Backstage Pass: MIK CIRE SS2011 For Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

On September 11th, designer Eric Kim sent his MIK CIRE SS2011 collection down the runway at The Studio at Lincoln Center. The inspiration for the show was "90's grunge" a la Kurt Cobain. A peek backstage revealed that the overall look was messy, rugged, and very sexy.

*HAIR:

Here are the steps that key stylist, Sean James/Fred Segal for PHYTO followed to create the intended style:

1. For long hair, Phyto Professional Intense Volume Mousse was applied for a nice sheen and natural gloss.

2. Hair was blown dry. Phyto Professional Glossing Cream was applied to finish.

3. For short looks, a pea-sized amount of Phyto Professional Matte Texturizing Paste was added to the hair.

3. Hair was taken piece by piece to create definition.

4. Phytolaque hairspray was used to finish the look.

Stylist Sean James in action styling a male model's hair

Some shots of the models mid-coif:









The products used

GROOMING:

Key makeup artist, Priscilla Rangel for Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, stated that the models were meant to uphold a rugged, manly look, and thus, little makeup was used on the face. OCC Skin: Primer was applied as a "makeup alternative," to even out pores and create a smooth canvas. Brows were kept natural, and a balm was used on the lips.

The finished looks:

Photo credit: PHYTO

Photo credit: PHYTO

Photo credit: PHYTO

Photo credit: PHYTO

*Step-by-step provided by PHYTO

**PHYTO products are available for purchase at Sephora locations, www.sephora.com, Ulta stores, www.ulta.com, www.beauty.com, www.drugstore.com, and select salons.

Backstage At bebe Kardashian: A Style360 Production At Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

The retail chain bebe recently teamed up with the Kardashian sisters to create a line inspired by their signature styles. The offerings include classic Kardashian (or bebe, for that matter) body hugging dresses and tops, off-the-shoulder dresses, and blazers that are predominantly offered in black. The clothing is cute "clubwear," nothing extraordinary or unique, in my opinion. Nor did anything that I saw surprise me very much. In general, I'm not one to shop at bebe, as I tend to feel that the fabrics of their garments do not warrant the high price tags attached to them.

I did get to go backstage to check out the behind-the-scenes beauty for the show. The overall look I saw was very much in line with the sisters' own looks - a dark smoky eye, nude lip and long wavy locks.

Lead hair stylist, Whitney Blischke, used TIGI products to create what she described as "effortless glamour," beautiful and easy to achieve. She wanted to create the effect of having darker roots transitioning into lighter ends (to establish a varied texture and color), and to that end, she used both a dry shampoo (to mattify), as well as a shine product at the hair's ends. Hair was blown out, and Fashionista Spritz and Shine was first added to the hair for some hold. Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo followed, to incorporate somewhat of a matte finish into the look. Large sections of hair were then taken and rolled with a barrel curling iron. Finally, Your Highness Aerosol Dry Spray Shine was used on ends and distributed by hand through the hair to establish the final look.

Nathalie Bechard and her Sephora Pro team were behind the sexy makeup look. Bechard explained that the look was to be inspired by the type of woman who transitions effortlessly from working during the day to partying it up at night. In other words, she clarified that this look translated into a "day-friendly" smoky eye with some added "dimension and depth" in the outer corner area. Bechard used grays and greens to achieve this wearable effect. Cheeks were highlighted and adorned in a soft rosey-hued blush. Lips received a nude-pink color.

Products used to create the look:

Eyes:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Pencil in 1L, "Star Black" (a black sheen)

Make Up For Ever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder

Dior Brow Gel

Sephora Collection Colorful Artist Palette

Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash Mascara in "Black"

Make Up For Ever False Lashes

Skin:

Make Up For Ever HD Elixir

Dior Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup SPF 10

YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch

Fresh Twilight Facefresh Glow

Lips:

Sephora Rouge Cream Lipstick in "Mmmm..."

Sephora Nano Lip Liner in "Candid Candy"

Finished look:

Love this top!

Nails were done by Kim D'Amato of Priti NYC. She used the shade "Willow" on the fingers (a transparent nude) and "Spring Song" on toes (a more opaque nude).

