Backstage Beauty Report: Rachel Zoe Infuses Boho with Glamour

If there's one beauty look Rachel Zoe's known for, it's rocking a deep burgundy lip.  Backstage at her show yesterday it was no surprise that she was inspired by Kate Moss (duh) and kept the focus on a wine stained lip.  Staying true to herself, I wasn't mad at her, because I found myself once again loving the look her backstage glam squad created, especially the glam lip!   "Rachel wanted the girls to be like young Kate Mosses running around a field with a golden glow as if they can be frolicking around in the hay, but to juxtapose that, she wanted what she called a 'bad ass' lip," explained Charlotte Tilbury the lead makeup artist for Maybelline.

To achieve the look that's pretty much Rachel's inspiration for everything, Tilbury used Dream Fresh BB Cream on the models, a shade or two darker on the paler skinned girls for an added glow and added a bit of Dream Matte Mousse Foundation in Cocoa wherever the sun would naturally hit.  The cheeks had a hint of pink.  "The lip is an oxblood stain in the center of the lip, but it's matte and smoked out," Tilbury said as she demonstrated by painting it on a model using her finger.  The color: SuperStay 14Hr Lipstick in Wine and Forever.  To clean up around the edges, she used a q-tip to ensure the lines weren't too perfect.  Clear brow gel and mascara finished the look.

Kerastase Lead Stylist, Odile Gilbert, was excited to explain the look as I feel like it's something she wears on the regular.  "It's basically what you do in the winter when you have long hair and put a coat on," she explained.  "You tuck it into the coat."  To achieve the look, she prepped the models hair with Kerastase Resistance Volumactive Mousse, created a center part and secured a loose, low ponytail pulling out pieces in the front.

Maybelline manicurist, Honey created a custom blend for Rachel out of three colors to create a neutral that wasn't too pink or too cappuccinoish.  It took Honey a few hours of mixing and stirring and she came up with the perfect blend, which she calls the 'flush blush.'  No word on whether or not it will go into production.

One more thing to note is that RZ was one of the only designers who cared about skincare and making sure her models had the proper base before throwing them into makeup.  Dr. Jart was on hand with makeup artist, Joy Fennell to ensure they were prepped so their skin was properly hydrated and plumped.  Their key product: Water Fuse Sure Gel.

Zac Posen Backstage Beauty Report: Deconstructed Chignons with Aubergine Lips & Tips

There's nothing classier and more New York than attending a Zac Posen fashion show.  It was the first show I've ever attended in my six plus year career in beauty and the one show I'll never miss covering backstage beauty.  This season, the show was held at the Palace Hotel's Terrace Room.  Picture crystal chandeliers lining the runway, intricate paintings on the backstage ceiling, mirrors lining the walls and famous models like Crystal Renn.  Artists from John Frieda, MAC and Essie created a look that a complete contradiction from last year. "There's a lot of construction in the clothes so we wanted to make sure the hair was relaxed," explained Luigi Murenu, John Frieda's Global Creative Consultant. "We wanted to create an art deco, 2013 chignon with volume and personality."

Before drying or in some cases, on dry hair he combed John Frieda Luxurious Volume, Volume Building Mousse through the hair to build up the hairs texture and bring it to life.  Once dry, the team began crimping the top of the hair in a "clap, clap, clap" way so the iron didn't leave an imprint on the hair, but just made it look "as if they had more hair."  Keeping volume on the top, he flattened out and tightened the sides, sealing them with a serum, and secured a ponytail at the nape of the neck.  Separating the pony into two sections, he twisted them around each other and pinned it up into a deconstructed chignon.  The key pieces were two side fly aways that were purposely pulled out and crimped to give the look a sense of lightness.

Kabuki, the lead makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics, was inspired by the snow falling outside during the makeup trial and explained how the makeup was "minimal and snowy in the eye, but brought back into the jewel colors of the collection by doing a rich, burgundy stained lip."

The skin was highlighted and eyes were soft, but the lip was special.  "The look needed a moment of a strong moment, which brings out the dellicatecy of the eye," Kabuki stated.  To create the lip look, he first used Vino Lip Liner to define the outer shape and applied lip balm only to the center of the lips.  This prevents the color from spreading.  Then, taking a single tissue, he touched it to the lip and put loose powder through it to set the pencil without changing the color.  Finally, he applied Lip Mix in Burgundy to the center of the lip and thinned it out as it got closer to the outer corner.  "This way, you don't have to worry about color bleeding or running, but you still have the dense coverage in the middle," he concluded.

