NARS created some really beautiful looks last week at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2010 in New York, including one of my perennial show favorites Thakoon. (and it’s worth mentioning that I’m in good company…he’s also a Michelle Obama favorite!)
Lead artist Diane Kendal created a look that focused on luminous skin and contoured cheeks.

The inspiration for Thakoon Spring 2010 came from the idea of “samurai-meets-surfer.” The collection consisted of so many sharp edges and aqua-blues that Thakoon wanted the girls to look like warriors so that they could really wear and carry the strong clothing. With such bright colors, the goal …read more

The incomparable Dick Page, Shiseido’s Artistic Director worked his magic backstage at Marc by Marc Jacobs last week.
Always among the hottest shows of the season, the Spring 2010 collection felt very punk rock and ’80’s with bright splashes of color.  So, Page focused primarily on the lips for the beauty look.

Models’ lips were prepped with Aquaphor (which I heart as a bedtime treatment!) before applying color to the lips. Next, Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge Lipstick in Fuschia (RS320) was applied, followed by a high pigment bright pink powder. The lips were completed with a dusting of Translucent Loose Powder.
Eyes were …read more

Professional brand Temptu was backstage at a handful of New York Fashion Week shows this season. For Max Azria’s collection at the Tent at Bryant Park, makeup artist Lisa Butler led the Temptu Pro Team in creating the elegant and minimalist face of the Spring 2010 show.

For Spring 2010, the designer introduced a clean and sleek collection comprised of neutral, solid colors with post-modern touches. Lisa Butler’s approach to the makeup was to create a soft, subdued, and fresh look to complement the collection’s uncomplicated sophistication, “We wanted the girls to look as fresh and natural as possible,” said …read more

Backstage at this week’s 3.1 phillip lim New York Fashion Week show, lead makeup artist Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics created a look that focused on luminous skin and soft eyes.
The theme behind the collection was collage, with inspiration springing from the late works of Picasso and the Cubism period. The pieces look different from every angle leaving a sense of mystery to them, while remaining timeless. The same idea was applied to the makeup. An abundance of different textures- matte, sheer, shimmer and shine- were portrayed differently as the model moved around. The clothes, like the makeup, were meant …read more

Marchesa’s show always boasts GORGEOUS hair and makeup – in fact, last season’s look (created by Stila and John Frieda) was among my very favorites of the Fall 2009 season.  This season – Spring 2010 – was no exception, but this time around, lead artist Talia Shobrook for NARS Cosmetics created the face, which focused on soft, almost diffused skin and long, feathered lashes.
The inspiration behind the collection came from Madame Butterfly. “I wanted to capture the real look of Japan, create layers and bits of origami,” said Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman. The whimsical creations based in sculpted layers balanced …read more

Narciso Rodriguez is always among my very favorite New York Fashion Week shows. I love, love, love his minimalist aesthetic and architectural influences.  The Spring 2010 collection was no different and the makeup look, created by Shiseido’s Artistic Director Dick Page, complemented the look beautifully.
The models skin for Narciso Rodriguez was left as pure as possible, using very light foundation where needed.

For the eyes, Dick first applied a makeup remover around the eyes with a fluffy brush to give a wet base and slightly glossy effect around the eyes. He then blended two shades of the Luminizing Satin Eye …read more

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is trucking along here in New York, though I’m back to desk duty at my day job!  The weekend was a flurry of backstage and show appointments, though, so never fear, I still have several New York Fashion Week posts to share.  Next up: Erin Fetherston, who’s always a fave of mine!

Image via Coutorture.com
The face of Erin Fetherston for Spring 2010 focused clearly on the eyes and was created by makeup artist Lucia Pica for MAC. I was lucky enough to be backstage at Milk Studios during the test (which is when the first model’s look is …read more

This morning, I hit the Bryant Park tents early to cover backstage at Lela Rose Spring 2010.  On hand was nail guru Deborah Lippman of Lippman Collection, who created the nail look backstage, using her opaque nude Fashion for tips and toes.
Deborah was nice enough to chat with me for a few minutes about the Lela Rose look as well as some more general nail care tips. Check out the YouTube video below and let me know what you think!

Makeup artist Tina Turnbow used Nyx Professional Makeup backstage at the Whitney Eve (yes, designed by Whitney Port, LOL) show yesterday. Turnbow gave models a playful, “Alice in Wonderland”-inspired look for the runway.

Here’s how you can get the look at home:
Doll Play: Big lashes are the look for Spring. Tina used Nyx Professional Makeup’s Doll Eye Mascara in Volume to create, big open eyes. For extra definition, the model’s eyes were lined with Nyx Professional Makeup’s Felt Tip Eyeliner in Black, with a sexy cat-eye swoop.
Candy-Colored Eyes: For eyes that popped on the runway, Tina created a colorful, fresh look using …read more

Okay, so by now, everyone knows that Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicks off tomorrow in New York!  If you’ve never attended the shows, it’s hard to explain how crazed these seven days will be for the buyers, industry types and editors in attendance. Over the years, I’ve learned to pare down my makeup bag to a handful of products that keep my look fresh through the day – here are the essentials:
1: Even the mightiest makeup warriors among us must battle shine at times.  The best weapon in my arsenal for this issue are Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets.  These …read more