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Feel Like You're About To Walk The Red Carpet With These Beauty Prep Tips

With the 83rd Annual Academy Awards airing on February 27th, we're all anxious to see which Hollywood stars will shine the brightest during their strolls down the red carpet. And ,while it's fun to live vicariously through these celebrities, there's nothing like getting glammed up yourself, slithering into a festive cocktail dress or floor-length gown, styling your tresses like a silver screen star (be it Louise Brooks' chin-length bob or Jennifer Lopez's voluptuous mane), preparing your skin to look its most radiant, and accentuating your best features with a precise makeup application.

As one of QVC's Red Carpet Q Correspondents, I'm thrilled to share some insights on the best beauty products, as well as makeup application techniques and tricks of the trade — all of which will help you look fabulous enough to attract your own flock of paparazzi.

Let the beauty lesson commence!

1. The Dark Knight should remain a movie title, not become a potential nickname for the area under your eyes. If those peepers are, in fact, the windows to your soul, you need to open the curtains and let the light pour in. Choose a potent concealer formulation that will easily camouflage dark circles. One of my top picks is Benefit's Erase Paste, a creamy, brightening, blendable concealer available in three shades: Fair, Medium or Deep.

 

2. Crack is wack. And cracked lips are almost as bad, so keep your pout smooth and moisturized. Before worrying about lip color options, make sure the foundation is sound by keeping your lips hydrated with a fail-proof lip balm. After all, chapped and flaky lips will dim the wattage of that million-dollar smile, and we can't have that! Two great lip balm options: Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15, which relies on the humectant properties of sugar and features vitamins C and E to protect lips from free radicals; and Votre Vu's Champagne Kisses, an emollient lip balm featuring hydrating and softening coconut oil, shea butter, and sweet almond oil.

 

3. Get the famous (and widely coveted) "J.Lo glow" with a shimmering body moisturizer that will make your skin look as if it were lit from within.  Lopez's long-time makeup artist makes this task a cinch with his Body Bling Moisturizing Body Lotion, a washable, tinted, bronzing lotion that delivers a sun-kissed effect.

 

4. Accentuate and contour your strongest facial features, such as your cheekbones, with a shimmering face highlighter. We swear by NARS The Multiple (pictured above in Luxor), which is available in 13 sheer, shimmering shades ranging from pink champagne to rich bronze. These easy-to-use, retractable sticks can be applied to cheeks, lips, eyes, and décolletage. All you have to do is glide te stick over the desired area and blend in the color deposited until it looks like it's melted onto the skin for a natural effect.

 

Steve Madden X Betsey Johnson Lizzzy-L Boots -- A Little Victorian, A Little Punk, And Completely Fun

Usually, when we see a lust-worthy footwear style on the runway, we're forced to wait anywhere from four to six months for it to be mass produced and unveiled at a retail store. Just look at Christian Siriano's collection for Payless and how the footwear styles seen on the runway are modified and made more practical (not to mention cost efficient) before their official launch. There's a certain delayed gratification that accompanies this mandatory waiting period, but sometimes it can seem unbearable. Fortunately, lovably eccentric, perpetually cartwheeling designer Betsey Johnson is rescuing all of us antsy runway oglers from being exiled into footwear limbo.

On February 14, Johnson staged her Fall 2011 runway show in New York City, showcasing both her higher-priced "Black Tag" line (worn by models in Pulp Fiction-esque, black, bob-style wigs with straight bangs) and her new "Pink Patch" line, consisting of pieces for girls with "real" body types and bank accounts (all pieces are priced under $100). To accentuate the accessibility of the Pink Patch line, the featured looks were modeled by Betsey Johnson's own employees rather than trained models, all of whom donned layered blond wigs. In true Betsey Johnson form, both lines incorporated tattoo-worthy floral prints, a plethora of animal prints, and '80s-era Madonna lace accents. Even the accessories celebrated Johnson's girls-just-wanna-have-fun ethos — particularly the peep-toe booties shown here. One of our favorite moments, in fact, involved a model carrying a bouquet of red flowers while donning a long-sleeved, slightly sheer, scoop-neck, leotard-like, leopard print top and a matching flouncy skirt worn over sheer leopard print leggings and paired with a red-and-black, linen-and-lace, corseted necklace and the above-pictured lace-up boots in a matching red shade. Throughout the show, the boots kept resurfacing, popping up in shades ranging from black to purple and olive green, styled with a flipped-down tongue or laced all the way to the top, worn over flashy leggings or on bare, perfectly polished feet.