"When you put a dark lip with a dark nail it keeps it really dramatic and gives it a bit of an edge," comments an Essie manicurist.  The shade used was Carri On, which is their darkest aubergine.

Ted Gibson Explains the Creative Process Behind the Rachel Roy Fall 2013 Presentation

Each season when I'm reporting backstage during NY Fashion Week I always take a moment to look around, take in all the craziness and remind myself how blessed I am to be there. Funny thing is, the most sought out celebrity hairstylist, Ted Gibson, doesn't take the scene for granted either.  As someone who understands hair, is a great listener, has experience in editorial, celebrity and runway, my friend Ted also turned his passion into his career.  It's no wonder why designers like Rachel Roy always partner with him.  From Rachel Roy's hair trial to her presentation, Ted gave me the scoop on how the creative process went down. "It takes a village," Ted said right off the bat.  Yesterday was Rachel Roy's Fall 2013 digital presentation, which streamed live on her Facebook page.  Before the presentation on Friday, Roy's creative team including Stylist, Julia von Boehm (every designer uses a stylist to help pull looks together with accessories and details), Ted and Bobbi Brown (on makeup) all met to brainstorm and come up with the look.

"The great thing about Rachel is that she knows exactly who the girl is that she's trying to portray," explains Ted.  "I listen and am always focused on her direction so she values my opinion."

After shooting around ideas and making sure his thoughts worked cohesively with Bobbi's, the two artists got to work and produce a finished look for Rachel to sign off on.  Most of the time for trials like these hairstylists and makeup artists are working on fit models, because the models for the show aren't even cast yet.  Yes, this is four days before.

"I really wanted the hair to be able to reflect an effortless chic style, but still make a statement," Ted stated.

Yesterday was show day.  Ted and the team began working on the models promptly at 7:30am.  Since it was a presentation there were only three, but that didn't mean there was any less effort put in.  "The collection was all about refined opulence," he explains.  With lots of texturized fabrics, fake fur and embroidered pantsuits, he didn't want the hair to be too overdone and described the look as if "the models were out all night and just showed up to the presentation."

Texture. Texture. Texture.  Believe it or not no curling iron was used.  He took the hair in sections and sprayed it from midlength to the ends with Build It Blow Drying Agent then twirled each section in opposite ways (forward and back) before drying.  Once dry, he created three loose braids, leaving the ends out so they didn't have as much texture, and left them in as the models got their makeup done.  Afterwards, he took them out and refined the waves with his hands.

"A girl from downtown can wear it and so can a girl from uptown," he explained.  The look was accessible just like Rachel's collection.  Job well done.

Top 5 Spring Beauty Trends, Straight from Backstage NY Fashion Week

As I prepare to cover backstage New York Fashion Week this week to get a sneak preview of the fall beauty and fashion trends, it only appropriate to post a round up of what I saw when I covered last September at the Spring shows since you can actually start wearing these trends now.  After all, the groundhogs predicted only six more weeks of winter this weekend and I, for one, couldn't be happier!  Here are the top five spring beauty trends to get excited about.

1. Bright Eyes

Most of the brightly colored eyes that were seen backstage included hues of blue.  To make the look more wearable, (so you don't look like Mimi in Drew Carey, remember her?) try switching out your black or brown liner for navy or add a fun pop of color to your lids by playing with a brighter shade.  You can also incorporate different tones of blue into a smokey eye instead of sticking with your basic greyish shades.

2. Candy Colored Hair

Colored streaks are here to stay... for a little while at least.  Love 'em or hate 'em, some very high end designers including Oscar de la Renta incorporated them into their runway looks.  From adding highlights into sophisticated updo's to creating an ombre effect, you can play with hair chalk at home for fun look that washes out.

3. Nude Nails

The nude nails at Rodarte were my favorite version backstage since texture was added, making them more interesting, but DVF and Derek Lam opted for a more classic, clean nude nail this season.  Pick your poison, but just know that nude doesn't have to be boring.

4. Sophisticated Braids

This spring a basic side braid doesn't cut it as more intricate details were all the rage.  My favorite braids were from Honor (pictured above) as I love how they showed off the nape of the neck making them more elegant, but the models at Tory Burch and Jason Wu also donned great looks.

5. Bold, Matte Lips

It was all about a colored, matte lip at Burberry, Missoni and Prada.  The tick to wearing is to make sure your lips are properly prepped.  Make sure they're moisturized before applying the lip product.  You'll still be able to achieve the matte finish.