LaQuan Smith SS26 Channeled Soft-Sexy Glam
It’s needless to say, but, “LaQuan Smith’s inspiration is always going to be sexy,” Sheika Daley tells ESSENCE backstage ahead of Smith’s SS26 show. In that spirit, Daley, a celebrity […] The post LaQuan Smith SS26 Channeled Soft-Sexy Glam appeared first on Essence.
Black News 
Courtesy of Mali Powell for ESSENCE 
By Akili King ·Updated September 17, 2025 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… It’s needless to say, but, “LaQuan Smith’s inspiration is always going to be sexy,” Sheika Daley tells ESSENCE backstage ahead of Smith’s SS26 show. In that spirit, Daley, a celebrity makeup artist, and makeup lead for the show, knew she needed to come full throttle to match the energy of the collection, which took place at the Classic Car Club. Specifically, models were sent down the runway in makeup looks that were all about “buttery contours” to complement everything from leather mini skirts to fish net dresses.
Daley’s approach this year, though, reminds us that sexy doesn’t always mean over the top. “We went very sultry and very sexy, but the skin is soft,” she mentions. “They look like divas, as they should, but the eyes are softer this year instead of hard, graphic lines,” Daley says. “We’re doing smudged out bronzy tones—as though they were laying out on the beach in the Riviera and were at a party the night before,” she adds with a laugh.
As for the key techniques that helped bring it all to life, Daley says she’s all about skin hydration. “Proper skincare is always a must, as well as great foundation, beautiful highlighter, lots of contour, and lashes,” specifically from her lash brand Elora Lane. “I wanted to make sure the lashes were curled and separated before adding lashes to make everything really pop.” And when it came to their glistening bodies? Vaseline’s new Glazed & Glisten Gel Oil, of course, is to thank.
High-speed hair was also on deck for the evening. Expert hair stylist and show lead Evanie Frausto tells us, “we really wanted to do something that had a bit of an edge to it. Something that you could also maybe do yourself, but we pushed it further into a more fantastical realm.” That said, opting for hairs gelled to the face—as though models were “wet and sweaty”—felt right.
“This concept was honestly inspired by Patti Wilson,” the stylist for Smith’s show, “who I worship,” he says. “Anything she wants, I’m all for it.” True Indian Hair was used for added dimension and length. But the glam didn’t end there. Smith’s go-to nail team, Yukie Natori New York, was in the building as well. This year, the models’ gold-dipped talons were heavily inspired by the hair waves Frausto’s team created.
As Daley put it, “I always get excited to see how LaQuan will up the sexy from the previous year,” she says. “And he did that.” With that, until next season, we’ll be on the edge of our seats waiting to see how sexy will be taken to new heights yet again.
Bang Shaping
Set In Place 
The Sensual Eye 
Dripping In Gold 
The Makeup Process 
Eyelash Heavy 
Beauty Portrait 
Getting The Lips In Line 
The Nail Kit 
Sticking On The Gold 
The Final Nail Look 
Braids And Bangs 
Every Strand In Position 
Skin Finish 
TOPICS: laquan smith NYFW SS26The post LaQuan Smith SS26 Channeled Soft-Sexy Glam appeared first on Essence.
