After braving subzero temperatures on the northeast coast, New York Fashion Week has officially arrived to its Fall/Winter 2026 season. On day one, industry trendsetters like June Ambrose, Monica, and The Cut’s Lindsey Peoples sported their best street style as they rushed to shows from Coach and Tory Burch to Public School.
For the ESSENCE beauty team, this time of year is all about beauty street style—and, we weren’t disappointed. While most fashion enthusiasts are focused on stunning coats, hats, and headpieces floating around the locations of the shows, our eyes were obsessively fixed on what was happening on the faces of the women attending.
We witnessed beautiful braided moments, from blonde traditional cornrows with multi-colored wooden beads adorning the ends to a chic french curl braided bob styled with a classic navy bandana dressed over the top to accentuate the c-curve. But it was clear that the real emphasis of day one’s glam was on the lips.
Bold red and plum-colored lipsticks made a very convincing and strong statement, while the effortlessly “undone” blurred lipstick trend—similar to Merit Beauty’s new Signature Lip Blush lineup—caught our attention in shades of brown, red, and raspberry. This particular trend is all about keeping it simple: brush your preferred lipstick across your lips to build color, blot twice and go.
And, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how classic brown gloss also made its mark, paired with ponytails, textured styles, fresh skin, and statement earrings throughout the day.
Ready for more? Ahead, take a look at the best beauty moments from the first day of NYFW.
