Backstage Erin Fetherston Was A Wonderland

Though a product of the '90's, I've always loved the style of the sixties. The voluminous hair, the bright colors, and all of the eye makeup! When I stepped backstage at Erin Fetherston, I knew I had walked into a personal fairytale land. Esther Langham for Alterna on Beauty.com created four hair looks to complement Erin's Spring/Summer collection; a french twist, low side ponytail, low middle ponytail, and braided top knot.

All of these styles started with creating volume by backcombing the hair and spraying with Alterna's Bamboo Volume Uplifting Root Blast. Then it was tousled to give it a natural feel. To help style, Esther used Alterna's Bamboo Volume Weightless Whipped Mousse. Each look was finished with Alterna's Bamboo Smooth Anti- Humidity Hair Spray.

Though each look was beautiful, the one I know I will be copying is the ponytail. Start by backcombing the hair and creating a two inch center part. Secure the ponytail at the nape of the neck and wrap a section of hair around the elastic. In minutes you've got the perfect Sharon Tate style hair.

The nails by Nonie Creme of Butter London were super special. Nonie and Erin collaborated to create a custom color for the collection. They blended "Tea with the Queen" and "Pink Ribbon" to create a subdued and simple manicure.

The make up by James Kaliardos for MAC was absolutely stunning. Mia Farrow inspired, the look was youthful and whimsical. The skin was left bare except for Match Master Foundation and Peach blush on the cheeks. The eyes and the lips stole the show with their dramatic finishes. The eyes, like the nail polish, were custom made for Erin's show. The false lashes were cut on the ends and longer in the center (Like Mia Farrow's haircut in Rosemary's Baby for the eyes!). The lashes were then coated in many layers of Opulash Black Mascara. For the shadow and liner, James used Blacktrack as a base with Carbon on top to create a very dark look. To highlight and make the eyes bigger, he put SuperSlick in silver under the eyes and smudged Luna in the corners. To really emphasize the fun, bright style, James finished with lipstick in either Flamingo (light pink), orange, or dark pink.

Makeup artist Caitlin Callahan's tip to try the look at home (which I did as soon as I got back to my apartment) was to do the smoky eye in just one color as opposed to the tri-color most of us are used to. Make sure the lashes are curled and use extra mascara in the center. Most importantly, don't shy away from the bright lip! Erin showed us that it IS possible to do a smoky eye with a lipstick that isn't nude!

^Even Erin had her makeup done like the models!

Nymph-like Dolls, Backstage Elie Tahari

The hair and makeup for the Elie Tahari fall 2011 show was soft and innocent, and I couldn’t help but want to emulate it myself! Esther Langham was the lead for Moroccan Oil, and she set out to create a clean and sleek ponytail. She began by dabbing the hair with a cocktail of Moroccanoil treatments mixed in with about a quarter size amount of Hydrating Style Cream, and rubbing into hair from roots to ends. Then, she blow dried with a paddle brush to get hair nice and flat, and used a large, round brush to smooth the ends.

All of the models wore a center part, hair was finger combed down so that it wouldn’t be too severe, and finally secured with a hair tie as low as possible. Some of the models had hair wrapped around the face of their ponytails, and others wore leather hair bands or pretty lace and feather hair accessories. Before they went out on the runway, hair was spritzed with Glimmer Shine Spray.

Kimberly Soane from Bobbi Brown was the lead on makeup, and she wanted to create a very wide-eyed, pretty girl look that was almost “youthful Victorian nymph-like.”

Lots of Lash Glamour Lengthening mascara was used and warm, pink shimmer to highlight the inner corner of the eye (Champagne Quartz Metallic Eye Shadow).  She made a cupid’s bow by taking the burnt red color “Slopes” and pressing it in the center of the lip to give a doll-like effect. A very sheer blush “Pale Pink” was put on cheeks for a matte finish—and this shade works great on all skin tones. She wanted that “no brows” look as well.

Dashing Diva did the nails in an orangey nude hue called “Trust Fund.” A matte topcoat went over the color called “Make-It Matte.” Most of the models wore gloves so very few actually wore polish.