Makeup artist Christelle Coquet said the inspiration for the beauty look of the show was “a schoolgirl from the last century. So they are very pure and very innocent.” She opted to create natural-looking makeup with a sun-kissed tinge. Some models also had some freckles drawn on their faces. Coquet was working with MAC Cosmetics products. — Jennifer Weil
Val Garland described the beauty look at the Elie Saab spring 2019 show as “fresh, innocent and romantic. It’s all about a tea-stained, biscuit, chocolate-y eye and a groomed brow.” Working with L’Oréal Paris products, Garland explained she used a pencil, shadow and lipstick across models’ eyelids, Infallible foundation on their faces and Back to Bronze on cheeks, for a sun-kissed effect. Lips got a rosebud stain. “We’re brushing and grooming, filling in, painting on the hairs on the brow, so you get this handsome, modern, real everyday look,” she said. — Jennifer Weil
Backstage at Stella McCartney RTW Fall 2018
Makeup artist Pat McGrath explained Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller “just really wanted simple makeup, with the girls looking very natural. Then on a few girls, [there’s] a matte, red lip.” Models’ faces were meant to appear clean. “There’s a little bit of balm on the eyelids and a little bit of mascara close to the lash, at the roots,” McGrath said of the look she described as “quite warm and beautiful.” — Jennifer Weil
Makeup artist Alex Box explained she gave models shoulders, neck or face massages so there “was really a kind of synergy between how they feel and what they radiate” — in other words, “emotional makeup.” She was working with MAC Cosmetics, too, including oils and lipsticks pressed on to cheeks with big brushes to avoid any hard lines. “Cheek color is a mixture depending on the skin tone,” said Box, adding on eyelids, she was applying a concealer about three shades darker than models’ skin, “to give a little bit of depth in the socket. Then all the highlights are actually a foundation.” Brows were brushed up and lashes curled. — Jennifer Weil
The key word to describe the makeup look of this season’s Balmain show was “purity.” “It’s pure perfection,” said Val Garland, referring to the models. “She is handsomely healthy. It’s all about a boyish brow. It’s very, very real. Think Brook Shields, beautiful, healthy skin. Very peachy. It’s not too dewy. It’s not matte. Today, she is wearing her very best self.” — Jennifer Weil
The makeup look of the show was a mash-up of something sporty, sleek and futuristic. “Some of the girls have a neon design on their ears,” said Fara Homidi. “It’s reminiscent of the neon sticks you used for sunscreen in the Eighties, but this is just reimagining that. Virgil [Abloh] really loves the girls to look like themselves, [so] we keep them looking individual, but also having a little bit of personality, a twist. They are all having a pinkish nude on their lip designed specifically for them, for their skin tone.” — Jennifer Weil
Makeup looks differed from model to model at Mugler. “The casting is quite particular – they are really faces, with character,” said Inge Grognard, who was working with Clarins products. “I want to respect the face… that was the most important.” She made some models’ eyebrows more masculine “to get away from that glamour part. Then a lot of girls only have raw skin. We have five based a little bit on glam rock.” Grognard was given images from the Seventies and Eighties to work with for inspiration. “I took out what I really could use,” she said. – Jennifer Weil
![ÒItÕs about creating a cool girl,Ó said makeup artist Lynsey Alexander, backstage at Rochas. ÒWe wanted to make a statement. WeÕreÉ[creating] this kind of fierce toughness in the face. I didnÕt want anything too traditional or Fifties, so itÕs quite a modern, graphic line,Ó she continued, referring to the design drawn on outer corners of modelsÕ eyes. ÒItÕs very straight, and you can see itÕs kind of sharpied on. ItÕs not too painfully painted on. And itÕs disconnected Ñ not a complete line. Skin is very raw and shiny. ThereÕs no mascara, no lipstick. ItÕs all about gorgeous, wet dewy skin with this graphic, disconnected line.Ó Alexander said Rochas artistic director Alessandro DellÕAcqua Òwanted something fresh, something modern Ñ that wasnÕt too traditional in the sense of it being glam-rock or anything like that. He wanted just something quite strong and tough.Ó Ñ Jennifer Weil](https://martav.shop/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/rochas-makeup.jpg?w=200)
“It’s about creating a cool girl,” said makeup artist Lynsey Alexander, backstage at Rochas. “We wanted to make a statement. We’re … [creating] this kind of fierce toughness in the face. I didn’t want anything too traditional or Fifties, so it’s quite a modern, graphic line,” she continued, referring to the design drawn on outer corners of models’ eyes. “It’s very straight, and you can see it’s kind of sharpied on. It’s not too painfully painted on. And it’s disconnected – not a complete line. Skin is very raw and shiny. There’s no mascara, no lipstick. It’s all about gorgeous, wet dewy skin with this graphic, disconnected line.” Alexander said Rochas artistic director Alessandro Dell’Acqua “wanted something fresh, something modern – that wasn’t too traditional in the sense of it being glam-rock or anything like that. He wanted just something quite strong and tough.” – Jennifer Weil
