Nordstrom at NYFW

Surfer Girls at Proenza Schouler

Didier Malige, lead stylist for Frederic Fekkai, was inspired by the California surfer girl at the Proenza Schouler show. To create beach-tousled waves, he first prepped hair with Fekkai Beachcomber Leave-in Conditioner and then spritzed hair with Coiff Oceanique Tousled Wave Spray. He finished the look by pulling Coiff Magnifique Ultra-light Finishing Creme throughout the hair with his fingers. The resulting look was natural, sexy and sun-kissed.

Diane Kendal, the lead makeup artist for MAC cosmetics, said her inspiration was "boys surfing and skateboarding. Raw boyish makeup--brown eyebrows and tan skin." Warm Bronze Mineralize Blush was brushed onto center of the cheeks for a sunburned look and on eyes, dark brown cream color base blended into creases and under the eye to define and sculpt the eye. Lingering eyebrow pencil was blended throughout the eyebrow for a strong effect then a touch of lip balm completed this look.  

Dream Team Backstage at Marchesa

Backstage at Marchesa, the NARS Cosmetics team was on makeup, Deborah Lippmann was on nails, and Renato Campora on hair for Fekkai.

The hair was slick, elegant yet trendy. Campora mixed the Fekkai Coiff Extra Control Styling Gel with the Fekkai Coiff Strong Hold Volume Mousse to slick hair into a ponytail in the middle of the back of the head. He then wrapped the ponytail into a tight bun. To keep this looking modern, he wanted the hair to have a wet, shine to it, so he set it with Sheer Hold Hairspray and finished with Glossing Sheer Shine Mist.

Makeup was inspired by the overall collection, which had a Madame Butterfly and Tattoo uniqueness to it. This look was groomed, sexy, but not overtly sexy. The skin was illuminated with Sheer Glow foundation and Luxor Multiple new for spring 2010. Cheeks were done in Penny Lane Cream blush for sheer, see-through color and eyes were highlighted with Nepal single shadow and All About Eve Duo, then defined with the new Larger than Life Mascara.  

Shiseido at Michael Kors

One of my highlights of the week was having backstage access to the Michael Kors show to film Dick Page, the Artistic Director for Shiseido, to hear about the look for the show and the new products launching for spring 2010. 

The inspiration for this makeup look really came from Michael's collection, using colors seen in the clothes in the eye makeup and just amping it up a bit.

The look was about clean, matte, natural skin with all the interest in the eyes. Dick said, "I'm not really about base, but with so much color on eyes you need to have more foundation to even out the skin and then set with a loose, translucent powder." 

To keep it modern, he used the new face highlighters launching in spring to illuminate the area under the eyes and above the cheekbones. They really polish the skin.  

Love this backstage tip about eyebrows: apply pencil in a downward motion, then brush it back up. This gives you the most natural-looking brows. Lips were done in a soft, almost-nothing shade to keep the focus on the strong eyes.  

 

Textural Makeup by NARS at Phillip Lim

The theme behind the 3.1 Phillip Lim spring 2010 collection was collage, with inspiration springing from the late works of Picasso and the Cubism period. The fashion looks different from every angle leaving a sense of mystery while remaining timeless. The same idea is applied to the makeup by NARS. This look was done all in different textures--matte, sheer, shimmer and shine--all creating a different effect as the model moved around and giving a sense that makeup is there, but not detectable from the plain eye. 

"The idea is not to be harsh. The look is part sheer with shades of green, brown and lilac fading into each other," said lead artist Lisa Butler for NARS cosmetics. The key points include highlights of iridescence and gold to the cheekbones, liner (almost invisible) and peach lips (a new lipstick called Cruising, launching spring 2010).

Techno Color with Bobbi Brown

The last show of the week for Bobbi Brown was Tibi, and she decided to go for it--bright color that is!  Tibi's spring collection is simplistic in structure allowing the signature bright prints and colorful palette to make this season's statement. The makeup for the show is bold, yet pretty, featuring a vibrant, electric-pink eye with hints of yellow that looks great paired with a nude lip.

For Bobbi this was really a runway look. Bright-colored pigments she used on eyes are colors that she brought with her backstage just for use for this show. It's fashion, and it's fun, but maybe not the best look for your everyday makeup. If you do choose to use pink around your eyes, she recommends you use a dark gel liner close to the lash line so you won't look tired.

What was exciting to see backstage were a few new products that will make it to the Bobbi Brown counters next season. Coral Pot Rouge was used high on cheekbones and will hit our counters in February. Coral seems to be one of the big trends everyone is talking about for spring 2010. Also, a new Treatment Lipstick (launching next spring) in a nude color was on lips to keep all the attention on those techno-color eyes.