After last season’s playful nod to the '80s, Nicklas Skovgard embraces a darker, 1990s-inflected edge for his autumn/winter '25 collection. On the runway, Hans Christian Andersen’s papercut silhouettes meshes with Andy Warhol’s bold prints – but backstage, matte aubergine lips and clumpy mascara reigned supreme
This season, Nicklas Skovgaard traded bubble-gum palettes and softly diffused pastels for something sleeker. “The collection draws inspiration from Andy Warhol’s ‘Hans Christian Andersen’ prints from 1986. They have a certain contrast in the meeting between the two artists that I find really fascinating,” Skovgaard explains. “I liked the idea that it should feel quite natural, while also having more graphic elements to both the hair and the make-up.”
To translate this artistic blend into beauty, make-up artist Vilde Feste dialled down the colour and turned up the impact of a deep matte lip. “Last season, it was all about the 1980s with beauty-marks and soft blue eyeshadow, so this season it made sense, with the collection, to create something that felt more modern,” she says. “The deep brown matte lip looks like the colour in some of the prints, and the chunky lashes feel right with the clothing.”
Complexions were kept real and personal: “Beautiful natural skin application, something that feels real and authentic to each model,” as Feste described it. She relied on Mac Face and Body for lightweight coverage, blending in Pro Longwear and Studio Finish where needed, and accentuating beauty marks for individuality. Brows were groomed according to each person’s features — some concealed for emphasis, others brushed up and accentuated — and no orange or warm tones appeared in the contour. The finishing touches? A carefully smudged curl of chunky, waterproof MacStack mascara and a bold statement lip: “The key feature is the deep matte brown graphic lip that requires a steady hand and technique to look well-balanced with clean edges.”
Photo: Bryndis Thorsteinsdottir
Photo: Bryndis Thorsteinsdottir
Photo: Bryndis Thorsteinsdottir
Skovgaard’s characteristic silhouettes also echo Warhol’s graphic lines, pushing the collection away from rounded volumes towards sharper, more structured shapes. “I wanted to do a new take on these brand elements and give them refreshed energy,” he says. And that sense of newness extends right through to the beauty. “It’s a look you would like to wear,” Feste quips, citing the synergy between hair and make-up. “The hair and make-up really complement the clothing, and it feels modern, strong – like Warhol’s prints, but undeniably Nicklas.”
Amidst the bustle and bright lights of the runway, the make-up remained immaculate thanks to tactical restraint. “A balanced prep, enough hydration but not too much, is crucial, and Mac Fix + Stay Over is great for setting,” explains Feste. Final checks before the line-up mostly involved adjusting brows, likely to have suffered the occasional costume change mishap.
Yet for all the carefully placed edges and dramatic angles, Nicklas Skovgaard's beauty was refreshingly unforced – just clean, sculpted skin, clumpy mascara, and matte lips loaded with attitude.