Backstage Beauty: Badgley Mischka Fall 2010

Hey Glamazons! If you were as smitten by the movie Avatar as I was, then you should be super excited to hear that it inspired a backstage beauty look.

Surprisingly, it was the chic and elegant Fall 2010 collection designed by Badgley Mischka (and not someone more racy and edgy such as Diesel or Marc Jacobs).

Lead hairstylist Peter Gray (for Redken) said that this year, the designers decided to produce a diffusion line (much like Versace did with the line Versus); meaning that the show would be split into two. Half of the show consisted of the classic Badgley Mischka (ie elegant red carpet gowns) and midway through, the look went a bit edgier. Gray explained that he thought it would be great if the hair look could change as well.

*Side note: If you’re reading this and thinking, that’s impossible, think again! He really did it…the guy is a hair genius!

The first look was what he called “princess hair.”

“[The designers] showed me these pictures from movie Avatar of the vines on the ground and all the jewelry comes from this idea of interlinking vines on the ground,” he said. “We kind of roped the hair and twisted it and it formed sort of this ropey vine and they liked that.”

Then, Gray said his thoughts immediately turned to how to transform the “princess hair” into “warrior hair.”

The key? It’s all in the base.

“We started off with a good base, like a layer of foundation on the hair,” he explained. “This is the key to create anything with versatility. People expect hair to sort of behave on its own, but it’s just like skin; you’ve got to moisturize it and tone it. You’ve got to cleanse and condition the hair and get it in good enough to make it do what you want it to do.”

The base in this case was Redken’s Layer Lift 007. The hairstylists applied it to the hair, blow dried and then brushed back the sides of the hair tightly into what Gray dubbed as “panels.”

“It’s very, very tight with a high ponytail underneath the crown,” he said. “We’re separating the top area and then flat ironing the hair underneath we’re getting it nice and straight.”

Gray also explained that the tightly pulled back panels added a nice eyelift and gave the girls cheekbones which created more room for lead makeup artist Charlotte Tillbury (for MAC) to work her magic.

These extraordinary new extensions called Easy Hair were also being used on the girls to add more volume. (Extraordinary only because each strip of hair contained this strip of sticky tape on the back of it. You simply peeled off the top layer and stick it in your head. AtotheMazing!)

“The combination of using the Layer Lift 007 and the extensions together kind of gives you nice fat hair,” he said. “The hair floats and it doesn’t look all heavy. I didn’t want all of the hair just hanging down; I wanted something sexier.”

So how did it all work? The models hit the catwalk with the twisty updo. Then halfway through the show, the hairstylists dropped the hair and pulled out the flat irons. (They even had outlets placed next to the runway entrance so they could start flat ironing the hair down as soon as the model left the runway!)

“This is the good thing about people that are collaborative,” he explained.

One thing that Gray didn’t want to see on the runway? Models looking what he described as “old” in the dresses.

“One thing that I notice about young starlets on the red carpet today is that they try and look too old; too grown up,” he said. “At 20, 21, why should you be looking like a 45 year old woman? Wear your hair young! And, at 45, you should be looking younger. Loosen up and go for it; have some fun!”

Makeup artist Charlotte Tillbury described the makeup look as very “computer generated.”

“Everything is very contoured and highlighted,” she said. “It’s a very sort of feline look; but in a natural way, not like a freak.”

Lead manicurist Deborah Lippman used a silver sequined nail shade on the models from her line called Marquee Moon.

“It’s a futuristic sequined silver; a silver that has a lot of pigment,” she said. “It has a frost in it and as an added bonus you get big chunks of sequins. You might get one on one nail and then 10 on the next. That’s the way it’s supposed to be: deconstructed, easy, free.”

Model Arlenis Sosa getting her makeup done. While doing so, she shared with me that this was her second season to walk in the Badgley Mischka show and she was really excited. Her fave shows thus far to walk in were DVF because of the all the color and Carolina Herrera because of the elegant and chic designs. “Everything is going well and I’m just happy to be here,” she said while smiling. Just love her to pieces she’s so sweet!

Models about to change out for the show.

Love, love, love this dress!!

A cute cocktail frock that I also liked.

I need this jacket in my life!!!

