NYFW Beauty Best: essie for Mathieu Mirano

Designer Mathieu Mirano is new to me, though I must admit that I'm digging the vibe he put on the runway this season, with sharp leather styles, fur and glittering dresses complemented by Christian Louboutin shoes (more here). As part of the beauty look, Miss Pop for essie created an edgy split nail of black and red using Licorice and allegedly, Bordeaux, though it's looking a bit brighter than Bordeaux in my experience. I digress. For me, this mani is best expressed as modernity meets the circus, and I like it - what say you?

NYFW Beauty Best: Jin Soon for Tess Giberson

Jin Soon is a quiet advocate (actually, she's not all that quiet about it, if we're being honest) of restrained nails, even for those of us who dabble in nail art. So, it's only fitting that yesterday, backstage at the Tess Giberson Fall/Winter 2014 presentation, she created the thoroughly modern French manicure seen above, using a forthcoming color from her collab with Giberson (a muted dark gray) and JinSoon Kookie White at the tips.  While I've long considered a French mani passe, this is an iteration I can get behind - what say you?

NYFW Beauty Best: Kérastase Paris for Creatures of the Wind

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has kicked off in New York, peeps, and in lieu of dragging myself up and down the city in snow, slush and cold, I'll be sharing just some select favorite looks from the shows.  First up, almost to be expected, is the cool braided 'do created by master stylist Odile Gilbert for Kérastase Paris at Creatures of the Wind today.

Odile is always one of my favorites - it's unusual that she creates a look that's not worth sharing, and this is no exception.




Steps:

• On damp hair, create a deep right side part and distribute Mousse Bouffante throughout 
• Apply Lift Vertige at the roots and blow dry hair in sections with hands 
• On dry hair, disperse Touche Perfection throughout for softness and shine, followed by Powder Bluff for added texture 
• Starting at the part, create a large braid that swoops down around the face going towards the back right side of the head. Spray with Laque Dentelle as you go to set the look 
• Continue braiding with the rest of the length so the braid sits at the back of the head, and secure with a clear elastic
• Using your fingers, lightly rough up the front of the braid and top of the head for a slightly electric, undone look 
• Spray with more Laque Dentelle to keep the style in place 

Backstage Beauty #NYFW Fall '13: butter LONDON for ICB Prabal Gurung

butter LONDON’s Global Colour Ambassador, Katie Hughes, created the nail look for the ICB by Prabal Gurung F/W 2013 Collection. Inspired by art deco design elements and deco painters, the ICB girl is "multi-dimensional and always unpredictable", so Katie used butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Chimney Sweep on the hands and finished the look with the Matte Finish Top Coat. She then used Kitten Heels Powder Finish Foot Crème on the feet and Chimney Sweep on the toes. “For this show, we selected a colour that was gritty yet chic. There was a lot of texture in the collection so we wanted a matte nail on the hands to complement the designs.” said Katie.

Backstage Beauty #NYFW Fall '13: Jouer for Kate Spade

For this morning's Kate Spade Fall '13 Presentation, makeup artist Neil Scibelli for Jouer created a look inspired by Kate Spade’s hometown, New York City, during the ‘70s when Andy Warhol’s Factory and Studio 54 epitomized “party glamour.”

The classic cat eye and red lip complement the collection’s vivid color palette of NYC Citron, Empire Beige, Asphalt, Maraschino, Shocking Pink and Disco Purple. In Scibelli's words:

"To begin, I used Jouer Matte Moisture Tint to create a clean and matte base for the skin, using Jouer Age-Repairing Concealer where needed. I left the brows clean and groomed. For the eyes I used Jouer Powder Eyeshadow in Crème as an all over base, applying Jouer Powder Eyeshadow in Amaretto in the crease. I thickly lined the eyes with Jouer Liquid Shimmer Liner in Panther, extending and winging out. I finished with Jouer Everyday Classic Wear Mascara. I applied Jouer Tint in Honeysuckle on the apples of cheeks, blending outwards for a subtle pop of color. To finish the look I used a beautiful true red lip, Jouer’s Hydrating Lipstick in Simone, topped with Essential Lip Enhancer for extra shine.”

