Backstage Beauty: Erickson Beamon Fall 2012

Every beauty detail is thought of at Erickson Beamon’s Fall 2012 presentation—right down to the skin, a sadly mistreated and overlooked part of the backstage beauty regimen at most of Fashion Week. But at Erickson Beamon, skincare brand Arcona (for Beauty.com) is firmly ensconced in a corner, poised at the ready to help restore models’ skin. “These girls—they may be young, but think of what they’re skin is going through this week!” exclaims Bethany Wojtech, Arcona director of sales. “We’re making sure their skin isn’t looking irritated or chapped. For this makeup look, the base needs to be dewy.” To achieve the proper glowing dermis, models are first treated to Arcona Triad Pads, triple-action cleanser/toner/hydrator pads that gently remove makeup while delivering—not stripping—moisture. Then, Peptide Hydrating Complex followed by Hydrating Serum further plump the skin (the former with peptides, the latter with hyaluronic acid). Finally, Wojtech smooths the eye area with Eye Dew, preparing it for an extremely pigment-intensive eye design.

That eye design, created by MAC lead makeup artist Fatima Thomas, sends serious smoke signals, courtesy of MAC Pro Paint Stick in Black Black, blended in a round shape over the lid, then sealed with MAC Eye Shadow in Carbon, which she’s blending outward to diffuse the edges of the design. What’s special about Thomas’ “vampy, 1920s flapper style” is the lashes: She’s generously coating them in MAC False Lashes Extreme Black and then dusting the wet mascara with MAC Pigment in Violet to lend a trippy purple cast to the batters. To finish the look, Thomas blends MAC Red Lipstick and MAC Pro Lipmix in Fuchsia for a pop of unexpected color.

Seeing as the main thread to the look is “flapper,” a faux bob with finger waves (set with Phyto Professional Wet Gel and Phyto Professional Strong Sculpting Gel) is a natural next step. Salon AKS hair lead Nyree, who’s working with Phyto for Beauty.com, has modernized the bob by loading up on imperfect texture, using a unique technique. “I literally just came up with this idea about a week ago,” she shares, describing how she’s creating a softer crimp by winding hair around the end of a tail comb, and then setting it with a flat iron. “Usually with this type of style, you need a serious wet set with pin curls and sitting under a dryer—but we don’t have time for that! The tail comb-crimping method allows us to do it faster.”

And what modern-day flapper would be complete without a dark-and-stormy ombré nail? “We’re doing light into dark,” says lead nail tech Honey, who’s working with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics for Beauty.com. “So it’s the reverse of a typical fade; the tip is black Tarred, and the base is either Vintage (dark burgundy) or Blackboard (forest green).” To exact a perfect fade, Honey uses a “stamper” that she dips into a dollop of polish on a makeup sponge, and then dots on the color. “It’s cleaner, quicker, faster,” she smiles—exactly all the adjectives you need backstage during Fashion Week. —Karie L. Frost

(Second image: courtesy of MAC)

Other Backstage Beauty Articles:  Prabal Gurung Alice + OliviaJill Stuart Marc Jacobs   |   Lauren Moffatt  |   Rag + Bone  |   Peter Som Fall |  Katie Gallagher   |  Rachel Roy  |  Christian Siriano  |   Derek Lam and Diane Von Furstenberg   |  Richard Chai   |  Houghton   |  Tadashi Shoji

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