Since making their runway debut, the Lizzzy-L booties, a collaboration between Betsey Johnson and Steve Madden, frolicked over to SteveMadden.com, where they'll be available for a limited time only. Yes, chicas, they're in stores right now — talk about instant gratification!

Available in gray, crimson, orchid, olive, or black, the Lizzzy-L bootie features linen uppers, black laces, a one-inch platform, a 4.5-inch heel, a cheeky peep toe, and a semi-circle cut-out along the heel counter adorned with a curtain-like layer of ruffled black lace.

And while it may be an ankle-length, lace-up style, this is no granny boot — well, unless, we're talking about the hippest, most rock-n-roll grandma out there, one like Johnson herself!

Steve Madden x Betsey Johnson Lizzzy-L Boots, $249.95. Available at SteveMadden.com

 

Zoya Spring 2011 "Intimate" Collection -- A Tender Polish Seduction

The chances of Zoya releasing a lackluster collection are about as slim as Twiggy's legs at the height of her modeling career. Whether toying with summery neons, jewel-toned metallics, or rocker-flavored matte shades, the Zoya team excels at developing long-lasting, largely chip-resistant nail lacquers in elegant, nuanced colors with unexpected undertones and finishes. And while we can count on Zoya to hit the right notes with the consistency of a seasoned soul diva, it occasionally exceeds even our highest expectations, as is the case with the Spring 2011 Zoya Intimate collection.

Inspired by the color palette seen on Spring 2011 fashion runways, the intimate collection features six polishes that are as demure, seductive, and sweet as ballerina tutus and lacy, coquettish undergarments. Standout shades, for example, include Dove, an ashy gray color with a creamy, mostly opaque finish, and Caitlin, a creamy, medium gray with cornflower blue and lavender undertones that seems to change color ever so slightly depending on the light source. The last of the muted, creamy colors is Marley, a soft lilac with a creamy but pearly finish. While lovely, Marley is perhaps my least favorite shade in the collection, as it's the least innovative in terms of its color and finish (it reminds me a bit of Illamasqua's Wink Varnish).

The remaining three colors are equally astounding – particularly Gemma, a creamy olive with light blue and lilac shimmer that add a green opal-like luminosity. Jules, meanwhile, is billed as a neutral taupe saturated with gold, silver and champagne shimmer, but I'd describe it as more of a tarnished, grungy, vintage gold. Last, there's Dannii, a Jetsons-worthy purple with gold and silver shimmer particles that lend the punchy color a futuristic, space-aged vibe.

Though you're likely to swoon over all six shades, we'd suggest getting intimately acquainted with Dove (which we spotted quite often while backstage during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011 in NYC), Gemma (it's pitch-perfect for the season's military fashion trend), and Caitlin (which fits right in with the '70s-inspired pieces seen at the ADAM Spring/Summer 2011 show, among others). 

Check out swatches of all the shades after the jump!

Aboriginal Face Makeup, Marie Antoinette Hair, And Draggish Can-Can Dancer Fashion At Adrian Alicea Fall 2011

 

 

Approaching fashion as theater can lead to indelible memories ranging from flamboyant and Dionysian (as with the Kubla Khan "Pleasure Dome" Galliano recreated for his Fall 2008 show in Paris) to cleverly subversive (as with Imitation of Christ's Spring 2001 RTW show, held in an East Village funeral parlor) and eerily captivating (as with this season's conceptual string instrument-inspired threeASFOUR presentation). Unfortunately, the Adrian Alicea Haute Couture show, held on February 17th at the National Black Theater in Manhattan, was a better example of fashion as circus than it was evidence of fashion as performance art. 

