Red lips backstage at Sportmax's autumn-winter 2021 show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Cover Red lips backstage at Sportmax's autumn-winter 2021 show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

Behind the scenes at the autumn-winter 2021 runway shows in Milan, dramatic, statement-making beauty looks were pared down to focus on key features

While so many of the beauty looks on the London Fashion Week autumn-winter 2021 runways focused on the eyes, Milan Fashion Week makeup spotlighted a range of facial features, albeit one at a time. From bold, red, overlined lips to pale smoky eyeshadows, the overall trend for next season is about focus—choosing a favourite part of the face, whether that's skin, hair, cheeks, lips, or eyes, and going all-in for an emphatic, memorable, statement effect.

Here are four of our favourite looks from Milan Fashion Week autumn-winter 2021, which just wrapped earlier this week.

Related: A Guide to Paris Fashion Week, Digital Edition

Bold, overlined red lips at Sportmax

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Red lips backstage at Sportmax's autumn-winter 2021 show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Above Red lips backstage at Sportmax's autumn-winter 2021 show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

Bold red lipstick has been a perennial favourite on the runway for decades, and this autumn-winter, the look is all about a creamy, semi-matte finish, feathered edges, and subtle overlining—all the way to the corners of the mouth.

Metallic ombre lips at Salavatore Ferragamo

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Metallic ombre lipstick backstage at the Salvatore Ferragamo show at Milan Fashion Week  (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Above Metallic ombre lipstick backstage at the Salvatore Ferragamo show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

Ombre lips are back this autumn, with a metallic twist, on the Salvatore Ferragamo "Future Positive" runway show. A matte deep berry base colour is subtly overlined with frosty platinum for this showstopping dramatic look.

Pale smoky eyeshadow at Budapest Select

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Soft smoky eye makeup backstage at the Budapest Select show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
Above Soft smoky eye makeup backstage at the Budapest Select show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Instagram eye makeup feels like it happened a thousand years ago. After our year in lockdown and doubling down on skincare and lower-maintenance everyday makeup, a pale smoky eye is precisely on point for our gradual emergence back into public life. 

Playful, graphic eyeliner at Philosophy By Lorenzo Serafini

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Graphic eyeliner backstage at the Philosophy By Lorenzo Serafini show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Above Graphic eyeliner backstage at the Philosophy By Lorenzo Serafini show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

For the more daring, a bold, graphic eyeline drawn in an unconventional shape is a nod to the youthful trend that's all over social media.

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Graphic eyeliner backstage at the Philosophy By Lorenzo Serafini show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Above Graphic eyeliner backstage at the Philosophy By Lorenzo Serafini show at Milan Fashion Week (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

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