Runway beauty: Think bold and raw
Natural, raw and fresh were some of the words used by hair and makeup artists who created the beauty looks for New York Fashion Week’s spring-summer 2014 collections earlier this month.
“Overall, there’s a very happy look to the makeup, with pops of color on the eyes, lips and cheeks,” said Gregory Arlt, director of makeup artistry for MAC Cosmetics, who was backstage leading makeup teams for several shows this season.
Some designers opted out of makeup altogether. Moisturizer and an eyelash curler seemed to be the extent of what was used backstage at Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler.
“This is raw beauty — a simple freshness, focusing on skincare, curled lashes and a groomed brow,” said makeup artist Diane Kendal, who created the looks for those shows.
At Michael Kors and Helmut Lang, the models were still fresh-faced but with a pop of rosy color on the cheeks. Rosy cheeks are a staple for spring, but this time, as Arlt put it, “We saw lots of corals and pinks, buffed into the cheeks in a doll-like flush. It was more ‘English rose’ than theatrical.”
The color continued in a
bolder way on lips at Rag & Bone, Creatures of the Wind, Marissa Webb and Altuzzara, where
orangey-red hues were used to paint the pouts of models walking the runway.
Makeup artist Gucci Westman created what was perhaps the brightest orange lip of the season by mixing Revlon’s Carnival lip color with the Matte Lip Crayon in Mischievous. At Prabal Gurung, makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury used MAC Cosmetics’ Pro Longwear lip color in What a Blast and blended MAC Pro
Orange Lip Mix over the entire lip for a punch of bright orange.
For a dialed-back approach to a bold lip, plenty of makeup artists opted for shades of coral, generally complemented by bronzed and highlighted skin. This fresh coral flush was seen on the runways of Reem Acra, J. Mendel and Peter Som but seemed to shine most brightly at Donna Karan.
“Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton and a glamorous bohemian hippie” inspired the coral-bronze glow at the Donna Karan show, Tilbury said.
To get a flawless glow, Tilbury blended MAC Cosmetics’ Medium Dark and Deep Mineralize Skin Finish Natural foundations to create a sheer wash over the cheek area. She added a coral-bronze lip gloss, also from MAC Cosmetics, called Ray of Sunshine Mineralize Lipglass to lips for dimension and shine.
While flush-cheeked English roses and ‘70s boho hippies reigned when it came to makeup, the fashion industry’s continuing fascination with the ‘90s inspired the hair. “For the hair look, I was really inspired by a ‘90s raver girl,” fashion designer Prabal Gurung said of the hair that complemented his spring 2014 collection for ICB.
Hair stylist Anthony Turner created the long, piece-y style by applying L’Oreal Professional Lift Extreme Mousse to models’ damp, center-parted tresses and L’Oreal Professional Volumetry Root Spray to the roots. Strands were then blown dry and the ends scrunched for texture.
At Rodarte, it was a love letter to Los Angeles in the ‘90s, as seen in the street-inspired collection, winged liquid black eyeliner and grungy, side-swept hair. Hair stylist Odile Gilbert applied John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum to models’ wet hair and Frizz-Ease Curl Reviver Styling Mousse to the front of hair to create volume.
Gilbert was so inspired by the tweed patterns and texture in the collection that she stenciled and sprayed black tweed-like patterns onto the back of models’ hair.
Makeup artist James Kaliardos used Nars products, including Via Veneto Larger Than Life Eyeliner, Black Valley Eye Paint, Rue Bonaparte Larger Than Life Eyeliner and Larger Than Life Lengthening mascara, to get the striking and precise eyes at the Rodarte show.
Overall, when it came to beauty, spring-summer 2014 looked like an entirely wearable season, with youthful rosy cheeks, easy hair, neatly groomed eyebrows and a focus on long pretty eyelashes.
But leave it to Thom Browne to top off his all-white collection with a beauty look that makeup artist Sil Bruinsma said was inspired by “crazy clowns ready for a mental institution.”
The whiteface, blackened eyes and smeared red lipstick wasn’t exactly the fresh and pretty mood of spring. But it might be a great idea for Halloween, which is right around the corner.
