Playboy Glam at The Blonds

  The Blonds are amazing designers known for their eccentricity. This year, the look was all about Playboy. The clothes were magnificently intricate beaded corsets and the nails even moreso.

The nails, by Kristina Estabrooks for CND, took over 100 hours of manual labor to make and it definitely paid off. There were nails of every imaginative design. Hand painted bows, Swarovski crystal made fishnet, 24k gold leaf foil, and my personal favorite; crushed glass atop silver polish. The crushed glass matched the geometric shapes on the corsets. They were insane and glittered so much more than the standard rhinestone."It's not nail art, but nail fashion," remarked Estabrooks. Totally agreed.

To keep the nails and clothes as the focal point, the makeup and hair accentuated the Playboy vixen vibe. The makeup, by Kobuki for MAC, was described as a futuristic sex kitten. Kobuki created a "false eyebrow" by using two different eyebrow pencils, "Lingering Brow Pencil" and duck power point pencil and brushing concealer through the real eyebrow hairs. Then using a darker pencil to cheat the outer arch of the brows. The real treat was the eye makeup. I fall in love immediately with anything resembling a cat eye or winged tip and this one was no exception. Kobuki made a lightning bolt out of the eyes with Black Fluidline Liner.  He made wings as usual, but then added an eyeliner flick on the bottom and the top. Stunning and so easy to recreate.  To finish the look, Kobuki contoured the face and added Woo Me Kissable Lip Color for a juicy, glossy finish.

The hair was huge and bombshell! Dennis Lanni for Bumble and Bumble wanted a Jessica Rabbit look for the models as they walked down the runway. He teased the hair and set it in big rollers. The rollers, secured with Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray, were left in for quite some time. After the rollers are taken out, the curls were brushed out. Dennis did not want ringlets in the hair. The overall effect was a cross between Priscilla Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

I've been loving the sixty looks that have been coming down the runway this season! The nails were fierce and I feel like I'm in desperate need for "nail fashion."

Futuristic Luxe at Ports 1961

  The New York Public Library isn't just for book worms - it's where Ports 1961 showcased their Spring 2012 collection.  I think the library first received major fashion cred thanks to Sex and the City.   Before I dish on the backstage beauty I wanted to say thank you to Jeannine for letting be in her shoes for a week! It was so great being a part of SS 2012 NYFW and most of all being able to share my experiences with you!

The theme for hair, makeup and nails: futuristic luxe.  As soon as I heard that term from Nonie Creme, Founder of Butter London, I just had mental flashbacks of The Jetsons and how I thought that by now I would have owned a flying car.  To complement this theme, for the nails, Nonie used one coat of Chimney Sweep, a dark charcoal with a metallic finish, topped with matte top coat.  Doing this created that velvety texture without completely losing the shine (Nonie was the hand model for the above picture).  The focus for the makeup was having a bare face with a burst of color on the eyes using a vibrant metallic green eyeliner.  Pat McGrath, lead makeup artist for Covergirl,  used Intense Shadow Blast in everlasting green and create a thick line across the eye.  Quick tip: if you're a beginner start off by playing connect the dots;  make dots along the lash line and then connect them.

Lastly, the hair imparts a heroic sentiment with an east coast feel, says Guido, lead Redken stylist.  Guido accomplished this by creating a  'faux ponytail'; he simply pulled the hair back without tying it.  Guido also used barrettes, that he painted white, to hold the hair back.  The look is no-frills, modern and elegant,  a common theme I've seen this NYFW season.  Thank you again for checking out my posts for Beauty Sweet Spot - hope you enjoyed them!  xo

Presentation Review: L.A.M.B.

Before we get started I wanted to take a moment to thank the NYPD and FDNY as they are the true heros and that we will never forget 9/11.  With that being said, the L.A.M.B. collection was dedicated to the people of New York on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.

L.A.M.B. delivered tall two-toned top knots, extreme cat eyes and fun prints for Spring 2012.  With a wide array of fun prints and bold accessories, in true Gwen Stefani style.   With a cupra sandwash jumpsuit and bold statement piece by nOir for L.A.M.B. made what looks like a mechanic uniform a true fashion statement.

The piece that needs to live in my closet is this gorgeous one shoulder dress with the zig zag pattern and high slit.  The stacked bangles and wedges adds versatility so you can rock this outfit from day to night.