Half of New York-based indie label Nico and Adrian, Nuyorican designer Alicea branched out on his own for Fall 2011, debuting a collection billed as "couture" and incorporating pieces for women, men, and even children. Unfortunately, while many of the garments showcased possessed the undiluted bravado of Nico and Adrian's best pieces, they lacked in grace, finesse, and pure craftsmanship. Starchy denim befitting Dickies work pants was used to craft Hoochieville-ready, ill-fitting, pleated mini skirts that revealed more booty than a Beyoncé video, not to mention dated bustiers, skirts with inexplicably bizarre bustiers, odd neck accessories, and cropped jackets, many adorned with ruffled tartan prints or clunky white zippers. Plaid and tartan prints abounded in the womenswear, but the choice of fabrics and the unfortunate silhouettes rendered every piece so unrefined that even a Forever 21 buyer would shudder at their sight. Heck, Britney Spears' schoolgirl uniform in the "Oops! I Did It Again" video is a better example of couture than these tart-worthy tartan pieces. Argyle sweater tops and dresses, gingham print dresses, velvet blouses paired with ruffled corsets and satin skirts, and striped jackets with faux fir trim all added to the collection's disjointedness. Even brown paisleys and gold-on-sage Damask prints popped up inexplicably,  looking like failed attempts at grandeur (as with a pair of high-waisted pants paired with a long-sleeved ruffled blouses made of cheap-looking white organza).

Granted: designers draw influences from different eras, locations, musical styles, art periods, and literary characters. But there was no rhyme or reason to Alicea's hot mess of a hodgepodge. Just browsing through photos from the show, you're likely to think of everything from Braveheart (one male model even walked down the runway shirtless and in a kilt) to burlesque productions (lace fishnets, anyone?), Can-Can dancers, Big Love ensembles (one particularly shabby patchwork dress, shown at top, would've made those girls at the compound go wild), Coming to America (the awful wedding dress chosen for the show's big "finale" makes Shari Hadley's '80s bridal get-up look fashion-forward) and amateur drag shows in NYC's West Village. Add the Aboriginal-inspired face makeup and curly, sky-high, Marie Antoinette-esque coifs and the entire production turns into even more of a circus show — and not a Ringling Bros. production at that, but more of a Majic the Hip-Hop Magician and Tommy the Clown event.

Though the men's pieces were slightly more inventive, Alicea still failed to shine in this department, sending dowdy patchwork blazers and street mart-appropriate ponchos down the runway.

Where's Nico when you need him, right? Hopefully Alicea's next collection will rely less on gimmickry (the tragic makeup and hair looks should go into the vault forever!) and will instead focus on crafting a strong assortment of pieces tied together conceptually.              

** Reporting, photos and video by Izzy Ruiz

A Toast To The Good Life At Alice + Olivia Fall 2011 Presentation

At the Alice + Olivia Fall 2011 show, Gatsby-inspired, flapper-style dresses and sequined cocktail frocks were paired with long, knotted pearl necklaces, feather boas, sequined frame clutches, Mary-Jane pumps, and feather spectator hair pieces. But this was no 1920s costume party, as the pieces were modernized and imbued with an upscale Bohemian splendor befitting of a Vespa-loving, paillette-rocking, out-on-the-town Serena van der Woodsen type thanks to fur-trimmed vests, lace overlay skirts with fringed hemlines, one-shoulder tops with flared, tulip-like waistlines, and zippered bronze leather coats with brown fur accents along the collar and cuffs.

Though some models wore their hair in pin-straight bobs, the prevalent hair look at the Alice + Olivia show was a loose, low chignon, created by the Sebastian Professional team. Thomas Dunkin held down the fort backstage, preparing models' tresses for the show, held on Valentine's Day at the storied Plaza Hotel in NYC.

