London Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 just declared ‘Renaissance skin’ the next big thing. Here’s a look at what it is and how to achieve it
Glass skin has been the trend of trends. We love our sticky serums, blur pores into oblivion, and applaud Pat McGrath’s ‘porcelain skin’ look for making it more official. But has London Fashion Week called time? At Annie’s Ibiza F/W 25 show, ‘Renaissance skin’ emerged, a look beauty insiders say is the first real contender to McGrath’s hyper-perfect child. It looks richer, healthier, and more timeworn. It’s less airbrushed and more alive, like a Botticelli muse returning from a scandalous liaison. But what exactly is it, and can we wear it beyond the runway?
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A Renaissance Romance
“The look was inspired by Joan of Arc and Renaissance paintings,” revealed Dominic Skinner, Director of Makeup Artistry at MAC and key makeup artist for this show. “There is an element of passion going on with the flushed cheeks and power is coming through this really dark strong blood red lip.”
It was a case of coherence. Skin was full of life instead of lacquer; perfection be damned. As for the eyebrows, it was as if no time was left as some were kept light and feathered, while some were bold enough to steal the scene as is. Then came the hair, which hairstylist Sam McKnight thought hard and deeply about the era: “a nod to Renaissance beauty with long lengths, as if they have been braided and let loose, and then adorned with more braids,” he pens in a post.
Every detail mirrored Annie Doble’s fashion: feminine strength announced through the metallic lace and intricate hand-beading that created modern suits of armor.
Get the Look
For the base, Dominic Skinner mixed the MAC Studio Fluid Foundation with Strobe Cream. It’s not for that blinding glassy sheen we saw that one Margiela show, but for a glow that looks earned. It mimics a warrior mid-battle, kissed by the sun and slick with enough sweat to make things interesting. Less porcelain doll, more heroine mid-epic.
Next, the blush. Instead of diffusing it like usual, think of it as a more stamped-on look. Focus pigment on the apples of the cheeks before extending it straight across to the ears. This was done by Dominic Skinner to square off the face and appear more masculine, replacing the sculpted, diamond look we’ve been used to. “We wanted to create a flush, as though she’s just come back from battle. She’s not passive, she’s strong and regal.”
He took to Instagram to dangle the exact MAC blush he used—only not to say it. “It’s brand new and it comes out in a couple of weeks. It’s a really amazing blush. It has seven shades and I’m slightly obsessed with it,” he teased. Until then, stick to blushes that mimic a real flush, like reds and natural pinks, not your usual peaches.
For the exact lip, start with the MAC lip pencil in Nightmoth before layering on its silky matte in D for Danger for that rich, blood-red intensity. The trick here is to keep the edges crisp and slightly unblended, giving off that battle-worn stain rather than a cute pout. This only makes sense as Skinner took inspiration from Joan of Arc.
So, did glass skin walk so Renaissance skin could run? Not exactly; both have their place in the beauty canon. But this time, is it not time to let your skin breathe and blush as it pleases? Keep your glass if you’d like, but there’s a new muse in town, and she looks a little more intriguing.
Featured Image and Photos: SAM MCKNIGHT (via Instagram)
