Flirty and feminine makeup with a rock and roll edge ruled the runway at the Spring 2010 Alice + Olivia Spring Summer 2010 show in NYC. Nadine Luke for MAC gave the models a look both subtle and fairy-like. The models glowed in ethereal pink and white MAC eyeshadow shades of Rosy Outlook, Perky, and Just So, while complimentary Angel Lipstick layered under Lipglass in Underage and English Accent.

The hair upped the edge factor as Andre Rodman for Frederic Fekkai used Fekkai Strong Hold Mousse to give hair hold and textured before he wrapped it around a double barrelled curling iron in a figure 8 formation. Rodman smoothed the tousled locks with Fekkai Magnifique Ultra-Light Finishing crème and set the look with Fekkai Full Blown Volume Lifting Hairspray.

Jeweled clips kept the hair from overwhelming the models’ faces and added yet another girly touch in a show full of fun but ladylike clothes. Considering that the designer of this line, Stacy Benet, wanted her show to revolve around the idea of the powerful woman, I’d say the beauty fits the fashion.

To shop Alice + Olivia, visit the site.

Finally! A show where backstage beauty showcased both gorgeous guys AND gals…

The last show on the last day of fashion week is for those who are tougher than nails and who have more energy than Wall Street’s Bull. But nevertheless, I could not afford to miss backstage at Tommy Hilfiger (he IS opening a flagship on 5th Avenue, after all).

As expected, the look was very simple and American sweet (think The Notebook meets Genie Francis in Gen. Hospital). Lisa Butler for MAC Cosmetics says, “we used a pink and slightly glittery eyelid using Nanogold eyeliner that debuts in the spring (part of the Crushed Metal collection).” She applied mascara only to the top lashes and Rosy Outlook cheek blush to the apples of the cheeks to create that wholesome “look at me, I’m so healthy” look Tommy is known for.

The lipstick was in Bubblegum, a sheer pink color.

“It’s very American and very clean,” says Butler. “There’s a natural elegance to the look these colors have a pretty delicacy to them.” She did not use any foundation (and besides, do these models look like they need it?).

As for the hair, Eugene Souleiman with Wella said the look was very healthy and American hair, worn loose. “I really did not do too much with the hair…it’s beautiful and classy, and I wanted the girls to look like they have healthy and glamorous hair. It’s a little ’80s and a little like Brooke Shields and I wanted hair that was touchable with some loose waves.” (more…)

Easily the most fun show I’ve been to, Betsey Johnson’s Spring 2010 Fashion Week backstage and show were a scream! 31 models flew in and out in bright bright dresses and huge bows fastened to their hair, while loud music (everything from Lady Gaga to the Black Eyed Peas) played in the background.

Our ears hurt but our eyes didn’t!

Betsey (above) got her own makeup and hair done — she looked just like one of the models in her show.

As you can see, the look was very sultry and enticing. “The theme is Uptown Girl meets Downtown Guy…may be even a One Night Stand,” says a Stila makeup artist. “The look is about being imperfect…the hair is messed up (it’s morning after hair), and the look is very edgy while being smoky and sultry.”

There’s a bit of fallout in the makeup too — a little bit of sparkly glitter smudged on the side of the eyes…and the headpieces are askew. SO Betsey! (more…)

This has been one of my favorite looks to date because it’s oh-so-simple and oh so sexy! In fact, I intend to copy it every single day of the summer because it’s so easy to replicate and the end result is high wattage.

First – the makeup. Philippe Chansel for MAC Cosmetics says, “It’s a 1990′s inspired supermodel look, with bronzed skin.” He used a black pencil liner for the eyes in Feline which is part of the new and upcoming Style Black collection.

He used the Sun Tints lip balm, in Full of Grace (this is an incredibly sheer, sparkling pink which looks like you’ve just spent a day in South Beach). The foundation was the Face & Body Foundation from the Hi-Def line to give “a very natural appearance to the skin,” says Chansel.

He also used a refined Golden Bronzed bronzing powder just on the apples of the cheeks and the nose so the effect looked like she just got a bit of color. He used the Melon eyeshadow to give a touch of warmth to the lids.

The hair was done by the charming Peter Gray for Cutler. “It’s all about a sleek, sexy silhoutte,” he says. “Gottex is not really swimwear, it’s not really beach wear either…it’s more of a glam wear. We liked the idea of Glamazons strutting the catwalk with glam head bands…they are like bathing suit caps.”

