Backstage Beauty Blog

What's Hot and What's Not - Trends from Fashion Week

2009-09-24T17:27:00Z

Makeup and Manicure Tips and Tricks from Fashion Week

2009-09-24T13:00:00Z

Top Trends at New York Fashion Week Spring 2010

2009-09-21T22:00:00Z

We staked out the Tents at Fashion Week Spring 2010 to bring you the top trends of the season. Here are our favorites that emerged again and again backstage:

Multi-Colored Eye Makeup

Rainbow-colored lids like those pictured at right at Lela Rose rocked at many a Fashion Week show this season. Our favorites invited surprising combos of pinks, limes and yellows to a party of color on lids.

For more multi-toned eye makeup looks, check out our coverage backstage at Tibi.

Blue Lids

As seen pictured at left backstage at Baby Phat, this is a deeper, more pigmented version of the blue eyeshadow trend that characterized the '80s. Blues range from turquoise to cobalt and indigo and look best in highly pigmented formulas.

For more blue looks, check out the Backstage Beauty Blog's L.A.M.B. post.

Smoky Eyes

Smoky eyes like the ones in the photo to the right from the Jenni Kayne presentation are certainly not a new trend, but one that continues to bring drama and flair to our nights out on the town.

To see some more smoked-out sultry eyes, check out the pics from Carmen Marc Valvo.

Matte Lips in Unexpected Colors

From purple to orange (like the lips pictured above at the Twinkle show) to light, crisp lilac, bold matte lips are having a major moment.

For more matte lips, check out our Backstage Beauty Blog post on Vena Cava.

Sun-Kissed Skin

Officially, it's been in since Coco Chanel was seen leaving a nobleman's yacht with a deep suntan after cruising from Paris to Cannes. However, this spring, we'll see faux glows in the form of bronzer and self-tanners experience their "day in the sun." Pictured on the left is one of the bronzed babes backstage at ADAM.

Bows Everything old really is new again. Bows, the likes of which haven't surfaced since the era of lace-adorned Madonna and Who's the Boss's Samantha Micelli raged on the runway. Pictured on the right is the Desperately Seeking Susan style bows backstage at Marc by Marc Jacobs

For more be-bowed looks, check out our pics from backstage at Milly by Michelle Smith.

Structured 'Dos

Calculated but cool coifs (like the ones pictured on the left at Chado Ralpho Rucci) bring formality and a sense of occasion to the formerly ubiquitous sea of long waves.

To see some more structured updos, check out the pics from backstage at Thuy.

Flesh-Toned Nails

Beige-hued nails (like the ones shown above at Karen Walker) will replace the sheer pinks of yore, according to nail maven Deborah Lippmann. We saw her new Lippmann Collection shade Fashion at quite a few shows.

Want to see more nude nails? Check out this video interview with Deborah Lippmann, backstage at Marchesa.

The New Nude: Always in Fashion - Deborah Lippmann at Marchesa

2009-09-20T21:56:48Z

Madame Butterfly Flair - Makeup Backstage at Marchesa

2009-09-20T21:14:55Z

Sophisticated Slicked-Back Buns Hairstyle at Marchesa

2009-09-20T20:57:03Z

Light Lilac Lips And Edwardian Waves At Timo Weiland

2009-09-20T15:29:41Z

Photos: Nathan Bush

Lead makeup artist Setsuko Suzuki for Shiseido painted on lovely light lilac lips contrasting with copious clumps of mascara-laden top and bottom lashes at Timo Weiland. Skin was evened out with foundation and no blush was used.

The makeup stood out against a backdrop of Edwardian-inspired voluminous waves incorporated into a half-up hairstyle, created by Leonardo Manetti of ION Studio. Both the male and female models boasted high-volume hair thanks to Davines Defining Volume Mousse, Davines Defining Glam Power Spray and Davines For Wizards No. 5 Stucco. Manetti said the inspiration was "Edwardian beauty--very romantic."

The final look
Photos: Nathan Bush

How to get the look:
For the female models, Manetti pulled hair half-back and applied a liberal amount of mousse to the bottom half of the models' hair. Next, he scrunched the hair to create volume, used a blowdryer to dry the product, and brushed out the hair. After the hair was teased, he took a curling iron to add definition to curls and then he brushed out the hair for maximum volume. Finally, he raised single pieces of hair from the crown for a messy, aerated look and lightly spritzed Glam Power Spray for hold.

For the male models, Manetti applied No. 5 Stucco to hair and pulled pieces up. Many of the men had deep side parts and the the Stucco accentuated their natural hair texture and played up volume.

Braided "Hair Hats" At Norma Kamali

2009-09-18T22:28:27Z

Gray creates the tight ponytail that
forms the base of this style.