To create the look, Dunkin and his team started by dampening hair and applying Sebastian Professional Volupt Spray to add body, then blow-drying hair and finger-combing it rather than using brushes so as to heighten volume and retain the hair's natural texture. Once hair was dry, Dunkin and the Sebastian Professional team parted the hair at its natural part, so as to keep the hair looking soft and not overly structured or "done." Next, they applied Sebastian Professional Shine Define and brushed the hair to the back. Small sections of hair on either side were twisted softly and secured along the back. All of the hair, including these twists, was then pulled into low chignons and secured with elastic bands matching the corresponding model's hair color and matte bobby pins. Any hair that remained loose was allowed to fly out freely for a fun-loving, been-dancing-all-night effect. Last, hair stylists spritzed on Sebastian Professional Trilliant to give the look hold and boost shine.

 

Backstage At Milly Fall 2011 -- Creamy Red Lips And No-Fuss Straight Hair

 

 

When designing the pieces shown at the Milly Fall 2011 show, designer Michelle Smith was, as the Skittles slogan goes, "tasting the rainbow." Smith's palette brought to mind an expert artist swirling dabs of acrylic paint on her wooden palette, dipping her brush into one dollop and then the next, swirling the mixture around and marveling at the resulting shade, then brushing it onto a blank canvas, creating a surprisingly coherent and picturesque work. The beloved designer, then, mixed emerald green, cognac brown, charcoal-tinged purple, poppy red, camel brown, tangerine orange, forest green, deep turquoise, midnight blue, eggplant purple, chestnut brown, heather gray, cerise pink, dark fuchsia, bright honeysuckle, electric purple, and a wine hue — juxtaposing these rich colors in almost every look and yet doing so in the most sophisticated manner, staying true to her Upper East Side socialite meets Parisian "it" girl aesthetic.

The looks showcased, then, included a silk, deep emerald green dress with tiered ruffles along the bodice and a mid-calf-length skirt worn under a dark navy blazer and paired with wine-colored globes and slouchy cognac leather boots (check out the look here). A fitted, forest green cardigan, meanwhile, was paired with a matching green beret, purple velvet culottes with a toggle detail at the waistline, blue suede gloves, and a structured, dark gray jacket with forest green trim along the neckline, sleeves and front flaps (here's a photo of the look). A flirty, wrap-around silk dress with a watercolor-esque print, a vintage, secretary-style bow tie at the neckline, and a precocious center slit was worn with a jacket featuring long, blouse-y, dark purple sleeves in a velvety fabric and a woolly, blackened green tweed center constructed to resemble a vest, and accessorized with bright red gloves, a camel-colored beret, mahogany brown leather boots, aviator-style shades, and a mahogany-colored leather envelope clutch (check out the look here).

As it turns out, the Milly Fall 2011 collection was inspired by an artist: famed fashion photographer Guy Bourdin, who shot  for French Vogue for almost 30 years (from the '50s to the early '80s). Bourdin preferred shooting models in the buff or in revealing garments and skimpy swimsuits, managing to make even the most erotic shots look fashion-forward and gallery-worthy, but Michelle Smith didn't focus on the concupiscent element of Bourdin's work, instead drawing inspiration from his vibrant color palette. One of the main jumping-off points: models' red pouts, a common thread in Bourdin's portfolio.

MAC Cosmetics' key makeup artist Romy Soleimani, then, worked alongside Smith to create the makeup look for the show, which emphasized these vibrant red lips.

The rest of the makeup look was incredibly simply. Soleimani kept models' skin looking dewy and luminous mainly by moisturizing it and then applying a light layer of  MAC Face and Body Foundation. No shadow or cream color was applied to eyes — just MAC Studio Fix Lash Mascara in Black Fix along upper and lower lashes.

To create the pretty, picture-ready pout, Soleimani used the MAC Pro Paint Stick in Basic Red, then filled in the creamy color with MAC Pro Chromagraphic Pencil in Basic Red, adding a touch of the MAC Pro Lipmix in Red. The lips' contours weren't drawn severely (in fact, they weren't drawn at all) and, once the color had been applied, the MAC makeup artists used their fingers to gently dab the color onto the pout, softening the look.

In terms of hair,  Kevin Ryan, co-founder of Rsession Tools, led his team backstage, creating a very simple, youthful look by straightening hair and creating just a slight bend  at the nape for a slightly lived-in, can't-be-bothered-to-style-my-hair effect.

Lastly, models' nails were coated with a light, slightly sheer pink shade: Orly's Dream Boat.