Backstage Beauty #NYFW Fall '13: Hourglass for La Perla

Makeup artist Moani Lee for Hourglass created the looks seen at last night's La Perla Fall 2013 presentation. La Perla designer Giovanni Bianchi looked to Spain for inspiration, specifically the moody color palette of painter Francisco Goya, and the embellished livery of bullfighters.

“I wanted to capture the sensuality and the strength of the woman wearing this decadent lingerie,” says Lee, who focused on elegant brows, radiant skin and dramatic lips worthy of an Almodóvar heroine.

For La Perla’s Black Label collection, which referenced mysterious themes including erotic art and surrealism, Lee switched the focus from the lips to the eyes. “The second look is a fresh take on the classic smoky eye, featuring a blend of black and brown kohl liner,” she says. “There are no harsh lines, it’s a softer interpretation that showcases beautiful, almond-shaped eyes.”

The nude color on lips is a preview of Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo, a collection of sophisticated neutral lipsticks to be released in the fall. Lee took a mixmaster approach to makeup: To imbue skin with a multi-dimensional luminescence, she combined three different shades of Hourglass foundation, concealer, and finishing powder. As for the scene-stealing scarlet lip, she blended two shades of Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick. “It was one part Icon and three parts Raven,” she says. “The mixture of blue red and orange red makes for an opulent and regal fall statement that even Goya himself might have appreciated.”

New York Fashion Week Beauty: Revlon for J Mendel

Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman, celebrated girlish, natural beauty with matte brown eyes and nude lips for J Mendel’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection. “I wanted to create a look that is universally beautiful, that any girl would want to wear.” says Westman. “Because the collection has so many bold and bright colors and patterns, I kept it pretty simple and fresh. I started with a muted brown shadow on the eyes, lined the inner rim, then added mascara to both the top and bottom lashes to make the eyes pop. A warm flush of peach on the cheeks and a simple glossy lip rounded out the look.”

For a classic meets modern look, celebrity manicurist, Jin Soon Choi chose a timeless nude color for the hands and paired it with something more unexpected and fun on the toes. Choi used bright red, purple and pink on the toes, depending on the model.

New York Fashion Week: Marchesa Spring/Summer 2013

Marchesa designer, Georgina Chapman and co-founder, Keren Craig presented their Spring 2013 collection yesterday at the historical Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal during New York Fashion Week. Drawing from the spirit of India in the 1960s, highlighted by the Beatles’ experience with the Maharishi, Marchesa’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection was composed of brightly colored paisleys and brocades of rich fabrics and intricate beadwork.

Bold garnets, fuchsias, teals, corals and Indian pink paraded across the runway exposing delicate hand embroidery and lace underlays. The Indian inspired collection featured flowing dresses adorned with jeweled embellishments and paired with gladiator sandals and kitten heels, a nod to the iconic styles of the sixties. Using traditional Indian techniques, silhouettes are embellished with pearls, crystals, gold leaf detailing and delicate silk fringe cascades. Each gown is immersed in elegantly draped sari weaves and lace over pleated tulle.

New York Fashion Week Beauty: CND for The Blonds

CND continues to work on the most intriguing nail looks of New York Fashion Week, and last night, for The Blonds "Psycho Beach Party" show, manicurist Kristina Estabrooks crafted an array of elaborately detailed nails including Shark Bites, skinny dip blue, and red caviar over CND Colour in Blackjack. Cue the Jaws soundtrack now.  

For more of my favorite manicures from the Spring/Summer '13 collections, see my prior posts on CND for Rodarte, Angel Sanchez, Joy Cioci, Nicole Miller and Diego Binetti.