It was an unconventional, yet beautiful hairstyle backstage at Norma Kamali's S/S 2010 fashion show.

Redken lead stylist Peter Gray consulted with Kamali on the look she wanted for the show and concocted a very thematic hairstyle. "We talked about using the hair as an accessory," said Gray, "So I came up with the idea of doing these braided hair hats."

Gray started off by spraying hair with Fabricate 03 Heat-Activate Texturizer and Thickening Lotion 06 Body Builder to give the base of the style hold and texture. He then backcombed the hair to create a lifted look at the roots.

Next he created a tight ponytail that was placed on the top of head, but slightly off-kilter and to the side. The base of the hair was left loose, but the actual ponytail itself was tight. "You want these to stay, and if we started off with everything looking loose, nothing would actually stay up long enough," he said. "It's better to start off tight and make it looser."

The finished "hair hats."

He took sections of extra-long hair extensions and braided each by hand to create two chunky, thick braids. These were then tied to the base of the ponytail and wrapped around the ponytail, which had been knotted up on the top of the head. The end result was a slightly akimbo coil of braids that, indeed, looked a bit like a small lady's hat.

Gray wasn't devoted to having each girl look the same -- some models had two braids, some had only one and the configuration of the "hat" was never exactly the same. "We don't want to create a bunch of Storm Troopers," he said, "we wanted there to be some subtle changes between the styles."

For the makeup look, MAC lead makeup artist Nadine Luke was inspired by the technology aspect of the collection. The show itself was held at the SoHo Apple store and Luke wanted to add that slick techno appeal to the makeup look, but also keep it grounded. "I wanted it to be tech-y, but with a human touch," she said. She decided to create a slick, shimmery eye, but to do it using earth tones like brown, black and gold instead of the usual space-age silver.

The final makeup look.

She started off by applying Eye Kohl in Teddy and Pearlglide Eye Liner in Molasses around the eyes and on the inner rims. She then used Mineralize Eye Shadow in Gilt by Association -- a trio of marbleized shimmery black, gold and brown shades that launches later this month. This created a midnight brown sheen that was smoked around the entire eye and on the lid, extending slightly outwards at the outer corner of the eyes. She finished this techno-Earth gaze by applying "lots and lots of mascara" to the upper and lower lashes.

For the lips she created a nude pout with a twist. She applied the pale pinky-nude Fleshpot lipstick, then took a burgundy lip pencil and lightly colored in the inside, middle of the lip, creating a light stain at the center opening of the mouth with a halo of satiny, nude color surrounding it.

On the cheek she used Powder Blush in Peaches to contour the face and add some warmth, then swiped some silver dust on the cheekbones to highlight the planes of the cheek.

Naturally Glam At Tommy Hilfiger

2009-09-18T15:24:00Z

The final look
Photo: Nathan Bush

Lead stylist and Global Creative Director for Wella Professionals Eugene Soleiman created a gorgeous, healthy, American look backstage at Tommy Hilfiger. Soleiman confirmed that it was all about what they're not doing with the hair. "Not Dallas hair. It's easy to go there--but we're not." In true Tommy fashion, the girls were naturally glam with "I-wish-my-hair-looked-that-good hair," to quote Soleiman. "Just gorgeous: not fried, dyed or laid aside," deadpanned Soleiman. To add movement, he sprayed in Wella Crystal Styler and curled the hair of the models who boasted stick-straight locks for volume.

Lead MAC Makeup Artist Lisa Butler created a soft, natural look using a palette of cool pinks. Skin was left natural, while a mix of pinks were swept onto the lids. Butler swept mascara on the top lashes only and applied a medium pink lipstick with a brush.

Eugene Soleiman and Lisa Butler
Photo: Nathan Bush

Priti Organics Nail Polish in Truly Yours Carnation, a sheer pink was painted onto the models' nails to complete the look.

MAC & Milk Fashion Designer Panel

2009-09-18T13:40:16Z

L John Demsey, Estee Lauder R Carol Lim, Opening Ceremony

I had the opportunity to sit in with students from Parsons The New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology on a designer panel including the likes of fashion giants Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (Designers, Proenza Schouler) and Alexander Wang (Designer, Alexander Wang). The event was a part of MAC Cosmetics and Milk Studios' jointly sponsored series of New York Fashion Week events.

Group President of Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. John Demsey provided opening comments while Suzy Menkes, author and fashion critic, International Herald Tribune, moderated. Topics included the industry's changes induced by current market conditions and technology's effects on fashion.

Demsey pointed out that creativity absolutely stems from tumultuous economic periods. In fact, beauty titan MAC Cosmetics was founded in 1984, a period when the inflation rate was at 14.9% and unemployment was a depressing 10.8%.

A sampling of some of the Q&A:

L Suzy Menkes, author/fashion critic, International Herald Tribune R Lazaro Hernandez, Proenza Schouler.

