to encourage models’ natural wave, texture and movement while ensuring hair remained soft and touchable. Photo / LJS StudiosEthereal, Glistening SkinAs seen at ZambesiAs the sun glistened over the water at Okahu on Tamaki Bay, makeup lead Kiekie Stanners was busy creating a painterly beauty look on models’ faces at Zambesi’s ‘Song To The Siren’ show. “The beauty look consisted of ethereal, ‘from the ocean’ skin from head to toe,” Stanners says. “Highlighted, glistening, sculpted. With a hint of mint sheen across the eyelids, like the Hauraki Gulf backdrop.” Stanners worked with the Youngblood Hydra-Glow Treatment Balm to prep both models’ faces and bodies, lending luminosity in places where the sun would hit using the Youngblood Pro Glow Creme Highlight in the shade Golden Hour. Photo / LJS StudiosThe Youngblood Pro Sculpt Creme Contour Stick in the shade Sun-Bathed helped create soft contours, while lips were sculpted using the Youngblood Lip Liner in the shade Au Natural. Hair lead Sean Mahoney and the Colleen team stayed true to theme by building a hair look to complement, with wet-look texture and loosely twisted siren-esque strands. Photo / RadicalMuted Purple PoutsAs seen Viva presents Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2To close out the week on a high note, the makeup look took a bold turn at the Viva presents Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2 shows. Peters says the Aleph Beauty team paired a bold lip look with nude, glossy eyelids, a combination which she says was her favourite look of the entire week. “It read beautifully on the catwalk while still feeling sleek and pared back,” she says. Photo / RadicalSkin was fresh and polished, complexions weren’t over-perfected - instead real skin peeked through from underneath light layers of Aleph Beauty’s Concealer + Foundation, which was applied only where needed. The Aleph Beauty Multi-Liner Pencil in the shade Fig was used as part of the bolder lip combinations to add depth and structure, paired with Gloria, Sangha and Voltage (the latter an unreleased shade) Cheek/Lip Tints which were layered to create a customised lip shade across the models. More NZFWFrom the best street style looks to expert-recommended products used backstage, below our comprehensive coverage of this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week Kahuria.