Groovy Baby! 60's Mod for Alice + Olivia

Bright colors mixed with pastels and eclectic hairstyles were part of the beauty scene for Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet's Spring 2012 collection.  The theme: walking through a secret garden during the 60's.

Thomas Dunkin, Sebastian Professional Lead Stylist, didn't want to take the 60's look so literally, so he pulled inspiration from the 20's creating three different styles.  A mix between chignons and buns, side-swept hair and low ponytails with head scarfs.  SO Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly!   For the runway, Dunkin used Potion 9 Lite as the foundation throughout the hair and a donut to create that polished look for the buns and chignons.  When trying it at home, he suggests making it your own. No need to make it so polished (i.e. no donut). If there are any loose strands let them be so as not to make it seem like you're trying too hard.

Let's talk about the shagadelic makeup done by Stila's Global Artist, Kasi Harabedian  for Beauty.com.  .  GORGEOUS!  The sparkling turquoise eyeshadow and extreme cat eye brought out the 60's mod style we all know and love.  She used a nude liner in the inner rim of the eyes instead of white to give it a modern touch and make the eyes pop.  For the most part, the nails were a mix of sorbet colors from Nails Inc. including mint green, corals and pinks.  However, some of the models rocked white nails with black stripes. To make it work Julie Kandalec first painted two coats of floral street and then a top coat on which she drew the black lines with black taxi.  A quick tip from the pro: no need to run out and buy fancy nail art pens, all she did was cut the bristles of the brush to make it easier to create the stripes.

Castello Tagliapietra Created A Walk Through the Rainforest

 

A quiet sophistication blended with romanticism while strolling through a dewy environment like the rainforest was the theme for Castello Tagliapietra's Spring 2012 New York Fashion Week show.  To complement the collection all it took was minimal make up, wet nails and sleek hair.

Nail guru, Deborah Lippmann for Beauty.com wanted to create a neutral feeling with a point of a view for a sophisticated, chic woman.  Combing two colors Fashion and Waking Up in Vegas to create a perfect nudish-grey hue with a high gloss top coat to create that wet look.  During the interview I confessed a beauty sin... I sometimes skip the base coat when I do my own nails.  Deborah simply stated how it's imperative to use both base and top coat for a manicure to not only protect the nails but not to allow color to seep through and for a longer lasting manicure.  My new beauty promise to myself is to not rush and start using base and top coat - thanks Deborah!

I use a lot of different colors when applying makeup especially for my eyes (you should check out my makeup case!).  When I saw that there was only one, yes just one, color used to create this romanticized look I was floored!  Lisa Butler, Lead Makeup Artist for MAC Cosmetics, wanted to emulate an elegant, romanticized look that reminded her of the 30's.  All she used was a cream based eyeshadow in Burnt Coral for eyes and cheeks.  She dabbed on the cream shadow all around the eyes and the apples of the cheeks.  For the lips she used a big, fluffy brush, as opposed to the pointy ones typically used for definition, to dab on the lips and wiped off the excess for a clean edge.  You don't need to be a professional to recreate the look, but make sure you don't use powder since it's harder to correct if you make any mistakes.

Lead Stylist, Nelson Vercher for Redken may have found a solution for the humidity challenged hair calling sleek, wet hair chic.  He used a layering tecnique in this order - cream leave-in conditioner, silicone based product such as Redken's Glass and lastly with thickening lotion.  To create the elegant bun in the back by separating the hair top and bottom and created a french twist on the bottom and one on top.  A great addition to your rainy day 'do arsenal.