Runway Report: Flirting with Cool at Tanya Taylor

Essie Fw Feb17 Ttaylor 126Flirty and girly: That is the Tanya Taylor girl. But how do you create beauty that doesn’t come off as too on-the-nose sweet? You start with texture-laden waves. “We’re doing a little bit of a 70’s vibe wave,” says Bumble and Bumble hair lead Laurent Philipon. “It will be slightly different from girl to girl. To begin, he uses Bumble and Bumble Prep Primer, which he says, “acts like a light conditioner. It removes any ‘bad’ shape from the hair.” Then, Philipon draws a “blurry” parting, which he explains isn’t too straight or defined. For his relaxed waves, he loops a section of hair around a curling iron once, and stretches it down the length of the barrel, alternating the direction of the loop with each section. “You should always brush the hair before wrapping it around the barrel,” he instructs. “That gives you the glossiest result.” Finally, he brushes through the hair and spray son Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil UV Protective Dry Oil Finishing Spray to lend a “lived-in feeling without losing any airy-ness,” Philipon says. 

The makeup puts the skin as the main focus, and MAC makeup lead Michelle Denson relays that putting the spotlight on skin requires a lot of shine. “I’m concentrating the highlight through the center of the face, rather than along the sides,” she notes. She also highlights the inner corner of the eyes, but concentrates the pearly shade more at the bridge of the nose. “This way, when you see the model’s face from the side, it’s more visible,” she says. Though artful strobing and creamy skin are on display, it’s the brows—brushed up and bushy—that make this look major. “We want a fun, quirky brow,” Denson says. “I’m using MAC Brow Set to brush them up and hold them; it basically tells them what to do—it’s very bossy!” she laughs.

To finish out the flirty yet cool beauty, Essie nail lead Julie Kandalec creates thick crescent French manicures with very deep smile lines using a variety of hues: Au Natural, Go Overboard, Bahama Mama or Smokin’ Hot. “The colors are inspired by the crescent moon and how the colors come into the sky at night,” she says. —Karie L. Frost

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[[PHOTOS: Courtesy of Essie and Karie L. Frost]]

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