Tibi designer, Amy Smilovic’s line, typically known for a feminine aesthetic, entered a new direction with a menswear inspired F/W 2012 collection. Lots of tailored silhouettes appeared on the runway, and the hair and makeup definitely had a 1960’s feel (the collection was a take on the Beatles).
Kevin Ryan and Frank Rizzieri for Aveda created variations of messy updos on the models. Basically, the hair was pulled back with a little lift on the crown, to look like the girl just threw her hair back into a bun. They recommend using two elastics when doing an updo, because if one breaks the other will still stay in place. A volumizing tonic was used to give a little oomph to the look. A men’s product called Pure-Formance Grooming Clay was also applied to give hair some hold and chunkiness. They wanted the hair to appear undone and not too precious.
Kim Soane for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics created a cool, effortless look. The statement was a strong brow, keeping the rest of the makeup super clean and natural. The wind burnt cheeks stood out the most. Pink Truffle creamy color for cheeks and lips was applied in a 1960’s way—it was highlighted in the cheekbone, not the whole cheek, giving it a dewy effect. To finish off the look, nails were painted in an opaque white hue by Dashing Diva called NYC Fleet Week. The overall look was understated chic, what any girl aims for!
Allow me to introduce Bling It On by Essie. In the beginning of October you'll be seeing these jewel toned shades (think rubies, emeralds and sapphires) popping up at your favorite nail salon. Yes ladies, another choice will be added to your important weekly decision!
Shades include: Cocktail Bling (pale gray), Bobbing For Baubles (deep blue), Size Matters (ruby red), Brooch The Subject (cashmere), School of Hard Rocks (deep, bright green and my favorite) and Bangle Jangle (lavender).
Being a huge fan of L'Oreal and of course, Project Runway, I was so excited to find out about the launch of Colors Take Flight, a L'Oreal Paris and Project Runway limited edition makeup collection!Project Runway's Makeup Artist, also a L'Oreal Paris Consulting Makeup Artist, Collier Strong, helped create the collection which is launching this October. Made up of eyeshadow quads, lipsticks, blushes and nail polishes, the inspiration for the colors was exotic birds.
This may sound a little extreme, but waking up this morning was almost like waking up on Christmas morning. I've been looking forward to this segment for over two months and it was finally here – The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda! I watch them religiously every morning and couldn't wait to join them as I discussed the top five beauty trends for fall straight from what I reported on during New York Fashion Week. Check it out after the jump!
New York Fashion Week is over and while I had a great time checking out the shows and interviewing glam squads and designers, I'm excited to get back to my normal routine. You know – actually have a life. As a reporter, covering fashion week is far less glamourous than you'd think. It's a 25 hour, eight day week that allows for little to absolutely no sleep due to intense deadlines and non-stop shows. I guess you can say it's a bitter, sweet week. Here are the hero products that got me through it without looking like a hot mess.
The Blonds are amazing designers known for their eccentricity. This year, the look was all about Playboy. The clothes were magnificently intricate beaded corsets and the nails even moreso.
I had been told earlier by Jeannine that backstage at Betsey Johnson was one big party and I was not disappointed. The day finally came for me to cover her show and I was ecstatic! There were colorful signs everywhere made by the designer herself, champagne flowed and mini cupcakes by Baked By Melissa were abundant. Models and makeup artists alike were almost too busy dancing to the bumping music to get ready for the show. Somehow they managed.
Sarah Lucero was the lead on makeup for Stila Cosmetics and the watchword for the show was "glam" (sexy and bombshell were also thrown around). The skin was kept very simple using Stila's Perfect + Correct, Brighten + Correct, and Sheer Pressed Powder. The cheeks were contoured with Stila's Sun Bronzing Powder to create some vavavavoom! The eyes were kept fairly simple with a bold, black cat eye (which stayed put thanks to Stila's Prime Pot and Smudge Pot in black) and loooong jet black lashes. (Sarah's tip for those at home is to apply the mascara and then make the cat eye.)
The Tracy Reese collection for Spring/Summer 2012 is full of flowers, pastels, and ladylike skirts. The nails, hair, and makeup enhanced the clothes, giving it all a polished look.
The makeup was done by Mally Roncal, the creator of Mally Beauty. She wanted the look to be fresh and youthful (which worked great with Tracy's pretty play suits). She gave all the model's skin a satin finish, "No translucent powder!" she repeated twice. She then set the skin with Mally's Face Defender. Keeping the brows strong, Roncal went kept to a natural arch. She made the eyes very special. She described the style of eyeliner as that customized style that the coolest girl in class could pull off, but you couldn't, thin with a small kick up at the end. (Everyone nodded in agreement and nostalgia when she said that). The lids were kept naked and the lashes long and spiky. The blush, in 24/7 medium, was placed high and strong, well above the apples of the cheeks. The lips were the most interesting of the entire look. They were very glossy and in two different shades. The top lip was a color called Life is Fuchsia pink and the bottom was Be a Peach orange. The models were instructed very carefully not to roll their lips, but to marry the two colors by going "MA MA MA". Mally's advice to those wanting to try the look at home, "Just go for it!"