I had to share a close up of the hair and makeup.  If you want to make your top knot stand out, why not add some fun extensions in maybe pastel purple or pink?

Side note: If you haven't noticed from my daily Gwenified makeup I'm a huge fun of Ms. Stefani and I'm am so excited that I was able to share the deets with you guys!

Tough Girls Wear Floral at Cynthia Rowley

Cynthia Rowley’s Spring/Summer collection was filled with colorful, floral pieces. To balance out the femininity and poufy dresses, the hair and makeup went in the opposite direction. “Tough” was one word that Lottie, lead makeup artist from Makeup Forever, used to describe the look. Despite the fact that the girls are wearing these clothes, they’re not to be messed with. While it seemed like the models weren’t wearing a lot of makeup, their faces were full of contoured shadow with the appropriate amount of shading. Lottie began with Makeup Forever’s Invisible Cover Foundation and contoured the cheeks with eye shadow in #76 and #98 (instead of using bronzer or face powder like you’d expect) to give the skin a flawless look. The key to the look however, was to create a shadow beneath the eyebrows. She used eye shadow #17 and #98 depending on the model’s skin tone. Their lips and lids were left bare with just a hint of lip balm.

Shon, the lead hair stylist, thought this girl should have a beautiful wave in her hair, but look natural with a “sweaty” front. He started by curling each model’s hair with a triple barrel curling iron in various sizes. To hold the waves, he combed them through and sprayed with Amika’s 2 in 1 Styling Agent. He then took the hair into sections and used Amika’s Curl Defining Cream to create the “greasy” effect. To soften the look and make it seem natural, he finished by finger combing the hair. Though everyone else at Fashion Week had the sweaty hair naturally, Shon’s tip to remake the hairstyle without looking like a hot mess is to use the Curl Defining Cream starting at the top of the head at the hairline as opposed to the front. The show was beautiful and the hair and makeup added an edge to the zig zag floral prints coming down the runway.

Duckie Brown Embraces "The English Boy Look"

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the Duckie Brown showroom to watch the designers, Daniel Silver and Steven Cox, prep for fashion week. (See post here.)  Today was their big show at Industria Studios and for both events I partnered with Conair to host behind the scenes videos.

Backstage was incredibly calm.  I'm not sure if it's because it was the first day of fashion week and things were a little slow or if it's because there were more men backstage than woman and they're more of a relaxed species all together.

Cox explained his inspiration came from his recent travels to England and wanted all of the men to look like men, but like English boys.  In America, I guess you can say they looked like private school boys.  The Conair stylist used their i-Stubble to make sure any facial hair was well groomed, sideburns were trimmed and the back of the guys necks were cleaned up.

Tinted moisturizer was all the men needed on their faces.  "It gives the boys super clean skin," Lottie, the lead makeup artist from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.  To make it appear extremely sheer, she applied it with a brush and kept thinning it out on the models' faces.

Behind the Scenes: Conair Collaborates with Duckie Brown for NYFW

"It's about a man being comfortable in his own skin," Designer, Steven Cox explained about the grooming inspiration for the Duckie Brown Spring/Summer 2012 runway show that's about to take place in just a few weeks.  "No harsh lines, well groomed, yet, not over done." This is where Conair comes in.  The brand partnered with Duckie Brown and will be grooming all 24 models backstage during New York Fashion Week this September. I got a sneak peek at the behind the scenes prep at the Duckie Brown Show room in the Meat Packing District and let me tell you, groomed or not, these men wore those clothes well!

The models were all there being styled and fit by the designers walking back and forth as if they were walking the runway making sure the movement of the clothes was just right.  Even though they were stripping down left and right, all eyes were on the grooming station.  Each one came scruffy for the job and a Conair stylist tested out their new i-Stubble trimmer.

Most of the models confessed they never shave bare to the face due to fear of irritation and breakouts so facial hair is their off-the-runway look as well. Everyone was impressed by the i-Stubble for two reasons – it has a floating head that allows for easy contouring around every face shape and there's no need to change the blades, which allows for convenience.

I hosted videos for yesterday's event on behalf of Conair and will be hosting more backstage during NYFW too.  I'll share the full video as soon as I get it.  Ladies, you won't want to miss this!