Archive for September, 2009
Chris Benz Backstage Access with Lancome and Redken
Known for his love of color, Chris Benz’s Spring 2010 show did not disappoint. His collection included bright pops of yellow, pink, purple and blue in shapes both feminine and strong. To compliment the clothes the teams from Lancome and Redken were on hand to create the makeup, hair and nail looks.
Find out how it all came together and get a real life look at the next Lancome Pout-A-Porter lipstick after the jump! |
The key products to creating the look are Shu Uemura Nobara Foundation, Lancome Ageless Minerale Translucent Powder, Lancome Pop ‘N Cheeks in Coral Flirt (launching Spring 2010), Lancome Hypnose Mascara and Lancome L’Absolu Rouge lipstick in Chris & Tell.
He began by spraying Fabricate 03 and power drying it into the hair. After creating a side part he curled the entire head with a 1 1/4 inch iron, spraying each section with Hot Sets 22 and slightly backcombing the piece to set in some roughness. John said it wasn’t about creating a perfect, smooth curl. That he wanted disheveled, haphazard sporadic waves with no brushes or combs involved. Finally, he mixed Outshine 01 & Glass 01 together and ran his fingers through the hair. On the girls wearing low-cut tops he added a side twist to show off the shape of the clothes. He noted that it’s a very user friendly style that we can all replicate at home. On the nail front, Editorial Manicurist Sheril Bailey tended to the models tips and toes. She created a flattering round nail shape which follows the theory from her book, The Sheril Bailey Complete Manicuring and Nail Care Handbook, of mimicking the cuticle line. She feels that a rounded nail is more feminine than a flat square. In terms of polish, instead of a matchy-matchy look, which I rarely do, she opted for a coordinated color combo with a lighter bright hue on the hands and a deeper, bold shade on the feet. The lacquers, launching this November, are called Bon Bon Strawberry (fingers) and Mademoiselle Grape (toes). They are part of a very special Lancome project that I can’t wait to tell you about. The year before, Chris designed Elettra Rossellini-Wiedemann’s dress for The Met’s “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” gala and Daniel custom mixed a lipstick for her that ended up becoming the springboard for Chris & Tell. According to Daniel, even though the shade is bold, it has a pink undertone that makes it very wearable. And the L’Absolu Rouge formula allows you to wear it as a stain or a full color lipstick. I put my sample of Chris & Tell to the test the very next day and received many compliments. Here are my swatches of the shade. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the lipstick and the overall look. I’m definitely going to try to replicate the hair. I’m obsessed with how beautifully messy it is. What about you?
Lancome Makeup Artist Daniel Martin created the doll-like face on the models. He likened it to Raggedy Ann minus the flaming red hair. He wanted to create a neutral palette to balance against Chris’s colorful collection. Pale, hydrated skin paired with pumped up lashes and a single pop of color on the lips are the essentials to this doll-face.
John Ruidant for Redken is a man that knows how to wield a curling iron and as a curl challenged girl, I LOVE that about him. John said that because Chris’s collection has a lot of texture and color, he played off that idea creating a very textured hairstyle.
The biggest beauty news of the day was the unveiling of Chris & Tell, the 5th lipstick in Lancome’s Pout-A-Porter series. Chris & Tell is a collaboration between Chris and Daniel that came about after many hours of brainstorming in Chris’s studio. Daniel told me, “we initially wanted to do something that was beige but being that we are both from Seattle, we wanted color. We were drawn to this orange, this coral and it just manifested itself.”
FYI, the waiting list for Chris & Tell is now open so if you want a tube of this limited edition lipstick when it launches next Spring, I suggest you call the Lancome Boutique at (212) 362-4858.
RBL Mismas Red Carpet Sighting
Here’s a fun story to share. My signature shade, Rescue Beauty Lounge Mismas, has hit the red carpet. It appeared on the tips of one of US Weekly’s 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers, Lancome VP of Public Relations Kerry Diamond. I was thrilled to see her wearing my color at such a cool event.
