39 posts tagged "Gucci Westman"
Drugstore Discovery Of The Week: Revlon’s Great Escape
While it pains us to admit this, we’ve never been to Bora Bora. Or the Maldives. Or the Greek isles. Or Saint-Tropez—all those lavish seaside destinations which every year seem to figure large on the inspiration boards of summer makeup collections (and the travel plans of the rich and famous). We do, however, daydream about a holiday on the Riviera (French or Italian; either will do)—daydreams in which everything looks like a Slim Aarons photo come to life: tanned oily limbs, undulating water, and saturated colors. It’s precisely those hues—punchy coral red, rich turquoise, bright pink, and gold—that make up Revlon’s summer range, the aptly named Escapism collection. The brand’s global artistic director, Gucci Westman, culled inspiration for the products—which include a pale peach ColorBurst lip gloss in Bellini, Nail Enamels in Red Bikini (an orangey scarlet) and Sea Foam (a sheer turquoise), and the limited-edition Golden Highlighting Stick, which has particular showstopping qualities when dabbed onto the inner corners of eyes—from an actual visit to Saint-Tropez (quelle surprise!). But it’s the generously pigmented Photoready Cream Blush in the bright fuchsia Flushed that we will likely be patting on with the most frequency in the coming months, while retiring to one of New York and New Jersey’s many beach destinations, or staying close to home.
Uptown Girls—And A New Nail Collection—Debut Backstage At ODLR
After getting a fair amount of play in Europe last season, high, voluminous hair is having a bit
of moment in New York for Fall, thanks in large part to Orlando Pita. “I’m three for two,” the
hairstylist said backstage at Oscar de la Renta, where he added another towering, teased style to his repertoire following equally gravity-defying stunts at Derek Lam and Carolina Herrera earlier in the week. “It really depends on what the designer wants,” Pita explained of his decision to go big, pointing out that de la Renta never wants a “the girl did it herself kind of thing.”
For Fall, the designer specifically requested a beauty look fit for “a young girl playing dress up,” according to his coiffing collaborator who used his T3 Elevate Heat-Seeking Volumizing Spray to coat sections of hair that he teased halfway down the shaft and then tucked into a faux bob, fastening a bejeweled, satin ribbon around the hairline (headbands; so hot for Fall 2012).
Revlon global artistic director, Gucci Westman, expounded upon de la Renta’s muse. “She’s an uptown girl who goes to private school,” the makeup artist said, building rosy, glowing skin with a combination of Revlon’s limited edition Highlighting Stick and PhotoReady Cream Blush, both from its forthcoming Escapism collection. “I wanted her to feel cooler and younger,” Westman continued, lining the upper lid with a stroke of Revlon’s ColorStay Liquid Liner in Black, which was slightly smudged so it appeared purposefully “not perfect.” To correspond with the sixties-inspired shapes in de la Renta’s clothes, Westman applied about four coats of its PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara in Black so lashes were dark and dense.
The big beauty surprise was in the nails, though. Manicurist Yuna Park had the honor of debuting three of the new lacquers that will be a part of de la Renta’s Essential Luxuries collection that bows in October. “We’re matching the nails to the outfits and the hands to the toes,” Park said, alternating between Essential Aubergine, a deep berry, Essential Larimar, a pale blue and Essential Carnation, a true red. “The quality of the polish is pretty amazing,” she effused. “You get exactly what you see in the bottle.
“Patti Smith Goes To India,” Backstage At Rag & Bone
“When you have a brand with a signature feeling, you kind of just go with it,” Redken creative consultant Guido Palau said backstage at Rag & Bone, referencing designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright’s signature style. And so, as she has in nearly every season past, the downtown cool girl reared her languid, texturized head of hair yet again. There were “Patti Smith goes to India” references being bandied about as well, but not in any kind of literal way. “She’s a traveler but she’s still rock ‘n’ roll,” Palau clarified, explaining why strands were a little bit more “dread-y” than usual thanks to Redken’s Full Frame 07 Protective Volumizing Mousse, which was slathered onto wet strands. Palau then added its Rough Paste 12 Working Material paste once the hair was dry. “It defines the texture,” he said of the sculpting product, as he set hair in twists to allow for movement.
