Backstage Beauty: Peter Som Fall 2012

It isn’t often you hear the adjective “handsome” tied to a woman, but as Wella Professionals global creative director Eugene Souleiman describes the hairstyle he’s creating for Peter Som’s Fall 2012 show, the word makes an appearance...or two. “I don’t think it should look pretty,” he declares of the dual-texture style (a trend that’s having some lasting power). “It should mix minimal with wild.” The “minimal,” clean aspect of the style starts at the crown, where a deep side part slinks into glossed strands kept tight to the head and further lacquered with Wella Professionals Sculpt Force Flubber Gel.

For the bottom half of the style, Souleiman pulls the hair into a tight ponytail, which he sprays with Ocean Spritz Beach Texture Spray to conjure a raw, matte texture. He then wraps the pony into a bun and blow-dries it. “The ponytail creates the tension needed for this style,” he explains. After the bun is dry, Souleiman unravels it and brushes the hair until it’s this “explosion of wild texture.” To further enhance the rawness of the hair, he sprinkles in baby powder, combing and backcombing like a mad man to tweak the volume to his whim.

For the makeup, the look isn’t handsome; rather, it’s “fresh and polished,” cites MAC lead makeup artist Tom Pecheux. Skin is matte, which Pecheux says speaks to Peter Som’s woman, who’s “more grown up” than in previous seasons. Pecheux sculpts cheeks with interesting blush placement; he’s concentrating MAC Mineralize Blush in Stratus (available in July 2012), a surprisingly violet-infused beige, on the contour of the cheekbone, but only near the ear. “I didn’t want to do pink or peach because that feels too girly,” he says of the color, and then adds of the placement, “When you look at the girl head-on, it should appear as though she’s nude—she has no color on her cheeks. But when viewed from the side, you see that pop of color.” To finish the face, he dabs MAC Lipstick in Delectable Mattene on the lids and lips, opting to keep the lids creamy and unblended (“it will blend and settle on its own”) while matting down the lip with translucent powder.

A beauty highlight at Peter Som comes courtesy of Zoya, which collaborated with the designer on three custom polish hues—two of which are making their way onto the runway. “Peter said he wanted colors that are modern, elegant, fresh and feminine,” Rebecca Isa, who develops Zoya’s color palettes, says. “Audrey, a soft pink, is wonderful because it doesn’t translate white, but rather has a peach undertone so it doesn’t look chalky. Evvie, a smoky evergreen, has a gray to it that makes it really earthy.” And though the third color, Katherine, a sheer eggplant “jelly base,” isn’t being used, Isa is most excited about its transformative powers. “You can layer it over any polish color to deepen and richen it; it instantly makes any color more ‘fall,’” she says. All three colors are limited edition and available on the Zoya.com until they sell out...which we're betting is any day now! —Karie L. Frost

(Runway images: Courtesy of Wella Professionals)

Other Backstage Beauty Articles: Erickson Beamon  | Alice + Olivia  |  Marc Jacobs   | Lauren Moffatt  |   Rag + Bone  |   Jill Stuart  |  Katie Gallagher   |  Rachel Roy  |  Christian Siriano  |   Derek Lam and Diane Von Furstenberg   |  Richard Chai   |  Houghton   |  Tadashi Shoji 

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