10 posts tagged "Kenzo"
Throwback Thursday: Liza With An “L” (For “Liner”)
Throwback Thursday is a new feature on Beauty Counter in which we pore over the pages of our favorite glossies from decades past in search of a little modern-day makeup and hair inspiration.
The Model: Liza Minnelli
The Moment: Lower-Lash-Line Liner
The Motivation: As huge Arrested Development fans, we were more than a little excited when we heard that an entire new season of the cult-favorite show will be released on Netflix—all at once—on May 26, reuniting us with one of our favorite characters: the vertigo-afflicted Lucille 2, played by Liza Minnelli. It’s one of the legendary performer’s most memorable parts, next to her appearance in Bob Fosse’s 1972 film Cabaret, of course—and her decade-spanning role as an enduring beauty icon, as evidenced by this Steven Meisel-lensed shot circa 1990. It’s hard to know exactly where to begin with this picture, so we’ll just convey our excitement with a series of exclamations: those squared-off brows! That diffused, smoky cat-eye! The punky, black-rimmed lower lash line that’s reminiscent of Aaron de Mey’s “futuristic maharaja” homage backstage at Kenzo’s Fall show! Even if you haven’t jumped on board the Arrested Development bandwagon, you’ve gotta love this.
Cuff Love
Call it an offshoot of the overarching punk trend that swept the Fall shows, but a lot of designers showcased a single earring on the runway rather than a set. From the tiny gold cuffs at Chloé and the sprawling sapphire-dotted branches at Thakoon to the giant nails at Versace and the Delfina Delettrez-designed magic-eye drops at Kenzo, it was often one and done when it came to ear accessories. In an interesting turn of events, hair looks were frequently choreographed around this styling decision, leaving front sections slicked back or tucked behind these “bejeweled ears,” as Peter Philips referred to them backstage at Dries Van Noten. Now, it appears as though the movement is continuing down under. As Camilla and Marc kicked off Sydney fashion week today, Marc Jacobs muse Ruby Jean Wilson sported a rhinestone-studded spiked cuff on the catwalk, leading a pack of longer-haired models with their shoulder-grazing strands pulled away from their left ears—a festive way to keep unruly locks out of your face, if anything. Thoughts on the utilitarian style?
“Futuristic Maharaja” Eyes And “Skater Boy” Strands, Backstage At Kenzo
Black cat-eyes—thin flicks of dark pencil drawn across the upper lash line—are a pretty standard maneuver for makeup artists hoping to incite a feeling of classic glamour. But what if you want to accentuate the lids while steering clear of that feeling entirely? “It’s all about the under eye,” according to Aaron de Mey, who used an elongated uptick of MAC Eye Kohl in Smoulder underneath the lower lash line, inside the water line, and in the root of the lashes to get the reverse effect at Kenzo—or a “punky” vibe, as he put it.
“It’s very futuristic maharaja,” de Mey said of the look, citing references ranging from Stanley Kubrick to India as he topped his hand-scrawled stroke with MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon to intensify the darkness of the pigment and its Fluidline in Blacktrack, which was used on the outer corners only to define the straight shape. “It looks strong, direct, and purposeful,” he continued of the graphic element that contrasted with Humberto Leon and Carol Lim’s incredibly rich, colorful collection—as well as skin that de Mey described as “icy” as he used a blend of its Cream Colour Base in Pearl and its Iridescent Powder in Silver Dusk to create dimension on the high planes of the face. Slicking MAC Gloss Texture across lids for a high-shine finish, de Mey concentrated a small dose of it on the center of mouths as well, which had been made slightly smaller with a finger-pressing of foundation around the edges. “It’s like the girls were sucking on ice,” he explained of the technique—which wasn’t too hard to imagine, considering the subarctic chill backstage at La Samaritaine.
“There’s a lot going on,” Anthony Turner confirmed of the bounty of prints and patterns in the clothes, not to mention the large enameled Delfina Delettrez Fendi-designed earrings that dangled from models’ ears. “We wanted to make sure we brought the girls back into the young Kenzo world,” he elaborated of the “cool, downtown, nonchalant” hair he fashioned by coating strands with Moroccanoil Curl Defining Mousse, drying them with his fingers, and then carving out messy side parts. “I was inspired by skater boys—you know, how they put too much product in their hair,” he continued, slathering lengths with its Intense Curl Cream before tucking them behind the ears and simulating a soft, piece-y frizz around the hairline and the crown, so the style felt more organic. “I live in New York,” Turner declared. “I know what this looks like.”
