Makeup Favorites from New York Fashion Week Spring 2012

Last week we took a look at some of my favorite nail designs from New York Fashion Week. This week we’re moving on to makeup. There were a lot of looks to sort through from all the runway shows and presentations—some were typical spring/summer beauty fare, but there were also exciting displays of creativity on the loose.

There were a lot of clean, fresh-faced looks going around during Fashion Week. Designers Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors both stayed on the fresh-faced track. Then there were variations of this look with a bolder coral or pink lip, bold liner with a neutral lip, and even bold brows with neutral lips and eyes. Pamela Rowland went with a bold, graphic lined eye, and Joy Cioci opted for blushing cheeks and strong lips.

I am fascinated with the use of liner in this look that makeup artist Kabuki created for The Blonds, using MAC products. He used Paint Pot in Untitled as a base and highlight, and then he applied Fluidline Eye Liner Gel in Blacktrack on the upper lashline, through the crease, winged upwards, and lined underneath the eye. Then he used the Pro Shadester Sculpting Powder Pro Palette to contour the inner crease and down the sides of the nose to accentuate the entire shape of eye.

 

One of my favorite makeup artists in the entire world, Stila’s Sarah Lucero, created this mod look for the Alice + Olivia show. The inspiration for the looks was The Secret Garden and 1960’s glamour. Sarah used Stila’s In the Light Eye Shadow Palette, Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Electric, All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Carbon Black, Kajal Eyeliner in Topaz, and Convertible Color in Gerbera and Lillium. I’m a little obsessed with this look.

The likelihood that you will ever wear either of these looks into the office is slim, but I find them to be amazing displays of talent and artistry. Maybe we can pick an element here or there and work it into our routines...what do you think?

I mentioned the nails from the Diego Binetti, but this time it is the makeup that I’m calling attention to. Isn’t it amazing? Makeup artist James Vincent used carnival references, medieval hardware, circus motifs and masquerade balls as inspiration for the different looks he created for the show; two of the looks are pictured here. Lace stencils, artificial lashes and even feathers were used to create these looks that played on the idea of makeup as a mask. Well done, sir.

MAC’s Chantal Miller created another visually stunning look for the Erikson Beamon show. Inspired by the Garden of Eden, she used Pro Paint Sticks, Glitters, and Pigments, along with amazing paper lashes. I love the use of the glitter on the brows and lips and the neon shades for contouring but most of all, the paper lashes!

Next week I’ll wrap this series up with hair—beautiful, gorgeous, fluttering hair.

Read more of Carla’s musings at Product Girl.