Key Takeaways
- Sandy Liang debuted her Spring/Summer 26 collection at New York Fashion week.
- The collection was full of feminine, nostalgic details, with a fresh makeup look to match.
- Makeup artist Charlie Riddle tells us about the fresh skin and “cutie wing.”
New York Fashion week has come to a close, and I’m already fast-forwarding to spring in my brain. I hate winter anyways, and the SS/26 collections were just so cute. Luckily, when it comes to beauty, I don’t have to wait long in terms of test-driving what I saw and loved on the runways. While I’ll be dabbling in the blue monarch eyes at Anna Sui and the colorful lashes at Colina Strada for a night on the town, Sandy Liang offered up a look I can wear every day.
And of course she did! The downtown designer is already my (and many other NYC girls’) go-to brand for quirky accessories and nostalgia-fueled clothes, so it makes sense that she’d serve up wearable beauty inspiration on a silver platter—with a girly twist, of course.
Ahead, everything you need to know about the “cutie girl” eyeliner look spotted at the Sandy Liang show, and how to get the look.
Sandy Liang
Sandy Liang’s “Cutie Girl” Eyeliner
At the S26 show, the brand sent one of it’s girliest collection’s to date down the long, snaking runway. There were giant bows, bunny prints, and a dress covered in frilly undies. However, when it came to the beauty, things were a little more streamlined while keeping the feminine energy flowing.
“The look for Sandy Liang is not about heavy makeup; it’s about restraint,” explained Charlie Riddle, Stila’s Global Heard of Artistry, backstage at the show. For the occasion, he cooked up a fresh and minimal look, with no foundation, a flush of blush, and a stained lip. “Every detail and placement is purposeful. It allows the clothes to speak while still giving the girls an aura on the runway.”
Stila
The center point of the makeup, however, was the thin baby wing. “I really wanted [it to be] this really soft, cutie girl. She’s downtown, she’s a little barely-there.” Riddle explains that not only did he want the minimal makeup look to compete with the clothes, but that it’s totally in trend with what his clients are asking for. “It’s all about the brown baby wing,” he explains. “It’s on trend, it’s what’s happening, it’s what all the girlies are asking for.”
How to Get the Look
Riddle and his team started by prepping models with Beauty of Joeson products. They used the Glow Replenishing Rice Milk, Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide, Revive Eye Serum : Ginseng + Retinal, and the Dynasty Cream, before finishing with some Day Dew Sunscreen for protection and glow.
Then, Riddle moved onto makeup. As mentioned, he skipped the foundation as the look was “about amplifying the natural, cool girl, not masking her.” Instead, Riddle used a little Stila One Step Correct to even the skin without adding coverage. For a soft flush, he used some of the brand’s cream blush, Convertible Color, in the shades Lilium, Peony, Camellia, and Petunia, depending on the model.
Like the skin, Riddle customized the eyeshadow and liner shades to each model. He created a thin, short wing on the outer corner of the eye using the brand’s Stay All Day Smudge & Set Gel Eye Liner in the shades Stingray Black, Espresso, and Damsel Dark Brown. Then, each model got a wash of the Liqua-Play Eye Shadow across their lids in the shade Sandy Matte, Mauvelous Matte, or Crema Matte. Then, for extra dimension, he layered on shades from the Pocket Play Shadow Palette in Pretty Petal and Dessert Bloom. A swipe of the Made-U-Lash Length & Define Tubing Mascara completed the “cutie girl” eyes.
Riddle finished up the look with a softly stained watercolor lip. He started with a base of the same Convertible Color he used on the cheeks. Then, he finished the look with some Plumping Lip Glaze in clear for some shine.
Just add some glossy girls a la Evanie Frausto’s work for the show and a bunny-printed purse, and you’re ready to channel your inner Sandy girl.