Backstage Beauty: Cynthia Steffe, Fall 2010

Hey Glamazons! To say that I’m exhausted is an understatement. I’ve been running around snapping photos and getting interviews at almost every show on the Fashion Calendar in order to get the scoop on the newest trends for the fall.

Backstage at the Cynthia Steffe show, the hair look was very “modern 60’s,” according to makeup artist Christian McCulloch for MAC.

“It’s a cleaned up mod look,” he said. “She’s a bad girl gone good.”

Inspired by the French actresses of the 1960’s (think Bridgette Bardot) McCulloch described the look as “a classy, sexy, gorgeous girl.”

Black eyeliner was used and then smudged into the lash line along. Heavy amounts of mascara were used.

“It’s like she’s left with the remnant of a night out,” he said. “It’s a sexy worn in look.”

A fleshy, pink color (Lilicent by MAC) was used on the cheeks. Makeup artists tapped it on lightly with their fingers and then used a makeup brush to smudge it in.

Rolando Beuchamp of Bumble and Bumble said the look was inspired by “the cool girls from the streets of London and Paris.”

The hair look was straight with a bit of fringe. Bangs were also added in.

“We used the Bumble and Bumble Prep, Style Lotion and then created a matte look with the use of hair powder,” he said.

xo

Ferocia

Helping Haiti: Tracy Reese and MAC Give Back

Hey Glamazons,

In the wake of this tragedy, it’s so beautiful to see people coming together to help those suffering in Haiti.

Last night we learned that the MAC Aids Fund is donating $500,000 to relief in Haiti. Nancy Mahon, the Executive Director of the MAC Aids Fund, had this to say about their significant contribution via the Huffington Post:

At the MAC AIDS Fund, the foundation I oversee, we have spoken to the organizations that we fund in Haiti over the past several days and have decided to give $500,000 to those groups – the Clinton Foundation, Partners in Health, and GHEISKO – for their disaster relief work because we know them and we are familiar with their high quality work.

The organizations are all are working to deliver emergency medical care, food and supplies to countless victims. They are organizing logistics to get the medical staff and supplies needed for setting up field hospital sites in Port-au-Prince, where they can triage patients, provide emergency care, and send those who need surgery or more complex treatment to hospitals and surgical facilities in the Central Plateau and Artibonite regions of Haiti. They are also arranging for private planes of medical supplies, tents, blankets, water and other essential items, as well as experienced medical volunteers, to be brought into Port-au-Prince and the Dominican Republic in the next several days.

One of my favorite designers, Tracy Reese, is also doing her part to help quake-ravaged Haiti by donating 10% of this weekend’s sales (January 15th and 16th) from the Tracy Reese boutique (641 Hudson St.) to the American Red Cross. Here’s the email she sent out below:

Dear Friend,

Like everyone else who has witnessed images of the terrible tragedy caused by the horrific earthquake that has devastated Haiti since Tuesday evening, we feel overwhelmed. The images that flash on the TV networks, the internet, and the social networks portray a tsunami like loss of life, critical injuries, uprooting, suffering and pain. It is impossible for us to even imagine the scope of this devastating catastrophe.

And yet we are deeply touched and moved by the Human Response to this crisis. The world has mobilized and governments all over the world are rushing aid and specialists to help Haiti cope with the disaster. All of us at Tracy Reese are inspired to do our little bit and contribute to this cause. In addition to the personal contribution my colleagues and I will make, we will donate 10% of all our proceeds from our store during this weekend (January 15^th and 16^th) to the American Red Cross to support the admirable work they are doing to help Haiti cope with this difficult time.

We invite you to join us in supporting the relief efforts in Haiti. You can make a contribution by check to The American Red Cross, and we will ensure that these are passed on to The Red Cross. In addition you can make a direct donation on the Red Cross website: http://www.redcross.org/

Thank you,

Tracy Reese

It is truly touching to see big name beauty companies and designers get involved. But every contribution and effort is needed to bring relief to a country shattered by an epic natural disaster.

Click here for my article listing other charities you can donate to.

Click here for a list of restaurants donating to Haiti in NYC.

If you have a legit charity not listed or know of a clothing drive etc. that people can be involved in, please share in the comment section of this post.

Keep Haiti in your prayers,

The Glamazons