What a week! Another successful NYFW is officially in the books and I’m still drooling over the beauty looks I saw on catwalks across Manhattan over the past few days. In addition to the looks you’ve already read me obsess over (nails at Nicole Miller, hair at Herve Leger, makeup at Badgley Mischka) here are the rest of my fav looks I saw at the SS16 shows…
Makeup at Hood By Air
I see what you did there, Hood By Air. The makeup team made a huge statement with this graphic, exaggerated (and purposely unblended) contour creation. It’s hard to ignore that this look addresses the mainstream obsession with highlighting and shading a la Instagram. (Or at least, that was my interpretation when I saw it.) Lead artist Inge Grognard described it as “natural beauties defying the boundaries of highlighting and contouring to enhance their features.” She used the process of sculpting the face by playing with graphism, using the following products: MAC Studio Conceal and Correct Palettes, Prep + Prime Highlighters, MAC Pro Paint Sticks, MAC Pro Full Coverage Foundation White, Invisible Set Powder, and Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder. It was a bold move and I loved it!
Nails at Tanya Taylor
One thing rang loud and clear in the world of nail trends at NYFW and that is nail art is not dead! Sally Hansen Global Color Ambassador Madeline Poole created this striped design to complement Tanya Taylor’s bright collection. Arm Candy, Kook A Mango, Ruby Do, Water Color, and In Full Blue-m are the trend-setting shades she used to achieve this exclusive look. Madeline explained, “Tanya’s collection is an homage to the hand-made textiles, delicate beadwork and vivid dyes used in Africa, and I wanted to continue that aesthetic. I designed a striped nail look that mimics the multicolored, layered jewelry of the Maasai people, giving each model her own unique combination of five different stripe colors in various thicknesses.”
Hair at Phillip Lim
Wella Professionals lead stylist Paul Hanlon created the perfect balance of street style and elegance at the Phillip Lim 10th Anniversary show, “Stop and Smell the Flowers.” He took the undone sportiness of a bun and added netting to the front of the head for a beautiful juxtaposition of contrasting themes. Paul crafted this look by applying Wella’s new EIMI Extra Volume Mousse throughout the hair to create texture. He then added flat S shape waves with a flat iron to create movement and twisted the hair into a low messy bun, leaving ends out and separated. He sealed the look with hairspray and fastened a square of netting across the head, slightly offset, for the perfect finishing touch.
Makeup at Marchesa
Inspired by Marchesa’s pastels, the incredible Gucci Westman created a look to mirror the effect of the collection. The makeup design featured luminous skin, subtle eyes, and a powerful pop of pink on the lips. Gucci used MAC Strobe Cream (which is the best stuff ever, by the way) as a subtle highlight above the upper cheekbones, bridge of the nose, cupid’s bow, and chin. Pro Longwear Concealer was applied as needed to perfect and Sculpting Powder Pro Palette was blended under the cheekbones to contour. MAC Pro Mixing Medium was applied over the entire eye for added dimension and shine. The star of this look was the perfect pink lip, created by To Matte With Love Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolor (available spring/summer 2016) blended from the outer corners inward to accentuate lips. Girl About Town and Flat Out Fabulous Lipstick was then applied over to intensify and finish.
Nails at the Blonds
Inspired by Cleopatra, the Sphinx and various elements of Egyptology, the fashion and nails at The Blonds show can be described as dramatic handcrafted treasures. Completing the designers’ runway looks with a distinct nail style on every model, CND nail artists hand-sculpted the nails and embellishments with CND Liquid & Powder and Brisa Gel, then added layers of color with Shellac Nail Color, Vinylux Weekly Polish and CND Additives. Royal golden tones ruled the color palette while accents of blue, turquoise, red and green added texture and dimension. Hieroglyphics, snake skins, and beetles were constructed with an array of unconventional materials, including feathers, foils, ribbons, chains, and jewels. “The CND team never ceases to amaze us with their unique creative vision. If we can dream it, they can bring it to life,” said The Blonds designer David Blond.
