NYFW backstage beauty: The Chinese military meets ’40s Hollywood at Jason Wu

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When I arrived backstage at Jason Wu, the designer himself was receiving a touch-up from makeup artist Diane Kendal. These are the things you witness if you get to the venue early enough. Once he scooted out of her chair, Kendal proceeded to rhyme off all of Wu’s references for his Fall 2012 collection: the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese military, and ’40s Hollywood. To that end, she created dramatic, forest-green eyes that were an exercise in layering. First, she lined the eyes “across the lid, up into the contour, extending out” with M.A.C PowerPoint eye pencil in “Tealo,” then went over it with M.A.C eye kohl in “Minted.” M.A.C eyeshadow in “Club” was applied across the lid and topped with green pigment “just to give it brightness.” Black cream liner was drawn very close to the lashes, and M.A.C eye kohl in “Blooz” was penciled in over the corner and under the eye. Cheeks were contoured with M.A.C powder blush in “Cubic” and “Pink Swoon” was added to the apples, while lips were left bare. Nails were done in two coats of OPI “San Tan-Tonio.”

“She is a fighter,” said Odile Gilbert of the high, tight ponytails she was creating. Using Kérastase products, Gilbert crafted hair that was meant to mimic a horse’s tail—shiny and flat-ironed ponies that literally swooshed behind models as they walked. To make the tail even more fierce, black plastic was wrapped around the base. “It’s a bit Angelina,” said Gilbert.

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