Jack McCollough on collaboration: "We don't always agree on colors for our next collection. One of us will want red, the other blue. We compromise and make it purple."

Lazaro Hernandez on bloggers: "We create our collections differently now; they're for a wider range of people to view. Bloggers have democratized fashion."

L Mazdack Rassi, Milk Studios R Alexander Wang, Alexander Wang.

Alexander Wang on the most rewarding part of his experience: "Seeing a perfect stranger on the street holding my bag or wearing my top. That's when I feel I've really made it."

Simon Collins, Dean of Fashion, Parsons The New School for Design, on how to teach design: "You can't teach raw talent. Good designers come to us. We tell our students to get jobs after college so that they can make mistakes with another designer's money. But many don't listen." (Said with a wink directed at McCollough and Hernandez).

Humbert Leon on technology and fashion: "We [Opening Ceremony] can now be accessible to emerging young designers, thanks to the Internet."

The event concluded with Suzy Menkes' recollection of young designers sharing their ambitions to be the next Calvin Klein or Rodarte. Said Menkes, "No, you don't want to be Calvin Klein, nor Rodarte. You want to be yourselves."

How to Get the Look backstage at Nicole Miller Spring 2010

2009-09-17T22:53:59Z

Hair Tips from Runway Stylists at Fashion Week

2009-09-17T21:43:31Z

How to Get the Look - Ted Gibson Ponytails at Fashion Week

2009-09-17T21:40:35Z

Bows and Bronzer At Milly By Michelle Smith

2009-09-17T21:27:52Z

Ponytails were super tight and stiffly textured.

The 80's were back in full force backstage at Milly by Michelle Smith with Desperately Seeking Susan bows, high side ponytails and contoured cheeks.

RSession Tools lead stylist Kevin Ryan wanted to create a look that was a "nod to the 80's," so he decided to revive the high, side ponytail. He started off finger-drying hair, then saturating it with Bumble and bumble Thickening Hairspray. "Read the instructions on the side of the hairspray, then completely ignore them," he joked. "You want a stiff, crunchy texture so spray it really close to the hair and just keep spraying it on."

Ryan embellishes the ponytail with a big bow.

He created a deep side part and gathered all of the hair up on the right side of the head, creating a super tight, high ponytail directly above the ear that he secured using a hair bungee from the Pinup Girl Kit. "We're trying to keep the ponytail directly on the profile so it's a side ponytail in the most literal sense," he said.

He then took a large square of sheer black chiffon fabric and tied an exaggerated bow around the ponytail's base. He then sprayed hair with Bumble and bumble Does It All Styling Spray to crunch out the texture even more and create lasting hold. The effect was a totally 80's hairstyle.

MAC lead makeup artist Romy Soleimani created a makeup look that was "60's meets 80's, but done in a Milly way." Instead of hard, theatrical makeup, the look was pretty, girly and more natural and healthy than retro. She left the lids bare and then used lots of mascara on the upper and lower lashes to convey the 60's aspect of the look.

The finished look.

For the 80's component, she created a strong highlight on the cheekbones using the luminous gold-y-beige shade of Crushed Metal, a new product for spring. She applied it on the top of the cheekbones, the used a golden bronzer in a stripey, extreme contouring shape in the hollow area of the cheeks.

Clear lip balm was applied to the lips and a light bronzing mousse was added to the body to create a washed, healthy tan.

CND Nail Production Manager Roxanne Valinoti used one coat of a sheer, innocent pink called Marshmallow Rose on the nails to add a little hint of pink. "Michelle always does nude nails because the colors in the collection are usually so colorful and fun, we don't want the nails to compete with that," she said.

Elegant, Youthful Hair at Costello Tagliapietra

2009-09-17T18:14:52Z

To put a modern twist on a 40's staple backstage at Costello Tagliapietra, Sebastian Professional lead stylist Thomas Dunkin created an elegant, youthful look on the models. The soft and sweet bob was loosely inspired by the traditional roll style from the 40's with soft curls that barely graze the shoulders.

To get this look, Dunkin worked Sebastian Flexible Bodyfying Liquid Gel ($15.95) through damp hair. After blown-dry with a round brush, the hair was taken into small sections, sprayed with light hairspray, curled and set.

To finish the look, hair was gently brushed out to create soft, romantic curls and then fastened under at the nape of the neck with bobby pins.

The makeup for this show was created by MAC key artist Lisa Butler. Skin was prepped with tinted moisturizer before cheeks were highlighted with an upcoming MAC Powder Blush shade called Optimistic Orange.

Eyes were free of shadow and mascara with only smudges of gray pencil surrounding them for definition. To finish the look, Butler patted on MAC LipGlass in Peachy and Ember Glow.