At Joy Cioci’s Spring 2013 show, the subtle sparkle of row upon row of bubbly pearl nails lures me over to CND lead tech Candice Manacchio, who tells me that the idea stems from “a 1920s woman, synchronized swimmers and mermaids.” To achieve the nuanced bubbles, Candice first polishes the cuticle area at an angle with CND Colour in Brilliant White and adheres larger iridescent mircrobeads on top. She then top coats the rest of the nail and douses it with smaller clear and iridescent microbeads for a dimensional effect.
The idea of synchronized swimmers with a ’20s flair carries over to the hairstyle, which lead hairstylist Tommy Buckett of Marie Robinson salon declares he’s fashioning to appear like a retro swim cap. “We have the slight fingerwave on one side in the front for the ’20s feel, and this very wet look throughout,” he says. He begins by creating a deep side part on gel-shellacked hair, and uses a wide-tooth comb to direct hair into a low ponytail. “The comb allows more control over sculpting,” Tommy explains.
The most interesting part comes in the shape of a roll that is punctuated by several hair pins. “After we secure the ponytail with an elastic, we’re rolling the pony up and securing it with pins in a decorative pattern. Then, we cut the elastic off so that it looks like the hair just flows into this roll,” he says. “I think the pins, which Joy sprayed with matte silver spray paint—a really cool idea, by the way—kind of act like scales. They just give this Art Deco feel.”
As I sidle up to NARS makeup lead Uzo, I’m entranced by how the eye shadow (Mad Mad World Duo Eyeshadow, out in Spring 2013), which is shockingly bright in the palette, affords a much softer aquatic blue across the eyelid. She’s further refining the look with a heavy helping of Silver Factory Multiple (available Holiday 2013) “as an eye shadow base and highlight.”
“This is part vintage, part fantasy—the ’20s meets mermaid,” Uzo explains of the beauty thread that ties together every aspect of this whimsical look. “We’re doing a cupid’s bow because Joy likes the idea of a sweet pout, but we didn’t do it too literal with a dark hue as [the women] would in the ’20s. Instead, we’re using this baby pink Roman Holiday Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.” Doll-like bottom lashes, brought to life by only applying mascara to the middle lower lashes, couple with a white-rimmed waterline, giving the girls’ eyes a wide-eyed appearance. —Karie L. Frost
(First image: courtesy of CND; all other images by Karie L. Frost)