The India component was actually Revlon artistic director Gucci Westman’s idea. “The boys were inspired by the jump in severe poverty and wealth [there],” Westman explained, which led her directly to that classic Indian beauty staple enjoyed by women of all income brackets: kohl eye liner. “I used three different eyeliners—a gel, a kohl pencil, and a liquid,” Westman said of her application technique, which relied heavily on Revlon Crème Gel Liner in Black, its Luxurious Color Eye Liner in Black, and its Liquid Liner in Blackest Black. For a slight change of pace, the face painter opted to trace the lower lid only, smudging as she went so it looked rough, “like decay.” Skin was kept “porcelain-y” thanks to a precise layering effort of a blend of skin correctors and luminizers, including the highlighter from Westman’s limited-edition shadow palette for fall in Midnight Express. To ensure that the effect was “pure and angelic,” she misted models with water as they hit the runway for an instant dewy look.
The 411: Gucci Westman
Every international fashion week has its fixtures, and the New York shows just wouldn’t be the same without Gucci Westman. The California-born makeup artist grew up in Sweden, studied makeup in Paris, and cut her teeth working alongside film directors (Vincent Gallo, Spike Jonze) and photographers (Annie Leibovitz) before earning a loyal but understated following among A-listers like Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. As Revlon’s reigning global artistic director, Westman has redefined the brand’s vision of American beauty with her signature laid-back cool and effortless glamour—and it’s that same combination that allows her to leave her indelible mark backstage each season at shows like Oscar de la Renta and Vivienne Tam. Here, a matter of hours before she’ll debut the Fall makeup look backstage at Rag & Bone, we caught up with the Manhattan-based face-painting superstar to talk about skincare musts, fitness obsessions, and more.
The Hair Heroes: Three’s Company
“I have three favorites. I go to Tommy Guns to see my amazing colorist Tim Nolan, Orlo for a lovely catch-up and cut with my friend Orlando, and finally Blow, for the occasional, genius 15-minute blow-out paired with a mega-thorough manicure.”
For Tommy Guns locations, visit www.tommygunsny.com; Orlo, 34 Gansevoort St., 3rd fl, NYC, (212) 242-3266; for Blow locations, visit www.blowny.com.
The Nail Spot: Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spa, New York
“Jin Soon, love Jin!”
Visit www.jinsoon.com for more information.
The Skincare Routine: An (Extensive) Roster
“Are you ready? It’s a lot! I like to combine different brands as much as possible, so my skin has the ultimate response. From La Mer, I swear by The Moisturizing Lotion (I have been using it for the last decade) along with their Lip Balm and SPF 30 UV Protecting Lotion. Also in rotation: Dr. Hauschka Regenerating Serum, Rose Day Cream and Normalizing Day Oil. Eminence’s Coconut Milk Cleanser is heaven, the Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant is a gentle exfoliant that I’m obsessed with, and the Clear Skin Probiotic Masque is so awakening. I put it on in the shower after the Dermafoliant and Pear & Poppy Seed Microderm Polisher, leave it on for 10 minutes, then put on Diptyque Rich Butter for the Body.”
Available at www.cremedelamer.com, www.drhauschka.com, www.eminenceorganics.com and www.diptyqueparis.com.
Stevie Nicks And Other Unusual Suspects, Backstage At ODLR
If the hair at Oscar de la Renta jogged your memory, that’s because you’ve seen it before—two seasons ago at Marc Jacobs. “We’re wrapping the hair around long pins in a zigzag pattern,” Orlando Pita explained of the classic rickracking technique before clamping strands with a hot iron, releasing them, then brushing them out for a fluffy finish. What was unique about the style’s appearance this time around was precisely that it appeared at Oscar de la Renta at all. “I’m just happy he wanted something different,” said Pita, who has been in charge of the classic ladies-who-lunch updos and blowouts that more often than not debut here (Spring 2011′s fabric-wrapped Heidi braids being the one, outstanding exception). Pita’s version of the seventies style also featured a middle part that he used to create two front sections, which he pulled back and pinned underneath a top layer of fuzz. “It’s young, fresh, and romantic,” he continued, referencing Renaissance paintings and Stevie Nicks, a name that isn’t typically bandied about backstage at one of de la Renta’s shows, either.
The references to the Fleetwood Mac front woman ended there (much to our chagrin) as Revlon global artistic director Gucci Westman took the makeup reins. “It’s all about the skin,” Westman said, prepping complexions with Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream and its Regenerating Serum so that Revlon’s Age Defying Spa Illuminator in Pink Light and its Illuminance Crème Shadow in Not Just Nude melted right in. A combination of Revlon’s Matte Eye Shadow in Rich Sable and its forthcoming Eye Shadow in Moonlit was layered onto lids, which were then dotted with the clear gloss from Westman’s limited-edition gloss palette in Bordeaux in the Snow and lined with Revlon Grow Luscious Lash Liner in Espresso for definition. Westman used its Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde and Brunette to strengthen arches before brushing them up. “There’s a lot of color in the collection,” Westman pointed out, “so we just wanted to keep it simple.”