To create the sleek chic look, Gray used Redken Glass 01 as a lotion to blow dry the hair. He used the Sheer Straight 06 or the Power Tamer 16 as needed for finer or coarser hair to straighten it out perfectly. Redken’s products are pretty easy to follow: the lower the numbers (like Glass 01, Sheer Straight 06 etc) the finer the hair. The higher numbers (like the Power Tamer 16) are for coarser hair.

He also fastened the back of the hair with a straight sleek bit of hair and secured it with a bobby pin:

Peter demonstrated how easy this is on Michelle Mismas from “All Lacquered Up.”

Tuleh wanted to do a full fledged modern Marilyn Monroe look when I went backstage. Polly Osmond for MAC Cosmetics says, “It’s a teenger’s version of a Marilyn Monroe look…we’ve done lots of pink…there is pink on the eyes, black mascara, brown eyeliner, rosy pink cheeks, a bright 1960′s style lipliner…she is fresh and it’s not a highly literal take on Marilyn’s do.”

The inspiration behind the look is what a teenager would do if she got hold of a Marilyn picture now. It’s a much softer look, and not so retro.

“The collection is light, with silky fabric, and the demographic is really for the young set,” says Osmond. The eyelids were doused with an eyeshadow called Rosy Outlook, a new shade from the Spring collection. It’s not a frosted shade and is slightly sheer in texture.

The eyebrows were darkened slightly using a MAC pencil (Marilyn had a thick and angular brow). They used a lipstick shade called Irresistibly Pink, a new color, and mixed it with concealer. Also applied was a ProColor Lipliner in Pink.

“Marilyn had a “sick colored” pink” says Osmond. “A Pepto pink.” “In those days, they used little eyeliner. It was a very natural looking lip and little makeup.”  Her face was dusted with Invisible Set Powder.

As for the hair, Kevin Ryan from “Our Essential Tools” and creator of the Pin Up Kit says that the look is a “beat up Marilyn.” To get the look, he used a Volumizing Tonic from Aveda (Pure Abundance) and then blowdried the hair. Then all the girls got rollers on top of the hair before taking them down and making it more disheveled.

Ryan finished the hair with Air Control Hairspray from Aveda. “It’s got good grit to it,” he says. He finished the look by tucking the hair back and securing it with pins. “It’s imperfect hair,” he says. “It’s 5am hair.”

The nails were done by Priti Polish. Above are three of the four polishes they used from the new Spring collection called: Spring Song, Lady Derby Hyacinth; and Queen Pink Hyacinth.

The end result was absolutely breathtaking. Look how gorgeously disheveled hair and pure Marilyn faces can create such aura?

Thuy Diep’s main request for the look of her show was that the eyeshadow be coral. Luc Bouchard for MAC Cosmetics says that “this color goes with everything in the line.” The coral eyeshadow is a custom pigment and a very strong color; “It’s creamy and is created from MAC paintsticks blending magenta, white and yellow,” says Bouchard.

Mascara was applied only to the top lashes, and a blush called Baby’s Breath (see below– a new shade for spring) was applied to the apples of the cheeks. “I used only Lip Erase on the lips because the eye makeup color was so strong,” says Bouchard.

Above is the new blush called Baby’s Breath from MAC, to debut in Spring 2010.

The hair was done by Sassoon and the predominant products used were from Sebastian. ”It’s very smple, sexy yet modern…like the famous faces of the 1930′s,” says Elaine Mitchell, Sr. Creative Director of Sassoon Salon.

The hair was prepped with Sebastian’s Whipped Creme to make it achieve the appropriate texture for fishtailing. To achieve this look, the hair was split into three panels, and they started with the center part to “fishtail” it and eventually make it into a chignon. The other two sections were gelled using Sebastian Shine Define.

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Vivienne Tam loves her butterflies. Her new HP laptop features prints of beautiful butterflies skimming the lid. Her entire Spring 2010 was an ode to winged magic, with silk jersey blouses and chiffon dresses printed with shimmering wings.

In the program, there was a poem  by Martha Huang, who seems to have been an inspiration to Vivienne’s party:

In a famous Chinese opera two young lovers unrequited in life are

reincarnated as butterflies, finally together.

The lovely Jessica Stroup attended Vivienne’s show, and we managed to snag a few quotes from her!

“I love Vivienne because her clothes are always so colorful, and they manage to fit a woman’s body perfectly,” she says.

