Monday, February 15, 2010

Backstage At Elise Overland F/W 2010 For Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week: Strong And Powerful, Yet Feminine

Backstage at Elise Overland F/W 2010, it was interesting to see a focus on the preparation of the complexion in addition to the hair and makeup. Behind the scenes, Skyn Iceland was working to help prep the face, by offering stress-relieving treatments including their eye relief gels to brighten the eye area and reduce puffiness. Refreshing indeed!







The hair was done by David Cruz, sponsored by PHYTO once again. Textured chignons were center stage. This 'do was created by using Phytovolume Actif to create a loose pony tail. Phytolaque Soie spray was then added and the pony tail was teased into a figure-eight (a soft bun that was subsequently "messed up"). To finish off, Phyto Professional Workable Holding Spray was used. As David told me, the desired look for the hair was something unromantic, yet very reflective of the shapes present in the collection. As he noticed, many of the pieces had high necks, so it was a natural fit to have the hair pulled back away from the face to elongate the neck. David wanted the look to be powerful, yet still soft. Elise Overland had requested that the hair be strong, reflect confidence, and be feminine, without being overly girly or precious.










Makeup was done by Napoleon Perdis, key makeup artist for the show, and his team. My discussions with both Napoleon and artist Rebecca Prior revealed that the beauty look included a strong focus on the eyes which were done using a mix of soft charcoal grey blended with lilac shades. Strength was concentrated through the bridge of the nose and blended in towards the eyebrow, creating a "T-shape" through the eye. The inner rims of the eyes were lined in order to add definition and create a strong, feline-like effect. Waterproof mascara was used on the lashes, the formula of which contains polymers that add considerable length. Napoleon said that his motto for lashes is "TLC" or "thickness, length, curl." The skin was prepped with the infamous Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer. This product lent the skin a beautiful reflective quality. The concealer palette from the NP Set collection (available at Target stores) was used to even out the skin and cover up any blemishes or redness. The cheeks were left bare and devoid of color. The look complemented the facial composition of the models nicely, the girls being mostly of Icelandic origin. The lips were left unstructured without liner, simply topped with a hint of lilac gloss, a Luminous Lip Veil in the shade Cherchez la Femme. Brows were also groomed to reflect strength in the inner corner of the eye. Napoleon called the over look one of "girl power."












The look of the manicures was one of clean, nude nails. The color used was III by China Glaze (as was the case for Charlotte Ronson as well). Two coats were added to create an opaque finish.

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