How to Get the Effortless Glowy Skin and Tousled Hair of a Proenza Model
While fashion week often leans into fantastical whimsy and high-glamour theatrics—looks destined more for Pinterest boards than real life—every so often, a collection feels immediately wearable. Jamaican-American designer Rachel Scott's debut collection for Proenza Schouler is a case in point."The Proenza Schouler woman for Fall 2026 rejects perfection as constraint," explained Scott about her vision for the collection. "She is composed, yet mysterious and cinematic. She is disciplined but capricious—human. Today, she was in a rush."
The clothes—refined skirt suits, sculptural sleeves, elegantly draped dresses with slightly off-kilter details, and jackets with asymmetric lapels—reflected the realness women want in their wardrobes. That ethos didn’t stop at the clothes: the rejection of perfection was just as evident in the beauty direction, with fresh, glowing skin, deconstructed lipstick, and tousled, pulled-back hair.
It's no surprise that Proenza turned to beauty brands like Furtuna Skin and T3 to deliver the perfectly imperfect beauty look. “The Proenza girl is feminine with an urban edge and has a quiet confidence that makes her compelling—she wears it all without trying too hard," says co-founder of T3 Julie Chung. "With Holli Smith leading hair, there was a clear through line: women shaping the vision, women defining the aesthetic, and women bringing it to life."
Kristen May Lee, a New York-based esthetician who partnered with Furtuna Skin to create the models’ luminous complexions, took a similar approach. "We wanted the skin to echo [the collection’s] feeling of movement, ease, and polish: luminous, healthy, and alive, never overworked or overly perfected," she says. "The goal was skin that looked like itself, just at its absolute best.”
Photo courtesy of Gregory Scaffidi
The good news is you don't need a lot—of time, effort, or steps—to recreate the gorgeous look. Here's the expert breakdown.
Get the Look: Camera-Ready Runway-Lit Skin
Step 1: Prep Your Base the Night Before
Lee spoke with makeup artist Angie Parker before the show to discuss the approach to runway skin prep: "Angie emphasized that luminous, well-hydrated skin allows for a far more seamless makeup application on all accounts," says Lee. "Thoughtful barrier support lays the essential groundwork."
Whether you're getting ready to walk the runway the next morning or not, Lee suggests a skin-care routine that focuses on hydration and protecting and reinforcing the skin barrier. The key is to follow up with a rich, nourishing balm like Furtuna's—chock full of organic botanicals like dandelion, carrot, and hawthorn—to lock in moisture, Lee says. "Think of it like a security blanket on top of your other skin treatments—it ensures that you wake up with buttery smooth skin—the best canvas to start with."
The same philosophy applies to lips: A rich overnight treatment like goop Beauty’s eight-hour treatment—supports the delicate lip barrier and helps you wake up with deeply hydrated lips that are perfectly prepped for any lip look.
Step 2: In the Morning, Cleanse and Drench Skin with Essence
Micellar water is incredible for many reasons, including gentle cleansing and lifting away makeup, but this water-meets-essence is made with powerfully soothing plant and flower extracts that doubles as a treatment. Lee created what she calls a "botanical blast ritual" backstage using an oxygen mister to drench the model's skin with the essence. "The pressurized mister just enhances the absorption to amplify the dewy look," explains Lee.
To recreate at home, Lee says organic cotton rounds and your hands can get the job done. "Dab the essence on an organic cotton round and sweep all over the face for a gentle cleanse that wipes away any lingering impurities without stripping or irritating the skin," she says. "Then put a generous amount into your palms and gently pat it into the face."
Photo courtesy of Gregory Scaffidi
Step 3: Boost Hydration and Radiance
Lee calls this superpowered serum the "glow starter potion" because it's made with a slew of radiance-boosting botanicals like antioxidant-rich Italian bugloss, collagen-supporting chicory, polyphenol and fatty acid-rich olive oil, and hydrating organic beet extract. Smooth a few pumps over face, eyes, and neck. "This serum absorbs beautifully into the skin and instantly helps even out the complexion and prevent dehydration," says Lee. "I love that it works for every skin type."
