When given a photo of Hollywood icon and bombshell Marilyn Monroe sporting a ’40s victory roll for inspiration, the Ulta Beauty and Cutler for Redken team set out to come up with a hair design for Taoray Wang that would put an updated spin on the vintage look. “When the designer gives you an inspiration that’s beautiful yet a little bit retro, you have to make it modern and make it fit with the clothes,” explains Jen McGann, Ulta Beauty Manager of Salon Technical Training. To create the modern and sophisticated look, the duo preps with Redken Full Frame 07 All-Over Moisturizing Mousse and Redken Guts 10 Volumizing Spray Foam and then uses a round brush to softly blow out the models’ tresses. Then, the team sets aside a deeply-parted horseshoe section of hair and pulls the rest back into a sleek, low ponytail, which is braided and wrapped underneath itself. To finish the look, the team spritzes the horseshoe section with Redken Fashion Work 12 Versatile Working Spray, curls it with a 1-inch iron, brushes it into a wave, and then secures the entire look with Redken Triple Take 32 Extreme High-Hold Hairspray. “It’s a very beautiful, feminine look with a juxtaposition of strong,” says McGann. “At the end of the day, it’s trendy, fun and fresh!”
For the nail design, Dermelect Lead Manicurist Rose Velez-Miggins looks to colors in the collection for her inspiration. “The colors [in the nail design] complement Taoray’s collection very well,” she says. “Most of the collection has a natural palette.” To create the minimalist yet stylish and sexy neutral-tone design, Velez-Miggins applies one coat of cashmere taupe Dermelect ME in Sophisticate and then uses a striping brush and black polish to paint a thin line from the center of the free edge to the middle of the nail bed. “It's really simple, but [the vertical stripe] elongates the nail bed,” says Velez-Miggins. “You can [visually] get length without adding enhancements.”
Bobbi Brown Lead Makeup Artist Rogelio Reyna channels a strong, powerful and confident woman in his makeup design. “She’s everything that a woman wants to be and more,” he says. “And, there are strong pieces and details in the collection, so we wanted to convey that in the makeup too.” To create the look, Reyna applies Bobbi Brown Corrector and Concealer underneath the models’ eyes, fills brows in with Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil, and coats lashes with Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara, which all work in tandem to open the eyes, give them a lift and add definition. “Eyes are the one powerful piece that every woman has,” he says. “They truly are the window to the soul, so we really wanted to add that brightness.” To finish the look, Reyna warms cheeks with Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder and then matches a Bobbi Brown Nude Lip color to the model’s lip tone. “[The nude lip color] is like your perfect pair of blue jeans that you throw on every day that you know you look good in,” he explains. “It's your no-mirror lipstick.”