Check out more photos from backstage below and don't miss the video of Romy Soleimani discussing the makeup look included at top!

Cleopatra-Esque Afro Bobs And Blinged-Out Nails At The Blonds Fall 2011

 

Call their fashion shows theatrical, over-the-top, outlandish, glamorous or even gimmicky, but Phillipe and David Blond won't stand for you to describe any of their events as "safe" or "boring." True to form, then, The Blonds' Fall 2011 show incorporates more glitter and Swarovski crystals than RuPaul's stage garb, more psychedelic hues than a rendition of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This season, the duo derived inspiration from 1970s disco, the theatrical makeup seen in traditional Chinese opera, and the classic 1975 Diana Ross film Mahogany.

To accompany the glamorous-but-oddball fashions showcased, CND's Kristina Estabrooks designed 22 different manicures, each corresponding to a specific look. One look consisted of glossy black nails with three googly eye details in a vertical row adorning each nail's center (as shown above, fourth from top), while a different look featured coppery, rust-colored Swarovski crystals and crushed glass atop nails, followed by a decorative hand piece involving a swirling Chinese dragon that extended from the thumb to the pinkie (featured above, last). Some models even sported white nails with black lettering to spell out the phrase "You don't have to be blonde to be a Blond," positioned so as to resemble the strips of paper inside fortune cookies.

Models also sported glittery wigs shaped like blunt Cleopatra-style bobs and aerodynamic Afros, along with dramatic makeup ranging from fuchsia-colored cheeks to concealed brows for an alien-like effect, winged black liner, and brown lips with gold glitter at their center.

Makeup artist Kabuki led the MAC Cosmetics team backstage, creating three distinct looks, all heavy in color and sparkle.

The standout look of the three involved purple and fuchsia lids (as shown second from top) with winged liner for a bit of a Cleopatra, walk-like-an-Egyptian vibe. To create this look, Kabuki applied MAC's Select Cover-Up Concealer to models' brows, hence making these catwalk divas appear brow-less. Next, she applied MAC Lipmix in Fuchsia above the crease in a "C" shape, with more color deposited along the inner area, where the C's arch began and less color brushed along the outer areas of the eys. Violet Pigment was then pressed onto lids. To finish the eye look, Kabuki applied MAC's Fluidline gel liner in Blacktrack through the lashes, winging it out at the outer corners, and followed up by using the Engraved Power Point liner along the waterline of the lower lashes. Lips were a dramatic reddish copper color thanks to a combination of MAC Lipmix in Crimson and Lip Pencil in Mahogany. The theatrics came courtesy of the MAC Pro Red Glitter and MAC Pro Gloss Texture pressed onto the center of models' pouts.

Another bling-y look created (shown in the picture at top, at far right) involved jeweled golden lids. For this particular look, Kabuki again started by using MAC's Select Cover-Up Concealer to camouflage brows, making them appear non-existent. Next, she applied the Select Cover-Up Concealer as a foundation, brushing it onto the face the the 190 Foundation Brush and setting it with the MAC's Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder and bending Mac Pro Lipmix in Fuchsia over cheeks. On eyes, Kabuki blended the NW45 concealer with MAC's Embark Eye Shadow and swept these colors across the crease. Next, MAC's Fluidline gel liner in Blacktrack was used to line eyes, with a winged shape created at the outer corners. To highlight eyes and add the necessary disco element, Kabuki applied MAC Pro Gold Metal Pigment mixed with MAC Pro Water Based Mixing Medium all over lids, providing a contrast between the gilded lids and the brown color along the crease. On lips, Kabuki used MAC Lipmix in Crimson and blended it with the Lip Pencil in Mahogany. The resulting reddish brown cream color was applied to lips in a rounded fashion to create a doll-like mouth.

 Cue Chic's "Le Freak" and let your inner diva shine with an attitudinal cross-pollination of James St. James flash and Cantonese opera drama.

