Futuristic Luxe at Ports 1961

  The New York Public Library isn't just for book worms - it's where Ports 1961 showcased their Spring 2012 collection.  I think the library first received major fashion cred thanks to Sex and the City.   Before I dish on the backstage beauty I wanted to say thank you to Jeannine for letting be in her shoes for a week! It was so great being a part of SS 2012 NYFW and most of all being able to share my experiences with you!

The theme for hair, makeup and nails: futuristic luxe.  As soon as I heard that term from Nonie Creme, Founder of Butter London, I just had mental flashbacks of The Jetsons and how I thought that by now I would have owned a flying car.  To complement this theme, for the nails, Nonie used one coat of Chimney Sweep, a dark charcoal with a metallic finish, topped with matte top coat.  Doing this created that velvety texture without completely losing the shine (Nonie was the hand model for the above picture).  The focus for the makeup was having a bare face with a burst of color on the eyes using a vibrant metallic green eyeliner.  Pat McGrath, lead makeup artist for Covergirl,  used Intense Shadow Blast in everlasting green and create a thick line across the eye.  Quick tip: if you're a beginner start off by playing connect the dots;  make dots along the lash line and then connect them.

Lastly, the hair imparts a heroic sentiment with an east coast feel, says Guido, lead Redken stylist.  Guido accomplished this by creating a  'faux ponytail'; he simply pulled the hair back without tying it.  Guido also used barrettes, that he painted white, to hold the hair back.  The look is no-frills, modern and elegant,  a common theme I've seen this NYFW season.  Thank you again for checking out my posts for Beauty Sweet Spot - hope you enjoyed them!  xo

Backstage Beauty at Diesel Black Gold

It was a nice change of pace from the NYFW headquarters at Lincoln Center to check out a new venue – Pier 94.  After taking a peek at the Diesel Black Gold Spring 2012 collection it was evident that the ginormous warehouse was the perfect venue for their show.  The clothes had a utilitarian feel with a heavy emphasis on metallics.  In contrast, the hair and makeup with loose ponytails and fresh faces hinted at a sexy beach vibe.

To recreate loose, sexy waves that you get when going to the beach, Redken's lead stylist Guido used Guts Volume Spray Foam throughout damp hair and allowed to air dry.  Afterwards, Guido made a low ponytail and purposely took out a few strands for the desired look.  CoverGirl lead makeup artist, Pat McGrath, took things back to the supermodel era with the likes of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.  She achieves the look with a shimmery gold eyeshadow around the eyes and bronzed glow on the cheeks with nude lips.  For a lasting effect, McGrath used Covergirl Intense Shadow Blast in beige blaze.  

Groovy Baby! 60's Mod for Alice + Olivia

Bright colors mixed with pastels and eclectic hairstyles were part of the beauty scene for Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet's Spring 2012 collection.  The theme: walking through a secret garden during the 60's.

Thomas Dunkin, Sebastian Professional Lead Stylist, didn't want to take the 60's look so literally, so he pulled inspiration from the 20's creating three different styles.  A mix between chignons and buns, side-swept hair and low ponytails with head scarfs.  SO Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly!   For the runway, Dunkin used Potion 9 Lite as the foundation throughout the hair and a donut to create that polished look for the buns and chignons.  When trying it at home, he suggests making it your own. No need to make it so polished (i.e. no donut). If there are any loose strands let them be so as not to make it seem like you're trying too hard.

Let's talk about the shagadelic makeup done by Stila's Global Artist, Kasi Harabedian  for Beauty.com.  .  GORGEOUS!  The sparkling turquoise eyeshadow and extreme cat eye brought out the 60's mod style we all know and love.  She used a nude liner in the inner rim of the eyes instead of white to give it a modern touch and make the eyes pop.  For the most part, the nails were a mix of sorbet colors from Nails Inc. including mint green, corals and pinks.  However, some of the models rocked white nails with black stripes. To make it work Julie Kandalec first painted two coats of floral street and then a top coat on which she drew the black lines with black taxi.  A quick tip from the pro: no need to run out and buy fancy nail art pens, all she did was cut the bristles of the brush to make it easier to create the stripes.