Nordstrom at NYFW

Celebrated society columnist and industry insider Ben Widdicombe captures the culture of fashion at the shows and all over town.

Pamela and Deniz are our Fashion PR experts and fixtures on the NYFW beat. They're bringing all the runway action to you with reports from inside the tents at the week's hottest shows.

Cheri, Nordstrom's National Beauty Director, takes you behind the scenes to reveal the season's biggest beauty trends and makeup artists' tricks of the trade.

Shiseido at Narciso Rodriguez

Dick Page, Artistic Director at Shiseido, was backstage creating a very clean, matte look. Nothing heavy for this show. 'Translucent' Face Powder was essential, and allover highlighting was done to give a multi-dimensional effect.

Only a hint of color was dabbed on the lips. A key component were the eyebrows, which were filled in with a brown and gray cream. (Dick prefers to use cream brow products because they grab to the hair instead of the skin.)

Dick also gave some key tips backstage about brows. He believes that most people mess with their brows too much and advises against over-grooming—this includes leaving your brows their natural color. Work with what you have, it is an extension of who you are.

In the end, this look was all about matte, simple skin. Nails were also simply done.

Deborah Lippmann, my favorite celebrity nail artist, was backstage creating well-groomed nails for the show. They were rounded and buffed to create a super-shiny look. Deb also moisturized the hands with 'Rich Girl' Hand Cream and used her fabulous cuticle treatment.

N.B. ladies (and gents): using these kinds of moisture and treatment products regularly are a must for maintaining hands that look and feel great. 
 

Beauty Unknown by Bobbi Brown at Tibi

Wendy Rowe, Lead Artist for Bobbi Brown, created this look after the woman who is unaware of the beauty she possesses. Wendy states, "She is always pretty, but doesn't know it, and didn't try to be. She is disheveled, yet elegant all at the same time."

To achieve this look, Wendy started with a fresh, dewy face, which provided the perfect base for offsetting a '60s-inspired "cat eye" with winged liner and dramatically defined lashes.

On the cheeks she used a small amount of pink blush and completed this look with a light and natural lip color. 

The coolest part about going backstage is getting to see all the new products launching for Fall 2010. The hot item backstage with Bobbi was an Opal Face Highlighter. 

The Bobbi artists backstage used the new Opal Face Highlighter right above the blush on all the models. It looks like a jumbo pen with a brush on the end. Great delivery system to the face. Watch out you Shimmer Brick lovers; you'll soon have another product to add to your favorite go-tos.

And check out the hair. All models had tight spiral curls pulled back off the face to help achieve a fresh, natural looking beauty.

Luminous Makeup by NARS at Thakoon

"This look is fresh, beautiful, luminous and quite confident", said Lead NARS Artist Diane Kendal about the look.

"We focused on a strong brow and highlighting the eyes to show depth and boldness in a way that wouldn't fight with the various textures, layers and colors of the collection."

The NARS artists used products from the Fall 2010 Collection to complete the look: Douceur Blush, Coconut Grove Single Eye Shadow as well as Tzarine and Portabello Duo Eyeshadows. Lips were covered with Tashkent Pure Matte Lipstick arriving at all the NARS counters in fall.

Here's a copy of the beautiful face chart used to guide the artists in achieving the look on the models.

Dramatically Delicate at Pamella Roland

Tayaba Jafri, Global Makeup Artist for Laura Mercier, created a look that showed the mysterious side of Venice. Devised with Pamella Roland, the two were inspired to represent classic Venetian glamor by capturing the city's simultaneous dramatic and delicate sides.

This is a deep, romantic look.

The Laura Mercier artistry team prepped the models' skin with Tinted Moisturizer, Secret Camouflage Concealer and set it all with Mineral Setting Powder for a soft glow (get step-by-step tips for a Laura Mercier 'Flawless Face'). 

The eyes needed to look serious, but not too intense, so 'Sterling' and 'Peacock Sequins' Eye Color from the Fall 2010 Collection were applied in a sheer blue-gray cloud over the eyelid.

Cheeks were soft and muted with 'Wild Bouquet' Cheek Color and 'Starlight' Mineral Illuminating Powder.

This look had a strong focus on the lip. First, powder was applied to set the lips. Then, more from the Fall 2010 Collection was used—'Bing Cherry' Lip Color and Very Cherry' Lip Liner—and pressed in the center of the lips with a finishing layer of 'Plum Noir' Lip Glace. (Note: lip liner is a must to perfect this look, no exceptions.) 

All hair was pulled into a long side ponytail with side part toward the front.

Very sleek and sophisticated.

Timely Inspiration at Badgley Mischka

Charlotte Tilbury, lead artist backstage for M·A·C, had an Avatar-inspired vision for makeup at Badgley Mischka. The warrior princess look began with feline eyes keeping shadow swept up high. Cheeks were contoured and lips refined with a perfect 'V' highlighting the top of the upper lip (tip: you must use a lip pencil to create this effect).

The most important component is lots of contouring and highlighting for high drama. Place your brush under your cheek bone and use a matte blush color first, one shade darker than your skin. Next, go back over with a highlighter powder to finish.

This side view shows the contouring and highlighting detail; it's an easy way to create depth and dimension.

Here's the lovely Deborah Lippmann, Celebrity Nail Artist, backstage holding one of the nail lacquers she used on the models. Going with the theme, Deb used a beautiful silver metallic color called 'Marquee Moon' from her collection. It's futuristic looking with a perfect blend of sequin sparkle and silver. Ladies, this is a must-have item, no matter the look.