Photos courtesy of Gregory Scaffidi
Step 4: Massage and Sculpt with Oil
"The Biphase Moisturizing Oil is the original product that made me completely fall in love with Furtuna Skin in the first place," says Lee. "It’s so lightweight but provides a beautiful glide and luminosity to the skin—it’s an oil that even oily skin will love." Lee used a light-handed massage backstage, delivering the oil's goodness with a gua sha to sculpt, lift, and leave the most ethereal radiance to the skin.
Step 5: Nourish and Prep Lips for Color
An incredible lip balm is a must to cushion and smooth lips, especially if you're applying lip color. Since the makeup direction featured some models with a deconstructed red lip, Lee swiped on this Furtuna balm to prep lips. "My favorite thing about the lip butter balm is that it is just so thick and rich, it really moisturizes and nourishes even the driest lips," says Lee.
Get the Look: Undone Low Pony
The hair direction centered on imperfection—like you just ran out of time before heading out the door: lived-in, undone, authentic, and real. Lead stylist Holli Smith and her team used T3's Aire IQ—the linchpin of the style—to deliver a loose, effortless, low ponytail on all different hair types.
FOR WAVY HAIR
Step 1: Build Volume and Texture
If your hair is wavy, start with fully wet strands and spritz a texturizing spray throughout to add a bit of grit—which helps build volume. Using a mixed boar-and-nylon bristle brush— which gently detangles and adds enough tension to pull natural oils from the scalp to ends for a glossier finish—brush hair straight back while simultaneously drying with the Aire IQ. Repeat the brush-and-dry method several times to create volume and shape through each layer.
To keep your natural waves intact, Smith says to lightly tease underneath the layers, especially at the crown, once hair is dry—but leave the lengths alone: "It enhances lift without disrupting the wave."
Step 2: Secure the Low Pony
Gather hair into a low pony at the nape—you don't have to be too precious about it. Smith wrapped a cord around the base of the ponytail and tied it underneath the pony for an element of coolness. "Trim the ends of the cord so it looks clean and intentional," she says. A ponytail holder or clear elastic works, too.
Step 3: Use Hairspray to Lock In
To finish, gently pull out small pieces at the sides and nape for soft, effortless movement. Spray lightly with hairspray to hold the shape, then smooth away any stray bends or frizz with flat clips for a polished finish.
FOR STRAIGHT HAIR
Step 1: Prep for Sleek Shine
If you have straight hair, follow the same prep steps as wavy hair—spritzing a texturizing spray throughout wet hair, then using the brush-and-dry method to create volume. To keep the look sleek, Smith says to follow the dryer with a few passes of a straightener and set with clips to deliver a shiny, smooth, polished finish.
Step 2: Build Volume and Secure the Ponytail
Pull aside sections of hair horizontally and lightly tease it all over by backcombing with a fine-tooth comb to create soft volume and fullness throughout. Then secure the ponytail with a cord or elastic.
Step 3: Use Dry Texture Spray to Lock In
To finish the sleek pony, again gently pull out subtle pieces at the sides and nape for a bit of softness and texture. Then, use dry texture spray in place of hairspray to set and add grip.
FOR CURLY HAIR
Step 1: Prep Hair and Enhance Texture
For those with coily or kinky hair, you don't need to start with wet hair as you already have lots of texture. Brush through each layer of hair to gently detangle any knots before applying dry shampoo throughout for extra grip.
Then warm up hair using the diffuser attachment to keep curls intact and defined. Follow with texture spray to enhance hold and shape.
Step 2: Secure the Ponytail
Those with curls, lightly tease the crown with a fine-tooth comb to create a soft bump for volume before gathering the hair into the low pony.
Step 3: Enhance Curls
To define curls, wet the pony lightly and finish by diffusing the pony with the Aire IQ to bring back curl definition and volume.