 

Six-Strand Side Braids, Muted Lips, And Shadowy, Stain-Like Lids At Alexandre Herchcovitch Fall 2011

           

 

 

 

Though he has historically flaunted an endearing affinity for the eccentric, flashy, loud and kooky, Brazilian fashion designer Alexandre Herchcovitch took a surprisingly understated approach when designing his Fall 2011 collection — all without sacrificing innovation and edge. Accordingly, the makeup and hair looks developed for the show were a huge deviation from previous seasons, such as Herchcovitch's Spring 2011 show, when models sported criss-crossed chignons and neon-colored lips or his Fall 2010 show, when models' lower lashlines were brushed with an orange pigment for a punk-meets-tribal look, their hair tied into braided chignons with loose strands, some worked into tiny braids, framing their faces. But just because the inspiration for the Fall 2011 show's hair and beauty looks were devoid of heavily conceptual reference points, that hardly made them less stunning — in fact, they were among the most creative and jaw-droppingly beautiful looks seen during New York Fashion Week.

As usual, the magnificent Rolando Beauchamp led the Bumble and Bumble team backstage, creating yet another applause-worthy look. Since Herchovitch's Fall 2011 collection emphasized layering and played with textural juxtapositions, Beauchamp decided to create an expansive six-strand braid that resembled a section of a macramé scarf. The collection's black, gray, gunmetal and silver tones lent it an air of intrigue, which Beauchamp replicated by making a deep side part before commencing the braiding process and draping the front section of the hair across the face so that it would cover one eye, adding to the sense of concealment and thereby heightening the enigmatic effect.

Creating the look involved three to four people working as a team, manipulating the various sections of hair, and Beauchamp typically stood at the center weaving the pieces together. In terms of the products used, Beauchamo says he relied on Bumble and Bumble's Holding Spray or the Thickening Hairspray, applying them to the hair below the deep side part and then brushing that section of hair along the side and back of the head, all the way to the opposite side. He also used Bumble and Bumble's Grooming Cream on the ends of hair to weigh them down a bit and facilitate the subsequent hair weaving process. Once the six-strand braid was complete, Beauchamp secured it with an elastic and, right before the show, he tucked the ends of the braid underneath the hair to create a cap-like effect.

To hear Beauchamp himself describe how the look was achieved, check out the video above or click here.

Renowned makeup artist Philippe Chansel led the MAC Cosmetics team backstage at the Herchcovitch show for the fifth consecutive season (clearly, Herchcovitch, Chansel, and Beauchamp constitute a fashion and beauty dream team!). This time around, Chansel says Herchcovitch wanted a look that wasn't too makeup-y but instead played more with the face's natural contours and shadows.

Chansel applied a new foundation, set for a Fall 2011 release, on models' faces, which he says features a new formula that makes it look incredibly natural atop the skin. No powder was applied atop the foundation — just a new MAC Pro Sculpting Cream in Sandbrown, a taupe-ish brown hue, blended below the cheekbones to add some contour.

As part of the Product Development team at MAC Pro, Chansel creates new formulations, improves upon existing textures, and masterminds new colors. During the Herchcovitch Fall 2011 show, he debuted one such new product, the MAC Pro Smothered cream color, a steely dark blue shade which should hopefully be released in the fall (fingers crossed that it will be included in the very same cream color quad see backstage, pictured in the second image below, after the jump). This color was applied along the crease and under the eyes, dabbed gingerly onto the skin, so that it would look like a stain. This grayish blue tone, then, simply accentuated the eye's natural shadows — particularly under the runway lights. No liner or mascara followed, but he did use the MAC Brow Set in Clear to keep eyebrows in place and swept it atop lashes to clear any debris that might have fallen on them during the makeup application process.

Last, Chansel applied MAC Lip Conditioner to models' lips and followed with the MAC Cream Colour Base in Fresco, a coral-tinged nude shade, pressing it onto their lips for a melted-on effect.

Manicurists from NYC's Haven Spa painted models' nails with Zoya Nail Polish in Kelly, a creamy gray shade with purple and blue undertones, for ultimate synergy with the Smothered cream color used on eyes.

Check out more photos below to see the Bumble and Bumble teams at work and get a sneak peek at the new MAC products Chansel used!

