From Nicklas Skovgaard to Herskind, Copenhagen's SS26 runways swapped polished perfection for hair that’s been slept on and eyeliner that’s lived a little
Forget pristine blowouts and barely-there makeup. The most striking beauty statement at Copenhagen Fashion Week spring/summer '26 came with knots in its hair and last night’s eyeliner still clinging on. Across the runways, from Nicklas Skovgaard to Herskind, models looked like they’d either just woken up… or hadn’t gone to bed at all.
For Skovgaard’s Collection 11, the brief was clear: The namesake founder was after “the face you have after falling asleep in your makeup, the flush of a late night, or the glow of having just moisturised before bed." Marie Thomsen, working with The Ordinary and MAC, kept it lived-in and tactile: that glossy just-moisturised skin and kohl-lined eyes that’s smudged in all the right places.
Hair, by Marianne Jensen, played on different stages of bedhead: from loose, tousled waves to updos that looked like they’d been flattened on one side and left as-is. No glossy over-styling. Instead, the aim was texture that comes from a night pressed against a pillow or tousled on a dance floor.
Herskind. Photo: James Cochrane
Martin Quad. Photo: James Cochrane
Nicklas Skovgaard. Photo: James Cochrane
At Herskind, the backstage beauty team's goal was to recreate “having the best night of your life." Nicci Welsh built matte, airy volume with Oribe's Matte Waves and Dry Texturising Spray, rubbing strands in the opposite direction to encourage flyaways. Makeup artist Melina Wolff skipped eye primer so shadow and liner could move and blur on their own. Black and brown liners were smudged into lash lines, with Caia's ‘Stockholm’ shadow was swept out towards the brows for added depth. To finish the look, a swipe of ‘Dew it yourself’ balm was applied over the lids to replicate that slightly damp, next-morning sheen.
Our takeaway? We love to see roll-out-of-bed beauty, but we’d recommend faking your slept-in smudged liner. A quick sweep of kohl and a little intentional mess will get you there – no actual all-nighter required.