Dolce & Gabbana Unleash Their Chic Cherubs In Milan

In a runway season that's been filled with a plethora of natural makeup, nude nails, and undone hair, leave it to the Italians to shake things up in a fashionable way. Milan Fashion Week has seen some pretty fantastic beauty moments, from "graffiti lids" at Prada to the choppy crops at Fendi. Adding their distinctive feminine touch to the fashion fray was Dolce & Gabbana, who sent models swaying down the runway in soft, cherubic hair and makeup.

Makeup artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath went for romantic, rich, and angelic, but tinged with what she called "Sophia Loren in a Greek theater." Using Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics, skin was covered in Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in a shade slightly warmer than model's skin tone. Blush — in shades of Rosebud, Apricot, or Peach — was applied on cheeks, chin, and into the hairline to create a warm glow. The gold shade in the Smooth Colour Eye Duo in Fortune was also applied to the tops of cheeks for a touch of iridescence.

The eyes were done in tones of gold, using the the Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Golds on the lids and Desert underneath the eye and in the socket. A touch of blush was added on top of the lid as well. McGrath wet an eyeshadow brush then dipped it in the gold shadow and applied to the inner corner of the eye. Nude pencil was used to line the waterline and the upper lash line was defined with a chocolate pencil, starting at the middle of the lashes and going out to create the tiniest wing. A bronze liquid liner was traced on top of the wing to further define, and top lashes received a coat of new Passion Eyes Mascara.

Brows were groomed using Shaping Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Brown (new for 2014) and lips were a custom pink color created using a blend of two new spring '14 shades of Classic Cream Lipstick, Bellissima and Traviata.

For the hair, the designers had crafted handmade accessories that featured gold coins, crystals, and flowers. Working with Redken, Guido Palau incorporated them into braided buns, much like women in ancient Roman times would adorn their hair.

Palau started off by adding Guts Root Volumizing Foam to hair to texturize, then created a messy middle part, braided hair, and pulled it into a soft updo. Dry shampoo was added to create a matte finish, then stylists went to work adding in the accessories. There was no specific pattern to the accessories — they weren't matching up certain ones to certain outfits — and Palau told his styling team to use their imagination as they adorned models' coiffs. To finish, he then ran his fingers through hair at the front to soften and create wispiness.

"Dolce & Gabbana is populist hair," he said. "They make the girls look so pretty. They do feminine so well, but also sexy in a subtle way." We couldn't agree more, as this particular look so aptly demonstrated that ethos.