FASHION Magazine

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Rodarte’s Spring 2012 collection had two magical muses: Van Gogh’s iconic work Starry Night and Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, and the opaque navy blue smoky eyes echoed the rich colours found in both. To balance the dramatic feel of the collection, Nars makeup artist James Kaliardos painted eyeshadow all the way up to the brow bone. While this certainly made a statement on the runway, it’s a bit too Maleficent-esque for day-to-day. With a few minor adjustments, however, this look is perfect for a night when you want to sparkle.

Want to get the raspberry-red look? 5 lipsticks you should try »
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The party to be at on Friday night—if you’re an A-list celebrity in Los Angeles, that is—was one hosted by Stella McCartney for the music video premiere of Paul McCartney’s “My Valentine.” The video (which stars Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman) was watched by everyone from Gwen Stefani to Gwyneth Paltrow, making the exclusive screening quite the red carpet event. While the majority of guests wore Stella McCartney Spring 2012 pieces, bright shades of lipstick were just as popular a style statement. Kristen Stewart and Zooey Deschanel certainly stood out above the rest, with almost-identical makeup that was focused on raspberry-coloured lips and heavily lashed eyes.

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When Preen‘s Spring 2012 collection was still in its nascent stage, designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi were reading a lot of Virginia Woolf, and Victorian era visions of English gardens danced in their heads. The collection featured prints in lush, pastel colours based on blown-up, pixelated peonies. Fittingly, the models faces were flower-petal fresh, their cheeks as rosy as ripe peaches.

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At Miu Miu’s Spring 2012 show, the models’ faces were left mostly bare, save for a brazen swipe of red across each eye. Bright and severe, the look was a striking accompaniment to the collection’s fairly neutral palette. If you’re bold enough to try it, red is fabulous! So rather than tone down the colour to something more muted, I decided to use a bright, primary red, but soften it by adding both deeper and lighter colours around the edges.

Vote in our pop princess red carpet battle! Carly Rae versus Taylor Swift »

We’re totally obsessed with Canada’s newest singing sensation Carly Rae Jepsen, and she certainly proved her it girl–worth at Sunday night’s Juno Awards. Jepsen’s shimmering, smoky makeup let her play the part of pop princess (can’t you picture her soon-to-be-BFF Selena Gomez in this makeup?) without betraying her age—she is 27, after all!

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Introducing Runway to Real Life, a new weekly feature that takes the best runway beauty looks and shows you how to make them work them for real-life wear. We’ll cover everything from the extreme (red eyeshadow?) to the classic (hello, cat eye!) while providing tips and products so you can recreate each at home. First up: Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2012.

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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.”

Wanna see which products might be coming back? »

It’s always irking to find the perfect shade of lipstick or a just-right eyeshadow only to discover it’s been discontinued. Well, good news for M.A.C fans: starting next week, the brand will launch its M.A.C by Request campaign across social media sites, enabling fanatics and casual consumers alike to bring back favourite long-lost products.

How can I update my makeup bag for spring without breaking the bank?
I love the notion of jumpstarting the season with your makeup choices, especially when exciting and inspiring colours are popping up in new nail polishes and lipsticks. However, showing some restraint while scouring the stores will save you a pretty penny and possibly even buyer’s regret.

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! »

See all the pictures from backstage »

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.

Beth Ditto, singer and long-time fashion darling (the Kaiser loves her) is the subject of makeup gossip today: M.A.C Cosmetics announced that she has collaborated on a new collection, set to debut in June. No word yet on exactly what we can expect, but some sleuthing around the campaign photo suggests only good things: black liquid liner, bright pink lipstick, nail art, and pastel shades abound.