Sites to check out for products mentioned: www.sephora.com, www.pritinyc.com, www.tigihaircare.com, www.bebe.com.

People of note spotted backstage and at the show included Kim Kardashian herself (who sat front row and looked gorgeous), Jennifer "JWoww" Farley of MTV's "The Jersey Shore" (I have trouble calling her a celebrity, though...), and Dina and Caroline Manzo from Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." In addition, a few of the models from the last cycle of "America's Next Top Model" were in attendance (including, finalist Laura).

Backstage At Victor de Souza For Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week: Glamour Hails From Another Universe

The setting was intimate for the showing of the Victor de Souza F/W 2010 collection. At Casa la Femme restaurant, 140 Charles Street in Manhattan's West Village, de Souza brought out the drama. The beauty that was created to mesh with the clothing being presented was the most out of the ordinary and intriguing display that I had seen over the course of this week.

Lead stylist, Danilo, and his team of six, worked with PHYTO products to create what was described in Danilo's own words as an "alien chic" silhouette. Hair was formed into a tight pony tail which was subsequently slicked back with PHYTO Professional Strong Sculpting Gel and wrapped into a chignon at the top of the head. The bun was placed in line with the chin to help accentuate the shape of the face. Small sections of hair at the temples were left out, and extensions wrapped within a hair net (in blond, brunette, and black shades depending on the model's hair color) were fastened to the top of the head, covering the chignon. Once set into place with pins, the hair left out at the temples was tucked into the back of the head and underneath. To finish off the look, Danilo used PHYTO Professional Workable Hold Hairspray. The overall style was reflective of the "high class couture woman," the "classic woman from another universe." Danilo commented that what he loves about PHYTO is the fact that when using the products he feels that in addition to styling, he is treating the hair.

Danilo in action

Makeup was led by Lena Koro, head artist for the NARS team (of 25!). I spoke with Ashley Robb, who works on the NARS PR team, and she enlightened me regarding the inspiration for the look. She told me that the underlying idea for the face was a photograph of Audrey Hepburn, and was intended to emulate the feeling of her elegance and class, with an "alien twist." Looking at the face, one should be able to get the sense of old, chic beauty, but it should also be apparent that something is off, a bit "out of this universe." The face was made pale with powder. Brows were muted as well, and were practically invisible. Models sported black contact lenses (through which I am not quite sure it was easy to see!) that added to the alien aesthetic.

The main products used to create the look:

Snow Loose Powder

Sheer Matte Foundation in "Siberia"

"Black Moon" Eyeliner Pencil

"XXX" Lip Gloss

Eyeliner Stylo in "Black"

Finished look:

Nails were done by CND (Creative Nail Design) manicurists. Christina Estabrooks, lead nail stylist, gave me the low-down on the look. She revealed that nails were shaped down and adhered just below the first knuckle (to further the "alien chic" concept), defined with a series of polishes, and finished off with French tips (for which the color "Studio White" was used). The other polishes that were integrated into the manicure were "Pink Lily" and " Copper Chrome," as well as the "Super Matte" top coat. The nails were to appear as if they were indestructible.

After getting the scoop backstage, I was able to stay to see the show. The garments were, in general, highly theatrical and the aesthetic was rich and reminiscent of old-school glamour. In attendance was actress Jessica Biel as well as the mastermind behind the NARS brand, Mr. Francois Nars himself (who posed for a picture with me, which admittedly, left me a bit weak in the knees...he is definitely an artist I admire immensely).

Me and Francois Nars

Bravo, Victor!

For product information, check out www.narscosmetics.com, www.cnd.com, and www.phyto-usa.com/phytoprofessional.

