FASHION Magazine

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One of the biggest challenges with The ShOws is the beauty: because the designers have already presented their Fall 2012 collections elsewhere, hair and makeup has to take inspiration from what was previously done. However, there’s always room for adaptations and change—which was certainly the case at Jean-Pierre Braganza’s show. “He wanted a smaller version of the hair,” explained Justin German, Pantene’s consulting stylist of the loose pompadour style. “There was trouble getting the clothes on over the hair in London!”

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Graphic and grungy, the beauty at David Szeto was all about undone and lived-in style. CoverGirl makeup pro Greg Wencel described the makeup as a mix of futuristic grunge, taking inspiration from the graphic patterns of Szeto’s fall collection. It was also a lesson in mixing metals: metallic-tinted illuminators, bronzers, lip gloss and shadows all came together to create a perfectly sculpted face. Skin was given a wet, slick look thanks to Wencel’s own “MacGyver mix” of CoverGirl Intense ShadowBlast with a bit of makeup remover to highlight brow, forehead and cheek. Cheeks and hairline were further sculpted with Cheekers Bronzer, giving a dual luminosity to the skin. Eyes also got a touch of bronze: after applying Intense ShadowBlast in “Platinum Pop” across the lid and into the low crease, bronze was swept along the crease for added contouring. The lower lashline, on the other hand, was blacked out with Liquiline Blast eyeliner, smudged out to create a smoky effect.

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While beatnik style was the official inspiration for beauty at Pink Tartan’s Fall 2012 show, there was a definite Rooney Mara vibe happening backstage. The makeup was almost entirely focused on a deep “ox blood” red lip—Maybelline Super Stay 14Hr lipstick in “Wine and Forever”—a colour that Mara’s known for and that has been trending on runways all season long. (Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, for instance.)

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The Joe Fresh girl is always pretty, in a never-ambitious and always-achievable sort of way. After all, when your product is sold at grocery stores across the country, it’s best to avoid making a statement with a bleached eyebrow or dreadlocked hair. But that’s not to say Joe Fresh has to be completely vanilla: the beauty inspiration for their Fall 2012 show was Blow-Up, a sultry, swinging film from the ‘60s.

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Moody and dramatic, the inspiration for makeup at Chloé Comme Parris was a 1920s aesthetic mixed with an “if you had a lot of money to dress up in black grungy clothes” sentiment. Grace Lee, lead makeup artist for Maybelline New York Canada, started by slightly lightening the tone of each model’s face with Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Foundation for a fresh, porcelain effect. Then dark purple eyeshadow—Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24Hr Cream Gel Shadow in “Pomegranate Punk”—was applied to the eye, followed by Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in “Mauve-ulous.” Both were layered in an almost translucent manner to give the eyes a hollowed out (think Clara Bow) look. Brown mascara kept lashes soft, however the lips were fully saturated with a rich coat of the same plum shade Lee used on the eyes.

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With bleached-out brows being a huge beauty story from Milan, Greta Constantine showed its support for the trend with a brow-less “army of beautiful girls.” However, instead of bleach, brow hair was blocked out with the use of Pros-Aide adhesive. M.A.C senior artist Melissa Gibson explained that by taking away the characteristics that eyebrows provide, all the models look alike—resulting in a “mechanical, almost science fiction–like” aesthetic. Eyes were blacked out with M.A.C Chromaline in “Black Black” and then given a shimmering shot of M.A.C Pigment in “Gold Metal” to prevent the look from being flat, but also to add a “hint of glamour.” Cheeks were kept bare and a salmon-pink shade of lipstick (M.A.C lipstick in “Hue”) brought a bit of beauty back to the overall look. Gibson explained: “We’re playing not on the ugly, but the sinister parts of beauty. You have to take it all away and then add specific elements back in.”

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Having thoroughly fallen in love with their gemstone brows, it only took a day to find something else to obsess over from Chanel’s Fall 2012 beauty offerings. Are you ready? It’s “Frenzy,” a pale mushroom shade that’s due on counters this fall. Just when we were about to claim exhaustion over neutral nail polishes, the Chanel effect hits. Hard.

He’s one of the most influential hairstylists working today, but Orlando Pita would rather not be in the spotlight. Lesa Hannah manages to pin him down.

If you’re a beauty editor backstage at a fashion show and you want to interview Orlando Pita about the hair, you soon learn the following: If there isn’t a publicist to facilitate a chat, you’ll have to take matters into your own hands and approach him. Once you have him, be quick and to the point. Do not film him without his approval; if you raise your Flip camera unannounced during the interview, he will stop talking. Finally, for the love of God, do not ask how the real woman can recreate the look at home; his frustration with the question will be immediately apparent.

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of inventive manicures (check out our DIY Nails video series and Nail Corner column for further proof) and without a doubt the best inspiration comes from the runways. It’s worth pointing out that nude nails—that is, sheer taupe shades in barely-there colours—continued to dominate in New York. However, despite the abundance of one-colour manicures, CND, M.A.C, and Essie produced some very exciting nail-art designs for Fall 2012.

See our top manicure picks from NYFW! »

What felt like a week-long whirlwind at the time (and realistically, actually was!) has now come to a close. From wind-tunnel hair to blue cat eyes, a Harper Beckham cameo, and one awesome T-shirt, here’s our top 10 backstage moments from New York Fashion Week.

Let’s count ’em down! »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

There’s never a lack of creativity backstage. Hairstylists and makeup artists are beauty wizards, working their own brand of magic to create characters for each runway show. But this season, their imaginations took things to the next level. From candy-coloured hair to lips that mimicked floral blooms to eyes that were dressed in metallic foil, spring’s beauty message is not for the faint of heart.

RAINBOW BRIGHT

ADD-ONS

RETRO INFLUENCES

SLIPPERY SLOPE

FESTIVAL GIRL

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Makeup artists and hairstylists drew inspiration from girls hitting the summer music festival circuit with dishevelled, centre-parted strands and slept-in smoky eyes. Dsquared threw its own concert, sending models down the muddy runway with hippie hair that was “Kate Moss at Glastonbury,” explained hairstylist Sam Mc-Knight, while at Alexis Mabille, tiny daisies were tucked into textured hair for a Lilith Fair feel. At Emilio Pucci, makeup artist Lisa Butler’s roughly smudged black liner with hits of copper and gold paid homage to an ’80s Madonna, with a side of gypsy-esque free spirit. And when eyes weren’t rimmed in black, blue was the new black: For Emanuel Ungaro, Charlotte Tilbury gave eyes a wet look by mixing teal and navy with noir and layering gloss on top. Likewise at Rodarte, models wore a smoky eye with a spin; makeup maven James Kaliardos gave lids a navy wash that winked at Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

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