Spending the day basking in the sun might put anyone in a dream-like state that prompts memory loss about an important event on the evening’s docket. Such is the case for the girl at CuteCircuit whose beachy-yet-elegant locks reflect “a girl who spent so much time at the beach she forgot she had this fabulous gala to go to,” explains lead hairstylist T. Cooper who is also co-founder of Metro Look.
To elicit dirty-looking, undone texture, Cooper immersed the models’ tresses in Not Your Mother’s All Eyes on Me Shape and Shine Hairspray and then curled with Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Styling rod. She next worked Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray into her hands and roughed up the model’s locks before using an Olivia Garden CarboSilk brush to tease the hair for a little height. Cooper drew a deep side part using the Olivia Garden CarboSilk Tail Comb and then twisted hair into an asymmetrical rope braid that’s then teased for a mussed effect. “[The idea is that] her hair is already messy and she has beach hair,” says Cooper. “So we wanted to use that texture and come up with a nice, elegant style that she can wear with a gown.”
The makeup design also emulates the beach-to-party look found in the hair. “It’s a very young, fun vibe,” says lead makeup artist Dana Arcidy who is also a co-founder of Metro Look. “There’s a lot of blues in the collection so it makes you think of the ocean or Ibiza—like you’re on the beach sleeping all day and then going out at night.” To create a healthy, natural glow to the skin, Arcidy applied Mirabella foundation for medium coverage. “It still looks natural and has a natural finish, which allows the skin to shine through while still covering up imperfections,” she explains. Next, she used Mirabella Mineral Bronzer in Baked Sand to add a little shimmer and get that healthy, sun-tanned look. Keeping the eyebrows completely natural and the lips soft with Mirabella Colour Vinyl Lipstick in Glossy Ginger topped with Mirabella Colour Luxe Lip Gloss in Lustre, the focus of the design is on the eyes. Arcidy made them pop by thickly lining and winging them out with bright blue Mirabella Color Queen Eye Colour in Haute. “She’s a girl who was sitting at the beach all day, got a tan and then is like ‘I have a party to go to tonight. I don’t have much time to get ready but I want my makeup to stand out!’” she exclaims.
For the nails, Cuccio Color lead artist Gina Eppolito took her inspiration directly from the collection. She pre-polished almond-shaped nail tips with two coats of white Cuccio Colour in Cupid in Capri followed by one coat of iridescent pearl Cuccio Colour in Tahitian Villa. Creating a thick half-moon at the base using blue Cuccio Colour Saint Bart’s In a Bottle and a custom-blended creamy orange lacquer for the tip, Eppolito matched the colors found in the wares and on the invite to a T. And, as the stage lights illuminated the “wearable technology” clothing strutting down the runway, backstage the Cuccio Colour bottles lit up likewise — there’s light in the caps! “It tied the nail into the theme for today,” shares Eppolito. “And the light on the bottle is just amazing! Everyone is so in love with it — especially behind the scenes when there is so much going on and it’s so chaotic and myself and my team are down below [polishing toenails with Cupid in Capri and Tahitian Villa], and it’s hard to see!”
—Molly Church
