Backstage Beauty: Felder Felder

BellaSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:00:50 -0800

Today marks day three of London Fashion Week, and I was lucky enough to sneak a peek behind the scenes at the Felder Felder show. Felder Felder is an up-and-coming, chic German brand born in 2006 from twin sisters Daniela and Anette Felder. Sienna Miller has been spotted wearing their clothes, and just last week Vogue.com called the designers "two to watch."

While the clothing was ruffly, tight, and sexy, I, of course, was interested most in the hair and makeup.

I spoke with lead makeup artist Georgina Graham for MAC, who took me on a virtual tour through the inspiration for the look. She and the Felder sisters wanted to create a modern take on the grunge look. Hair was long, loose, and rumpled and the focus of the makeup was dark, heavy eyes, and pale lips.

The look was based on Courtney Love, Reality Bites, MTV's My So-Called Life, and Steven Meisel's fashion photographs from the early 1990s. When she said, "think Marc Jacobs working for Anna Sui," I knew exactly what to expect.

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To find out how to create this grungey look, read more.

Prep skin, curl lashes, and apply lip balm.

Skip concealer and eye cream since you are going for a very natural face. First, apply Black Track gel liner all over the eyelid, making a round shape. Then, apply Smut Eye Shadow (muted black) to top lids. Follow with Shadowy Lady Eye Shadow (dark plum) in the crease, and blend upwards into a round shape.

Next, apply a dot of Knight Divine Eye Shadow (silvery black) in the center of the lids by the lash line for shine.

This is a really heavy eye, so clean up any fallen shadow using a Q-tip covered with a bit of NC20 Studio Stick Concealer. Also add a little bit of this concealer to the inner rims of the eyes (on the bottom only) for a natural effect.

Lastly, apply a little of MAC's famous strobe cream around the temples and the outer-eye area as a highlighter. Set skin with a light dusting of Loose Powder, paying close attention to the tip of the nose. Skip any blush, bronzer, or lip color.

Backstage Beauty: English Eccentrics

BellaSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:00:54 -0800

Yesterday afternoon following the Felder Felder fashion show in London came the 2008 Fall English Eccentrics show. I went backstage to get the lowdown on the makeup look from clothing designer Helen David and Nars lead makeup artist Jane Richardson.

The inspiration for the show was based on a fairytale written by the designer. Miss Magritte (the protagonist) is a schoolgirl who gradually evolves into a style slave after she is bitten in her sleep by a fashion vampire. Her clothing goes from sweet to edgy and her makeup encompasses both looks. Cheeks are sweet and bright but the color is high and far back for a more modern look. Lips are berry colored and matte, and false eyelashes are placed in the center of the lid - not on the lash line.

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To find out what products were used and how you can apply them at home to create this makeup look, read more.

Face: Jane prepped all of the models' skin with Nars Brightening Serum all over the face to even out the skin tone.
Cheeks: Then, she applied a little bit of Copacabana Multiple all over the face for a milky complexion with the hint of a moonlight glow. Next, she chose a fluorescent shade of semimatte lipstick called Schiap and with a brush, she blended some onto the highest and back part of the cheekbones. A little bit of Desire Powder Blush (a bright, cotton candy pink color) was added for more pop. The cheeks, nose, and forehead were then set with a light dusting of Nico Powder Blush (a pale natural shade).
Eyes: Then, Jane applied Penelope Cream Eye Shadow (a pale-pink shade) over the entire eyelid and then dusted the lids with Nico Powder Blush to set the cream. She then added a little bit of Albatross (a powder highlighter) to give the lids subtle shimmer. Next, she placed false eyelashes in the crease of the eye, which is quite unusual, but it looked really edgy. She finished the eyes with mascara on both the false and real lashes and then applied Triple X (clear) Lip Gloss to the lower part of the lids under the false lashes for sheen.
Lips: Since the cheeks and eyes were the focal points, the lips were pretty muted. Jane used the new Spring 2008 Belle de Jour Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (neutral beigey-pink) all over the mouth with no lip liner and no gloss on top.