Taking A “Fumble In The Jungle,” Backstage At Kenzo
Backstage at Kenzo, the evidence of Carol Lim and Humberto Leon’s already impactful influence on the house they took over two seasons ago was visible everywhere. We’d say, and this is a conservative estimate, that 30 percent of the production crew, hair and makeup artists, publicists, and catwalkers assembled there were wearing one of the design duo’s gotta-have-it logo sweatshirts or sweaters from Fall, with or without tiger head. They had an equally exciting lineup hung on racks for Spring, which had a bright, fun beauty look to match. “They wanted the girls to really have a progression,” said makeup artist Yadim, who explained that the models were meant to seem as though they had walked into the jungle and then got consumed by it.
This necessitated not one but six different eye liner looks. “It’s slightly rave, modern and graphic,” Yadim continued of the thick etching of MAC Chromaline in taupe, black, forest green, yellow, orange, and bright green that he traced around models’ lids, drawing it to a point in the inner corner of the eye and leaving a small gap in the otherwise fluid shape in the center of lower lash lines “for a surprise.” Marian Newman painted nails with a corresponding four-polish palette of MAC Nail Lacquers in a bright mandarin, a glossy taupe, a deep nude, and a rich emerald, for an added touch of color, although the eyes were still the focus. To make them stand out even more, Yadim kept upper and lower lashes heavy and clumpy with MAC Haute & Naughty mascara while taking down lips, beefing up brows, and giving cheeks a slight contour with MAC Blush in Taupe. “I’m also using lots of highlighter,” he emphasized of the concentrated brushstrokes of its Cream Colour Base in Pearl that he swept across cheekbones, along the brow ridge, down the bridge of the nose, and onto the Cupid’s bow of mouths, pulling Sui He over to illustrate how her skin glowed with a luminescent dewiness (and it did).
“She’s had a bit of a fumble in the jungle,” Anthony Turner elaborated of the idea, dousing hair with TIGI Catwalk Session Series Salt Spray as a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” broke out for Magda Laguinge. Letting strands air-dry to create a piece-y texture, the hairstylist explained that the thesis here hasn’t changed; his objective is still to “bring New York to Paris” with a cool, young feel that has an air of effortlessness to it—and a little something extra. “I’m going to rough them up a bit before they hit the runway,” Turner promised.
Backstage At Kenzo, The Walk of Shame Never Looked So Good
Despite the cold rain that set over Paris last night, there was something uplifting about being backstage at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie for the Kenzo show; it probably had something to do with the multicolored schoolrooms-turned-hair and makeup stations and the bird’s-eye view our fifth-floor perch allotted for watching 50 models rehearse a show that included a runway with four levels of escalators. ”This is fashion,” makeup artist Yadim said, commending Carol Lim and Humberto Leon’s sense of showmanship.
As was evident in the collection, the Kenzo girl has grown up since last season—and she’s also scored herself a new man. ”Humberto told me that he wanted the girls to look like they had found a rich boyfriend and now they’re spending all of his money,” Yadim explained of the progression of lip colors he slicked onto a dewy base of MAC Face and Body Foundation. Pouts ranged from MAC Lipstick in Sin, a dark burgundy, to Dare You, a purple-y red; Brave Red; Russian Red; So Chaud, a burnt orange; and Girl About Town, a muted fuchsia that was mixed with Dare You. Contouring lids and cheekbones with a taupe blush and adding highlights to the face with MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl, Yadim painted on an additional detail in the form of a “couture wing” that he drew onto the top lashline with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and then “chopped off” at the end for a squared, rather than pointed, flick. As models prepared to step onto the down escalator, the face painter smeared a fingerful of gloss onto eyelids and pressed a hand-print of a particularly “wet” lotion onto exposed limbs to catch the glimmer of the venue’s fluorescent lights.
Hairstylist Anthony Turner applied a similar effect to a bounty of messy knots by patting TIGI Catwalk Session Series Wet Look Gel onto the tops of models’ heads just as they hit the runway. “It’s hair the day after, the night before,” Turner said of the updos that were meant to appear as though they had seen better days. ”It was once very well done,” he elaborated of the style, “but while she was walking back to her apartment on the Lower East Side in the morning, she got stuck in the rain,” he continued, making sure to emphasize that Upper East Side boyfriend not withstanding, the Kenzo girl is downtown through and through.