 

Better With Age -- The Makeup At Adrienne Vittadini Fall 2011 Show

Walk down two or three aisles in any Sephora, Duane Reade, CVS or Ulta store, and you'll find terms like "age-defying," "anti-aging," "anti-wrinkle," "wrinkle rewind," "wrinkle-fighting," and "ageless" on hundreds of products ranging from moisturizers to eye creams, foundation, sunscreens, and lipsticks. There are probably more anti-aging products than there are cold remedies or vitamin brands, a fact that is itself a pretty sad commentary on where our priorities lie as a society. Which is why it was a welcome surprise when designer Adrienne Vittadini opted to cast models 35 and older in her "Modern Muses" Fall 2011 presentation at the Box in Lincoln Center  — from 50-year-old supermodel and actress Carol Alt to 36-year-old '90s supermodel Niki Taylor (one of my all-time favorite models); groundbreaking, 42-year-old African-American stunner Roshumba and her predecessor, '70s supermodel Pat Cleveland; and 43-year-old Russian catwalk star Irina Pantaeva.

Each of these women helped to define the visual canon of the fashion and beauty industries, gracing the covers of publications ranging from Sports Illustrated to Vogue (Taylor landed 6 magazine covers in 1996 alone), strutting down high fashion catwalks all over the world, making cameo appearances in Hollywood movies like Woody Allen's Celebrity and Robert Altman's Prêt-a-Porter, starring in ad campaigns for the likes of Cover Girl and Noxzema, and even launching their own cosmetics companies (as with Alt, who developed natural beauty brand Raw Essentials) or joining the TV broadcasting realm as hosts and correspondents (in the case of Roshumba). And, with Vittadini's Fall 2011 presentation, these ladies opened a new chapter in fashion history, showing guests that it's possible to age with grace, to look more radiant and luminous with every passing year.

In keeping with this celebration of ageless beauty, Hourglass Cosmetics' Beauty Director Michael Pierce sought to showcase these iconic models' faces and so, rather than burying them under layers and layers of makeup, he focused on accentuating their features, making their skin more luminous, and giving lips just a hint of color.

For Niki Taylor (pictured above, at top), for example, Pierce started by applying the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, a line-smoothing, pore-minimizing, vegan primer with built-in SPF protection, using the #2 foundation brush. Once Taylor's skin has been prepped, he added the Illusion Tinted Moisturizer in Ivory, a revolutionary product that evens skin tone and features hyalouronic spheres and peptides that naturally fill in lines as they moisturize and plump skin. To accentuate her high cheekbones, Pierce turned to the Illume Crème-to-Powder Bronzer Duo in Bronze Light, dabbing the bronze shade to contour the cheekbone and then applying the highlighter in an angular fashion to define the area. Next, he applied the Aura Sheer Cheek Stain in Flush, a rosy nude, to the apples of her cheeks.

Pierce then brushed the matte bone and shell shades from the Vol. 6 Palette in Neo-Classic, a new eyeshadow set poised to launch in the summer, over lids. The palette's chocolate brown shade was brushed onto the crease to open up the eyes and add a smoldering feel. Next, he traced the Script Precision Liquid Liner along the upper lash line, winging out the liner at the outer corners in an upward direction for a bit of a cat's eye effect. Last, he applied the Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara and a coat of Lash Lacquer (which is set to drop in the fall).

To complete Taylor's understated look, Pierce outlined her lips with the Trace Lip Liner in Voice, a brown shade with red undertones, then filling them in with Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Whisper, a tawny nude color. To make lips appear fuller and add a nice sheen, Taylor patted on a hint of the Prodigy Hydrating Lip Gloss in Opium, a coppery bronze hue.

To create Roshumba's look (pictured above, third), Pierce started by applying the Veil Mineral Primer, then brushing on the Veil Fluid Makeup in #8 (a new shade currently in development) for coverage. Next, he dabbed the Illume Crème-to-Powder Bronzer Duo in Bronze Light onto cheeks for ultimate luminosity and applied the Aura Sheer Cheek Stain in Flush to the apples of Roshumba's cheeks for a playful, youthful effect.

