London fashion week: Backstage watch
“Jean Pierre wanted something a bit gothic, a bit romantic but still quite bad-ass,” Terry Barber, MAC’s head of artistry, told me. “I thought of BIBA girls in the ’60s, with their dark, hollowed-out eyes and wanted to make the look modern.”
Terry began by lining the bottom lashes with a steely grey shadow, MAC Eyeshadow in Maiden, €15.50, and blending downwards. He then blended the line outward and then smudged it up and into the socket with an eye-shadow brush to create an oval, winged shape that continued into the inner corners. Terry dusted a metallic green shadow, MAC Eye Shadow in Seafoam, €15.50, over the eyelid and into the blended line. He lit up the look with a white pencil line, MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating, €17.50, extending outward from the inner corners, above the bottom lash-line.
He then added two coats of thickening mascara “to give the eyes another dimension.” Try Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara, €31, which has a triple-sphere brush that gives great volume. Brows were brushed upwards, with their natural fullness highlighted by MAC Veluxe Brow Pencil, €20.00.
As these eyes are pretty major, Terry kept everything else natural. He perfected the face with MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation, €36.50, and applied just a little balm to the lips. Try Lancôme Baume in Love, €24, in Sugar Rose to give your pout a pinkish, non-greasy sheen.
Chief make-up artist Attracta Courtney took her cue from the designer’s inspirations — architecture and Andalucía — to create this pretty look. “I wanted the skin to look real with an angelic radiance. The leather trim featured throughout the collection inspired a long-liner look with a graphic finish.”
To get a fresh, barely-there base, she patted Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, €14.99, on with her fingertips. A sugar-pink blusher was finger-blended high on the cheeks. Try Lancôme Blush in Love, €39, in Pêche Joue Joue for a natural finish. Attracta also applied pearly white eye-shadow, Bourjois Round Pot Light Shadow in 01, €9.99, to the temples with a fan brush.
Bourjois Light Shadow in 03 was dusted over the lids, up to the brows and into the inner corners to create a light wash. A bold line was achieved by layering Bourjois Khol Kajal, €9.99, to trace the shape close to the lashes and Bourjois Liner Feutre Liner Pen, €9.99, in Ultra Black to intensify the look and create the graphic edge.
Sweep Laura Mercier Faux Lash mascara, €27, through the lashes for a doll-like finish. To get rosy lips, try Gloss d’Enfer by Guerlain, €28, in La Petite Robe Noire.
“Matthew’s collection was inspired by the Northern Lights and there is quite a lot going on,” said chief make-up artist Lisa Aldridge.
“With this in mind, I wanted the girls to look straight out of a sepia photograph from the neck up, in neutral tones with natural lips and lashes.”
Lisa applied a moisturiser first and let it soak in for two minutes. She blended Benefit Hello Flawless! Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation, €34, outwards from the centre of the face. She buffed this base in well with a blusher brush at the cheeks, to create an air-brushed, “no make-up” look. Benefit Boi-ing!, €24.50, was applied under the eyes and around the nose, using a powder-shadow brush.
To make the eyes pop, Benefit High Brow, €21, was drawn onto the top lash-line and under the bottom lash-line and blended. She then chose the base colour from Benefit Peek-a-Bright Eye Kit, €35.50, and patted in on top to accentuate the colour, and then drew more High Brow onto the waterline.
To create the sepia effect, Lisa took the powder from Benefit Brow Zings, €34, in Light and blended it over the eyelid and into the socket. Then she mixed the contour shade from the Peek-a-Bright Eye Kit, with the deep charcoal from the Benefit Smokin’ Eyes Kit, €39.50, and blended it into the socket.
Benefit Speed Brow Gel, €19, fixed the arches. “I wanted big natural, brows, so I “backcombed” them with the gel, really working it into the roots before brushing upwards to smooth,” said Lisa. “Cara Delevingne’s [pictured] luscious brows didn’t need much of this!”
If you’ve not got model cheekbones and want yours to look this naturally pronounced, Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate, €67, is an ingenious product. This two-part palette contains a sheer-cream highlighter and bronzer that can be blended to brighten or contour as much as you wish.
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