Hair at DVF
I adore Diane Von Furstenberg’s designs and I loved the beauty look that accompanied her new collection just as much! The inspiration came from Diane herself who collaborated with stylist Orlando Pita to execute her vision. “Whether in Ibiza, Portofino, Los Angeles, or Bali, I love seeing all the girls head out at night with their natural waves fresh from the beach, just tucked behind their ear with a flower, it reminded me of how I used to wear my own hair back in the 1970s and I wanted Orlando to inject that carefree vibe into the show,” Diane said. To get the look, Orlando prepped 2 inch sections with Make Waves Shaping Gel and Make Waves Shine Enhancing Cream and twisted into a bun, repeating around the base of the neck to create rows of mini buns to set the hair. When dry, he unraveled each bun, pulling apart the hair twists. Then, he used a soft bristle brush to brush out the waves and lightly tease the front section to create soft volume. He finished the look by tucking the hair behind one ear and spraying Perfectly (un)Done Ultra Brushable Hairspray.
Makeup at Sally LaPointe
Makeup Artist James Kalliardos describes the trend at Sally LaPointe as “Ethereal Rebel.” He blended MAC Prep + Prime Moisture Infusion into the skin to instantly hydrate with MAC Studio Face and Body Foundation lightly buffed over the skin to add texture. Highlight was added with Peach Strobe Cream Shade Extension (available winter 2016) over the upper cheekbones. Promise Me Velvetease Lip Pencil (available spring 2016) was blended over the entire lip for a soft, natural look. The ends of the brows were embellished with sequins to complete – my favorite part!
Nails at Desigual
The denim embellished nails at Desigual looked awesome against the new spring/summer collection on the runway. Nail artist Keri Blair described it as, “A bit 90’s grunge, a bit Kawaii, a bit Barcelona girl… This is where art meets craft.” Actual white and dark rinse denim were used to cover nails, then distressed to appear worn-in, like your fav pair of jeans. Origami paper manipulated into shapes inspired by collage artists were then used to accent the thumb and ring fingers.
Makeup at Alice + Olivia
Stila Cosmetics’ Global Director of Creative Artistry Sarah Lucero lead the charge behind the scenes at Alice + Olivia. The trend inspiration for this show was “Desert Goddess.” Sarah used the Stila Magnificent Metal eyeshadows in comex gold and gilded gold to encrust the eye in gold and hit the top points of the face, giving the illusion of desert sun gleaming off the skin. She created dimension by using the Custom Contour Duo and Kitten shimmer. Lips were done using Stila Stay All Day Lipstick which is quite possibly my favorite liquid lipstick of all time. The shade she chose for the Alice + Olivia show, Dolce, is beautiful and complemented the overall look perfectly. Love!
Everything at Jeremy Scott
No literally, everything at Jeremy Scott was on point at Fashion Week. The standout elements of this look, for me, were the eyes, lips, and hair.
According to stellar makeup artist Kabuki, her inspiration for the makeup was “East Village party girls of the ‘80s who love playing dress-up in ‘60s vintage.” Kabuki used MAC’s Blacktrack Fluidline and On the Hunt Superslick Liquid Eyeliner were used to create the “fishtail” eyeliner above and below the eye. A custom coral blend featuring MAC Pro Lipmix in orange, white and nude, was applied over the natural shape of the lips to finish.
The hair was created by Wella’s Global Creative Director Eugene Souleiman who took inspiration from the heroine of John Waters’ iconic film ‘Hairspray’, Tracy Turnblatt, and the bouffant-haired beauties of bands like The Supremes, The B-52s and The Go-Gos. “Building on the late-50s-meets-80s Americana influence that Jeremy loves, we created a caricature of that classic John Waters look, with masses of graphic, structured volume at the roots, set off by incredibly soft and bouncy movement through the lengths,” Eugene said. He prepped the hair with Wella EIMI Root Shoot and Sugar Lift for maximum volume then set into pin curls. After the hair was dry and set, he backcombed into a gravity defying bouffant at the crown.
At NYFW, we go big or go home! Can’t wait to see all of these stunning runway beauty looks translated for everyday wear in a few months. But first, Fall. 😉