You see, Kerry visited Rescue for a pre-NYFW mani/pedi and even though she chose a nude polish, a bottle of Mismas went home with her. So you can imagine my surprise when I showed up backstage at the Chris Benz show to find her wearing my shade.
Though I was so brain-fried by Day 5 of Fashion Week that I didn’t even recognize my own polish. Check out my brilliant observational skills.
Kerry holds up her hand to show off her manicure
Me: Oh is that the show color?
Kerry: No, it’s you!
This is the moment where a forehead slap seems apropos.
The saddest part, it’s not the first time this scenario played out that week. My friend Marina from Makeup Loves Me was wearing Barielle Falling Star and I grabbed her hand to ask what she was on her nails. In my defense she told me earlier in the week that she ordered the wrong color from Barielle so I didn’t know she owned it yet. Then again maybe I need new contacts!
Lace Nails – The Next Big Nail Trend?
A week or so ago I received an email from a reader asking about Blake Lively‘s nails from a Fashion’s Night Out event. I immediately scoured the web to get a peek and as soon as I saw the intricate lace pattern I knew my gal Elle was involved.
You see that’s her handiwork in the shot above. She created the look during an editorial shoot using our All Lacquered Up collection colors. Since she regularly works with Blake, I knew she’d have the scoop.
For the looks below on Blake and Jennifer Lopez (for the VMAs) Elle used Parisian lace. She brushes on a nail adhesive, lays down the lace, applies another coat of adhesive and then trims off the excess. For added strength you can add a layer of clear gel but she didn’t do that here.
Now I know that there are Konad wheels that have lace patterns but can it really mimic the look of real lace? I’d love to hear from my Konad loving Fanatics. Is this something you’d attempt to do at home or is it best left to the pros for special events? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this fun and funky new nail look.
image credit: Barielle and Celebutopia
Rocker Chic at Julie Haus with Stila and Deborah Lippmann
For the Julie Haus Spring 2010 show, Beauty.com assembled quite the rocking glam squad when they brought in Stila, Deborah Lippmann, Oscar Blandi and ARCONA to prep the models. Messy bedhead hair, smudgy eyes and deconstructed nails were combined to create a slightly punky complement to Julie’s edgy yet feminine designs. See how the look came together and check out who I saw backstage, after the jump! |
Recreate the look using Boquet (as base) and Pigalle eye shadow pans and the Montmartre quad. ARCONA was on hand to prep the models’ skin. Bethany Wojtech for ARCONA explained that because the makeup look was so clean, the skin had to be perfect. Since ARCONA has no chemicals, fragrance or dyes, the skin stays calm, fresh and dewy. It was then that she introduced me to my new bedtime BFF, the Triad Pads. An all-in-one cleanser/toner/hydrator, makeup artists keeps these pads in their kit to remove any traces of makeup from a model, even waterproof mascara. With claims that bold I had to put them to the test and I can tell you, these babies are no joke. Just one pad removed ALL my makeup without sucking the moisture from my skin. Color me impressed! Now on to my fave part of being backstage, talking nails with Deborah Lippmann. I’ll never pass up a chance to see Deb so when I heard she was doing the nails for Julie Haus, I grabbed my pal Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic and ran right over. To complete the rocker chic look, Deb applied Hit Me With Your Best Shot, the shade she created with Pat Benatar, but she didn’t stop there. Instead of giving the models her typical flawless manicure, she went for a deconstructed smudged look by messing up their nails 20 or 30 minutes later. As Deb so cheekily put it, “so she maybe got back into bed before her nails were dry.” I think we know where she’s going with that.
Sarah Lucero from Stila wanted to focus on the eyes for this look. The skin was clean with muted lips and natural brushed-up brows. It’s her philosophy that when there is a sheen on one part of the face, like the eyes, the rest should have a healthy, matte finish. She noted that while the coming season is all about pretty glamour, the techniques should be simple. Your makeup should take you 5 minutes, not 25. Using a double sided brush, Sarah packed on shades of pomegranate and berry that she then applied wet as liner before piling on the mascara.
What do you think of the punky, messed up nails? We’ve talked about intentionally chipped manicures in the past, are they making a comeback or should they stay on the runways?