Betsey Johnson's Backstage Beauty Bonanza

I had been told earlier by Jeannine that backstage at Betsey Johnson was one big party and I was not disappointed.   The day finally came for me to cover her show and I was ecstatic! There were colorful signs everywhere made by the designer herself, champagne flowed and mini cupcakes by Baked By Melissa were abundant. Models and makeup artists alike were almost too busy dancing to the bumping music to get ready for the show. Somehow they managed. Sarah Lucero was the lead on makeup for Stila Cosmetics and the watchword for the show was "glam" (sexy and bombshell were also thrown around). The skin was kept very simple using Stila's Perfect + Correct, Brighten + Correct, and Sheer Pressed Powder. The cheeks were contoured with Stila's Sun Bronzing Powder to create some vavavavoom! The eyes were kept fairly simple with a bold, black cat eye (which stayed put thanks to Stila's Prime Pot and Smudge Pot in black) and loooong jet black lashes. (Sarah's tip for those at home is to apply the mascara and then make the cat eye.)

The main focus of the look were the lips; a bright, glossy, neon pink made with "giggle" luxe lip gloss. The finished product was definitely bold without being too much.

The hair, by Peter Gray for Cutler Redken Salon, was based off of Jerry Hall and Betsey's theme for the evening; "tits and ass". To make the hair as curvy as the motif, Peter used Redken's Number 12 Versatile Working Spray and curled 3/4 of the head all over. The curls were held with pins and sprayed again (I felt the top of the curls, there was a lot of shelac there). The other side of the head was a deep, sleek side part that went all the way from the front of the head to the back of the ear. After the curls were set, using Redken number 7 full frame protective volumizing mousse, the curls were brushed out into gorgeous waves. The finished look was as opulent as the collection.

The most intricate part of the show was definitely Nonie Creme, of Butter Londons nails. They were insane! Nonie said her inspiration came from Betsey's let loose and rock on attitude. The nails were a reverse half moon. She started by painting the nails with Union Jack Black and filing the tips to points. Then putting on a "stair step holographic glitter tip" (If you're confused, don't worry so was I. The stair step bit means that the fake nail sat above the real nail so it was on two different planes). Then, "Of course since it's Betsey," said Nonie. There was a diamante applique on each of the nails at the curve. The most interesting part of the already amazing and innovative manicure were the pinkies. Each pinky was pierced with a baby black safety pin. The safety pin was unbelievably cool and has made me stop biting my nails so I can grow them long enough to get them! Nonie's at home tip for this crazy manicure is to lay all of the fake nails on the table and paint them before you apply them. That way you can put nail polish everywhere and not worry about messing up your manicure.

Betsey's backstage party was amazing and I never wanted to leave. When I finally did, rocking a pink, glittery hair extension that smelled like Betsey's new fragrance, "Too Too", I danced around my room in my favorite Betsey dress listening to '80's music. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Betsey keeping it cool with her own hair extension!

Betsey Johnson's Backstage Party

Betsey Johnson is always one of my favorite shows to cover.  Backstage is like a party. There's a DJ, candy, little champagne bottles to drink with straws, balloons everywhere and signs that Betsey created to get the glam squad, models and her stylists pumped for the show.  Of course they're all signed "xo Betsey." The designer was debuting her "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" collection on Valentine's Day. Peter Gray was the lead for Redken who worked with angled, blunt black bob wigs inspired by the Sassoon movie.  Of course just a simple wig for a Betsey Johnson show wasn't enough, so the team spray painted a dust of gold around a lace pattern to add a fresh fun feel.  To keep the wig looking shiny as the models walked the runway, Gray used Redken Shine Flash 02.

Butter London's Nonie took charge of the nails customizing a shade with the working title, Wallis inspired by Wallis Simpson, which is definitely going to go in production in the fall.  It's a tarnished greenish gold.

Charlotte Miller was the lead for Maybelline who used the Studio Eye Quad in Midnight Excitement to create the eye look, which is coming out in September.  Of course she used Falsies Mascara. Below is a video of Miller creating the whole look on a model with step-by-step instructions.  It's awesome!

Go Backstage at Badgley Mischka

This was by far my favorite overall look of New York Fashion Week this season.  The talented backstage team consisted of Redken, MAC and Deborah Lippmann and the collaboration resulted in a warrior princess inspired theme.  Think Avatar.  Known for the signature ball gowns and evening wear, the two designers behind the brand, Mark Badgley and James Mischka, were introducing a new collection predominately for celebrities that is much younger. With these two looks in mind, Charlotte Tilbury lead the MAC team in contouring and highlighting, which created a look that worked for both collections.  Using a thick eyebrow brush she dragged MAC's eye shadows in Taupe, Harmony and Shadester from the top of the cheekbones up into the temples.  The swept up look helped to create the warrior effect.  On top of the cheek bones and in the bow of the lip she used MAC eye shadow in Crystal Avalanche to highlight.  MAC Lip Conditioner was used on the lips.

At home, this look can be recreated but toned down.  "The most important areas of the face for a woman to highlight would be the inner corners of the eyes, bow of the lip and upper cheekbones," she remarked.  You can use the same highlighter for all of these areas.

Since there were two collections, Redken lead stylist Peter Gray decided to change the look half way throughout the show.  The first look for the classic collection was all up. The top was loose and back-combed, sides were tightly pulled back and bottom was made up of two twists that intertwined and interlocked secured by about three hair pins.  For the warrior effect of the newer collection, as the models came back from their first walk, the pins were taken out, hair was let loose and straightened so it was half up, half down.

Deborah Lippmann used a metallic silver on the nails called Marquee Moon.