Models are sort of like live mannequins and Custo Barcelona took that literally! As he had models in minimal makeup and über glossy side ponytails for his Spring 2012 show. Maybelline Makeup Artist Gato wanted to create a modernistic appeal with a full eyebrows, porcelain skin and juicy coral lips. Quick tip from the pro himself, use an eyebrow pencil to fill in the gaps between hair following the shape of the brow and comb with brush in an upward direction for perfect brows.
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.
As soon as I stepped into Pier 57 for the Helmut Lang show, I knew I was in for a treat. The studio looks like an abandoned warehouse and Helmut Lang took full advantage of it. There was loud music blaring before any of the guests walked in to set the tone for the day. The hair and makeup played right into the very cool atmosphere.
The makeup look was thought up by Lisa Butler and executed by Cory Bishop, both from Temptu. Their watchwords were "sporty chic." The duo wanted to create a face forward aggressive girl with attitude. To make the brow and eyes strong, they airbrushed the girls from the eyebrow (blonde) to the eyelid (brown).
Jill Stuart is known for her girly, youthful clothes and this season is no exception. The overall look was described as "bohemian sophistication" by Lead Makeup Artist, Diane Kendal for MAC. She wanted to add to the softness of the clothes by creating a simple, yet sexy face for the girls. Using some Jill Stuart products and some MAC products, Diane began by keeping the skin matte except for a pink/peach blush to give it a warm glow. She played up the eyes by smudging black kohl on the inside of the lid. To keep the kohl from being too harsh, she used black cream liner to soften and MAC brown grease paint to contour. The lips were kept simple, yet colorful without competing with the eyes. First, foundation was applied to them and then a hint of MAC's eye pigment powder in pink and orange. This look is so easy to recreate and perfect for going out to dinner! Just be careful not to overdue it on the lips or you'll end up looking more Bozo than beautiful.
As I checking out the backstage scene for Band of Outsiders all I kept hearing was "Are you a boy or a girl?" Huh?? Dick Page, Artistic Director for Shisheido, quickly clarified how there was a 'girl' girl and 'boy' girl look for their shows. The girl is feminine and lady like and the boy is androgynous and tougher. Inspired by the movie Picnic at Hanging Rock, Page wanted to showcase the natural looking beauty from the film.
Clean, natural hair and make up complemented the Japanese garden inspiration backstage at Vivienne Tam. Lead Maybelline Makeup Artist, Andy Koh, incorporated a modern twist to 70's retro style by using metallic tones. Koh shared how foundation was key for a fresh face using two different shades - a lighter shade for the t-zone and darker shade around the face for a structured look. For the eyes instead of using a harsh line with an eyeliner like you would see on Twiggy in the 70's, Koh used a copper tone for that line on top of the gold base. Another modern twist was to have natural looking lashes, although he used Maybelline's Falsies mascara, which builds thick lashes, he wiped the brush to remove the excess mascara and lightly applied to the eyelashes for a more natural effect.
Cynthia Rowley’s Spring/Summer collection was filled with colorful, floral pieces. To balance out the femininity and poufy dresses, the hair and makeup went in the opposite direction. “Tough” was one word that Lottie, lead makeup artist from Makeup Forever, used to describe the look. Despite the fact that the girls are wearing these clothes, they’re not to be messed with.
While it seemed like the models weren’t wearing a lot of makeup, their faces were full of contoured shadow with the appropriate amount of shading. Lottie began with Makeup Forever’s Invisible Cover Foundation and contoured the cheeks with eye shadow in #76 and #98 (instead of using bronzer or face powder like you’d expect) to give the skin a flawless look. The key to the look however, was to create a shadow beneath the eyebrows. She used eye shadow #17 and #98 depending on the model’s skin tone. Their lips and lids were left bare with just a hint of lip balm.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the Duckie Brown showroom to watch the designers, Daniel Silver and Steven Cox, prep for fashion week. (See post 
Backstage was incredibly calm. I'm not sure if it's because it was the first day of fashion week and things were a little slow or if it's because there were more men backstage than woman and they're more of a relaxed species all together.
Cox explained his inspiration came from his recent travels to England and wanted all of the men to look like men, but like English boys. In America, I guess you can say they looked like private school boys. The Conair stylist used their i-Stubble to make sure any facial hair was well groomed, sideburns were trimmed and the back of the guys necks were cleaned up.
Tinted moisturizer was all the men needed on their faces. "It gives the boys super clean skin," Lottie, the lead makeup artist from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. To make it appear extremely sheer, she applied it with a brush and kept thinning it out on the models' faces.
With Labor Day Weekend coming up it's time to begin thinking about fall! Whether you like it or not it's almost here. For me, I've already begun getting my skin in shape, shopping for new boots and thinking about what how I may change my hair color, because New York Fashion Week is less than two weeks away and that's my official start to fall.
Lately, I've been getting a ton of compliments on my complexion (thank you) and the only thing I'm doing differently is using the 