Next, he gave Roshumba a brown smoky eye by applying the matte bone and shell shades from the Vol 6. Palette in Neo-Classic to lids, then sweeping the chocolate brown shade along the crease. To define the eyes and add a hint of old Hollywood glamour, he lined them with the Script Precision Liquid Liner and applied a coat of Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara and a coat of the new Lash Lacquer.

Last, he added just a touch of sheen to her lips with the Prodigy Hydrating Lip Gloss in Surreal, a shimmering 18k yellow gold shade.

Kiss of the Bride -- Rocker-Style Mohawks Softened By Pink Eyes And Lips At Bensoni Fall 2011

           

                 

                         

 

 

Wedding bells were ringing at the Bensoni Fall 2011 show — but, in this fashion love story, the characters were happy to buck convention, as guests donned snake print dresses, cousins wore tartan print tunics with thigh-high boots, bridesmaids entertained their darker sides with melting rose print frocks, and the bride strolled down the aisle (or, in reality, the runway) in a floor-length, embroidered black lace dress. It was a wedding worthy of Guns 'N' Roses "November Rain" — minus the tragedy and angst, that is.

The hair, makeup and nails donned by models worked with the gothic wedding motif as sweet, perky pink eyeshadows and lips were juxtaposed against braided, intentionally disheveled mohawks and glossy black nails.

Makeup artist Nadine Luke commandeered the MAC Cosmetics team backstage at the Bensoni Fall 2011 show (and was kind enough to describe the inspiration for the look in the video above). The sweetheart look started with the MAC Pro Pink Vivid Paint Stick, which was applied to lids and blended through the crease for an intense pink. Next, Luke applied MAC Hepcat eyeshadow, a mid-toned, blue-based pink, pressing it onto lids and inner corners. To diffuse the shadows, Luke applied the MAC Gesso eyeshadow, a matte white color, along the brow bone and inner corners of eyes. Next, she lined eyes with the Blacktrack Fluidline, staying close to the lashline and using a light hand when lining the bottom lashline. To keep brows in place, she brushed on the MAC Brow Set gel and to define and lengthen lashes, she used a combination of MAC Zoom Lash Mascara and Studio Fix Lash Mascara.

On lips, she used the MAC Lip Conditioner to moisturize and smooth lips, then filled models' pouts in with a new lip pencil dubbed Embrace Me (a fitting name for the show's bridal theme), finishing off by dabbing on the Pink Vivid Paintstick.

To give models' faces coverage, Luke applied the MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation and followed with Prep + Prime Transparent Powder. Luke and her team brushed the MAC Pro Chromacake in Cool Pink all over the face to give it a dewy luminosity, layering on more color at the apples of cheeks for a youthful, rosy effect. MAC's Gesso eyeshadow was brushed onto cheekbones to contour and highlight area. Last, MAC's Fix + All Over was spritzed onto faces to set the look

The flirty, innocent makeup stood in stark contrast to the hair look, designed by Leonardo Manetti for Ion Studio, which channeled an edgy, downtown rocker chick.

To create the look, Manetti parted the hair at the middle and divided it two sections, then took the middle area of the hair (from the front to the nape) and pinned it into a loose bun. The loose hair along the sides was blow dried straight and sprayed with For Wizards No. 14 Sea Salt Primer. Next, Manetti created inverted French braids on each side and coated them with white powder, spraying Davines Defining Invisible Hair Spray to keep the hair in place. Once the braids were complete, the hair that had been tucked into a bun was released, teased, and manipulated into a voluminous, bedhead-ish ponytail, creating a mohawk effect. To give the front of the volume more height and texture, he applied mousse and scrunched up the hair, roughening it up with hands. Last, For Wizards No. 13 Mat Forming Ground was applied to tame fly-aways. Watch Manetti at work by clicking on the video above!

The ultimate gothic twist was achieved via the nails, which were covered with two coats of Zoya Raven nail lacquer, a glossy, metallic black color.

These three components, then, conveyed the notion of a contradictory, oh-so-cool bride, a girl with a sweet disposition and a romantic core underneath a hardened shell developed through years of living in an unrelenting urban environment.