Estelle looked awesome and gave me a wink and a peace sign. Love her!

The hairstyle for the show was super beachy and relaxed and texturized, with loose waves throughout. They complemented the extremely defined black lined eye.

The clothes often had suede vests over them, and I wasn’t too crazy about that look, but some of the items, including the chiffon dancing butterfly dress with black suede collar; a violet butterfly print chiffon gown; and the violet organza chrysallis print top had me at hello. (more…)

Some designers, like Chado Ralph Rucci, elevate the art to a completely different playing field. The clothes offer a very couture quality, and a more mature feel. Sure, teeny boppers can sport Chado, but the real wearers are those who love their St. John by Marie Gray.

The makeup was done by Tom Pecheux for MAC cosmetics, and the hair done by Laurent for Bumble & Bumble. “The look is a pretty pale face and all the focus is on the eyes,” he says. “Since the clothes are very sculpted with a twist, we used false eyelashes on only on one half side of the eyes.”

The false lashes add such a new dimension to the face, as the sleek and shiny gelled hair does. The eyelashes were coated with black mascara, and the lips had MAC lip conditioner on them with a touch of Subculture Lip Pencil. The eyes were half doused in the eyeshadow called PRINT.

“The clothes are also very minimal with a twist,” says Pecheaux.  ”So that’s what we wanted the makeup to also be.” (more…)

The ARISE African Collective was a show featuring four promising runway designers, and sponsored by Arise Magazine. The four designers: South Africa’s David Tiale; Tiffany Amber by Nigerian designer Folarin-Coker; Eric Raisina; and Jewel by Lisa, the Nigerian label of Lisa Folawiyo, showcase their winning work at the tents yesterday.

Since there were four designers, there were four key looks and hairstyles, all designed by various artists from MAC (the hair was done by Danito who used predominantly Pantene products.

Fatima Thomas, who designed the look with the bold red lips said that she used MAC’s Lipmix in Red (“an oldie but a goodie”) to achieve the extremely powerful look down the catwalk. “The clothes by David Tiale are very vibrant with a lot of reds, so I wanted to bring out that look,” she says. The eyes were lined with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack  and she used concealer for the lids. “The girl needs to look really fresh,” she says.

She also used the MAC’s Face & Body Foundation from the Hi-DEF line to ensure flawless skin.

Thomas says we will see a ton of red lip for the Spring 2010 season. “Bold lips, burgundy lips…we’ve already seen it this fall and we’ll see more of it next year,” she says.

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Coco Rocha smiles as she talks on the phone…

We will see a lot of strong red lips next season.

Romero Jennings for MAC used the new LipGelees (which will debut next Spring) and layered five of them (above) to get the precise texture he wanted for the lip (see below). He designed the look for Paul Tiffany Amber’s line. “I wanted a look that would NOT go with the clothes but would complement it,” says Jennings. He applied a new gold eyeshadow called Crushed Metal on the lids of the girls (think of a faint glimmer powder in pure gold…) and used Mineralize foundation to get that clear skin. He used a bright orange blush to make the look super sexy.

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Nicole Miller’s look gave us plenty of geometric shapes, futuristic style and shimmery colors including whites and grays. The hair was pulled back slick and the face too was muted and futuristic (cat eye) to let the clothes shine.

As you can see from the model above, the look is strong yet not overstated. James Kaliardos for MAC Cosmetics says, “We wanted to do a real warrior woman — someone who is really strong and pushing boundaries–and not just a pretty face.”

To achieve this “strong” look, James emphasized the eyebrows a good deal, thickening them with a sharp brow pencil and using opalescent lavender for the eyeshadow color. He contoured the face using Sculpt, a MAC Pro Powder, and used an eyeliner in slate to bring out a true cat eye.

The lips were pink and pale, and dusted with a cheek color. “She is both ladylike and body conscious,” says James.

As for the hair, Kevin Ryan, creator of the PinUp Girl Kit (above) used a lot of Aveda products to get the perfectly styled look he wanted. Using Aveda’s Volumizing Tonic, he blow dried the hair to achieve volume in the front, then he pulled it back and secured two hair sections with a clear plastic rubberband. “It’s both futuristic and assymetric,” he says because the clothes are the same way.

The clothes are very shimmery and could almost be sports wear, he says, and therefore a simple pulled back look for the hair made sense. He finished the hairstyle with Pure Abundance and blow dried the hair.

The nails were done in Essie’s new polish called Imported Champagne.