Runway Report: Midnight Garden Party at Michael Costello

Image: Matte Production for Oribe

by Rachel Kossman

At Michael Costello’s Spring/Summer 2017 runway show a trio of beauty looks perfectly complemented the designer’s seasonal inspiration: a late-night, mystical garden gathering. INGLOT Lead Makeup Artist Edward Cruz notes that Costello typically opts for a light eye and bold lip, but this season he voiced a desire for a more editorial look. “He wanted it to feel like a romantic midnight soiree; like his models were dressed for a garden party and emulating the flowers around them,” says Cruz.

Image courtesy of INGLOT

To achieve this idea, Cruz paints models’ lips with two products—matte cranberry INGLOT Lipstick Matte #438 and a cream-gel AMC Lip Paint #58—to create ombré, acai-hued puckers. In a color twist, he conjures smoky, almost gothic eyes on models, but uses peach- and gold-pigmented eye shadows instead of traditional dark browns. “These give the eyes a really beautiful highlight; it’s like mixing a bit of sunlight into that gothic inspiration,” he explains.

Image: Matte Production for Oribe

Oribe Lead Hair Stylist Kien Hoang creates two hairstyles for the Costello runway. The first, a “swept-back, messy, up-done bun with wispy pieces falling out,” receives its enchanted shine via Oribe Gold Pomade. The second hairstyle is a tumble of loose waves topped by beautiful floral head crowns. “For this style, we wanted the hair to be very mystical, light and airy, without too much curl,” says Hoang. To achieve this light-as-air feel, he layers Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse and Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray to lend “texture that moves really beautifully.”

Image courtesy of Essie

And what would a midnight garden party look be without fanciful nails? “Michael’s inspiration was the contrasting elements of a female’s personality—the light and the dark sides; her feminine side and her edgy side,” explains Essie Lead Manicurist Rita Remark. “What I love about this look is that it’s beautiful and a little bit wicked at the same time.”

Remark creates the shimmering ombre design with a single coat of Essie Good as Gold over the brand’s First Base base coat, then applies Good as Gold and Sole Mate lacquers to a latex makeup wedge. “Blending the two colors on the sponge so there’s no mixing afterwards is the key to this look,” explains Remark. “The stamping can get messy, but I always tell my nail artists: Trust the process. It will look flawless once you clean up the edges and cuticles!”

Of the gold to berry fade, Remark says she was especially drawn to the acai hue that runs throughout the collection and Cruz’s bold lip. “We came to this look because we wanted something ornamental, not graphic,” she expounds. “Something soft and textural that would complete the picture and make the entire collection flow.”

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