Backstage At WALTER: A Style360 Production At Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

A breakdown of the makeup and hair for the WALTER F/W 2010 presentation as fashioned by the experts:

Hair: Hair for the presentation was done by Toni & Guy stylists using TIGI Catwalk products. Lead stylist, Whitney Bliske, explained that the look created was designed to complement the feminine quality of the collection. The hair was styled into a classic, sleek pony tail with ribbon wrapped around its base. This addition of ribbon served to push the pony tail further away from the head, giving it greater movement. Stylists used TIGI Catwalk Root Boost to control fly aways at the top of the head (interestingly, I spotted a stylist spraying the product onto what appeared to be a blush brush and painting it onto the hair) and finished off by adding TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Firm Hold Hairspray for shine. The hair was simple, sleek, feminine, and soft.

Makeup: The look for makeup was again brought to fruition by the Napoleon Perdis team. Napoleon explained and demonstrated the desired look on model Sadie (an incredibly sweet British-born model who opened and closed the show). He said that the inspiration for the beauty was drawn from several dichotomies - masculine vs. feminine, tomboy vs. vamp, and good girl vs. bad girl. As I had previously learned from my backstage attendances, there is an obvious trend of "flawless, protected, and prepped" skin. To that end, Napoleon used the Auto Pilot Cruising Moisturizing and Anti-Aging serum along with concealer followed by Boudoir Mist airbrush foundation (it's all about the spray foundations!). For eyes, Napoleon chose a stunning variation of the classic smokey eye. The look was a royal blue smokey eye, that he softened and waved out. He added three coats of Mesmer-Eyes mascara to create a healthy, sexy lash with a glossy finish. Brows were left natural, simply brushed up. Cheeks displayed subtle contouring through the use of deeper shades of foundation and were mostly left without color. On the fairer complected models, a hint of a pink mosaic blush was added. Lip colors varied depending on skin tones. Some girls were given a nude lip (in "Lianna" once again), while others sported a strong, creamy red-hued pout. The red shade used was called "SMP Goddess," and played homage to both Napoleon's own wife (the color is named after her ) as well as designer WALTER's wife (she loves to wear the color).

The start of the beautiful blue smokey eye, as demonstrated on Sadie. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay to capture the final look! :-(

Nothing was done with nails, which I found interesting.

Backstage Beautifying At TonyCohen F/W 2010 For Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

Here is a rundown of the beauty behind the scenes at the TonyCohen F/W 2010 collection showing.

Hair: Hair was done by Cutler for Redken. Staci Child, one of the head stylists stopped to talk to me about the overall look. She described the up dos as a incorporating a low, soft French Twist with leather ropes sewn in to add an element of toughness. Cutler Specialist Definition Cream was used on the top portion of the hair to give it a "dirtier, not too finished" appearance. A younger, softer vibe was attained, with built-in texture. Other products used to complete the look were Cutler Specialist Volumizing Spray and Redken Workforce 09 Flexible Volumizing Spray. The style was intended to look as if the models did their hair themselves.

Makeup: Napoleon Perdis and his team of MUAs created the look for the show, which Napoleon himself described as "tough chic." It was all about a strong eye, more specifically a "square smokey eye," juxtaposed upon flawless skin. To achieve a smooth complexion, Napoleon used his Triple Peptide Serum and Boudoir Mist (airbrush foundation). Lashes were big as well. They were deepened up to create a romantic feel using Mesmer-Eyes. For the lips, Napoleon favored "terracotta" hues. He used a new lipstick (available May '10 everywhere Napoleon Perdis products are sold) named after his daughter (how sweet!), called "Lianna." It is a beautiful and luxurious nude, caramel color, very rich and stunning, and will be an addition to his DeVine Goddess Collection. The lipstick was topped with "Hot Toffee" Luminous Lip Veil. The cheeks were left bare. Brows were strong and filled in with an eyebrow pencil in Suede, a blonde-tone that was brushed into the hair.

Lip combination

Nails: China Glaze manicurists did the models' nails in the shade "Gussied Up Green," a gorgeous deep green shade with subtle shimmer, unfortunately discontinued from the line's Rodeo Diva collection. The dark, shimmery hue was chosen to complement the colors of the clothing. It was also intended to create a pop of color, standing out through the lace gloves donned by some of the models. It was nice to see a bold nail as it was a departure from the nude nail I had seen previously.

For products, see www.redken.com, www.cutlersalon.com, and www.napoleonperdis.com.