![Describing the modelsÕ look at the Paco Rabanne show, makeup artist Pat McGrath said: ÒBasically, itÕs a woman thatÕs a world traveler. SheÕs been to many, many places. SheÕs very eclectic. What weÕve done is very slightly sun-kissed skin blush. [She is] very glowing. A little bit of eye shadow around the eyes, a little mascara and a little bit of lip balm.Ó McGrath was using her own makeup line, including Lip Fetish Sheer Colour Balm in So Sexy. ÒAnd just Skin Fetish everywhere,Ó she said, adding itÕs about Òglowing beauty.Ó Ñ Jennifer Weil](https://martav.shop/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/pr-makeup.jpg?w=200)
Describing the models’ look at the Paco Rabanne show, makeup artist Pat McGrath said: “Basically, it’s a woman that’s a world traveler. She’s been to many, many places. She’s very eclectic. What we’ve done is very slightly sun-kissed skin blush. [She is] very glowing. A little bit of eye shadow around the eyes, a little mascara and a little bit of lip balm.” McGrath was using her own makeup line, including Lip Fetish Sheer Colour Balm in So Sexy. “And just Skin Fetish everywhere,” she said, adding it’s about “glowing beauty.” – Jennifer Weil
Both the fashion and beauty looks at the Jacquemus spring show took a cue from the French Riviera. “It’s pretty healthy, fresh Jacquemus girls” is how Dick Page described the models backstage, adding that they mostly had “just really fresh skin.” And some were given a pop of color — such as turquoise, coral or lime green — on their eyelids for the outdoor display. “It’s like a fantasy idea of the Riviera,” continued Page, adding he also used a tinge of mascara and lightly groomed eyebrows. The makeup artist was working with L’Oréal Paris products. — Jennifer Weil
Most of the models at the Christian Dior spring ready-to-wear show had natural, glowing skin. Kohl liner was extended on their eyes’ bottom water line. “It looks a bit like leftover makeup after a rehearsal or after a performance,” said Peter Philips, Dior’s creative and image director for makeup. “That’s the basic look. Then 10 girls had a look that’s purely inspired by Sharon Eyal…who did the choreography of the show.” Philips was fascinated by her unconventional approach to makeup that involves making a gesture, like a dance movement, which left traces on her face. “It’s very strange as a makeup artist to see somebody who applies makeup as a choreographer,” he said. “She doesn’t look at how her makeup is going to [be]. It is very poetic. It’s always different. It’s like a controlled asymmetry, and that’s what the girls have.” Philips used Diorshow Pro Liner to make the tattoolike designs on their temples. Otherwise, he applied Dior Prestige Sugar Scrub, Lip Maximizer and Backstage Face & Body Foundation; Diorskin Forever & Ever Wear Makeup Primer, and Capture Youth Glow Booster. Models’ eyebrows were slightly enhanced and their lashes curled. — Jennifer Weil
Giorgio Armani’s international makeup artist Linda Cantello debuted new products for the spring 2019 show, which was themed “Shape of Color.” “There’s a lot of pink in the collection… so I wanted to do it romantic but still strong,” she said, specifically referencing the shimmery, haloed eye makeup, which played on different textures. To wit, a pink creamy blend was applied as a base on the lids before Cantello tapped and smudged the new Eyes to Killer Stellar product in the same shade. Hitting the market in October and available in six hues, this is a high-pigmented gel that gives an iridescent — almost liquid — feel to the color.
Lips also debuted the new Ecstasy Gloss clear gloss with holographic effect, which was applied on top of the Lip Magnet liquid lipstick matching models’ natural lip color. Skin was treated with Giorgio Armani Beauty line’s Neo Nude collection, including contour, liquid blush and powder, which was brushed on top of the whole makeup as final touch. — Sandra Salibian
“Otherwordly” is the word that better describes what Lynsey Alexander had in mind for the show. This translated in a “Nineties, futuristic makeup” with iridescent and reflective textures, where eyes were the prime focus. Inspired by the collection’s color palette and using MAC Cosmetics products, she created custom-made metallic eye shadows in four different pastel tones: green, purple, blue and silver. Applied in the inner corner of the eyes, creating two “C” shapes, each layered eye shadow comprised a base of MAC stick tone, shimmery eye shadow in the same shade and the MAC Reflex Pearl applied both with fingers and a flat Mykitco brush.
“It looks very simple but there’s a lot of steps to it, and every color is different,” said Alexander. In addition, the MAC Silver Strobe Cream was applied all over the face to deliver an “oyster pearl” effect while key spots, such as the nose, upper lip and cheekbones, were highlighted with the MAC Cream Color Base in Luna tone. Lips were treated with beige and pink tones from the new MAC spring 2019 palette according to models’ skin types. — Sandra Salibian
Radiant skin was key for Lucia Pieroni, who created the natural look for the show. She prepped the models spritzing Caudalie Eau de Beauté on their face before applying the Clé de Peau foundation and concealer with a brush. Working with RMS Beauty creamy products, the makeup artist tapped the nude Utopia Eye Polish on the eyes and the Magic Luminizer on top of the cheekbones. The RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in the rose Paradise shade and plum Illusive tone added a final touch to the cheeks and lips, respectively. Lashes were curled while particular care was put to define and brush eyebrows with Anastasia Beverly Hills and MAC Cosmetics pencils. — Sandra Salibian
Lauren Parsons juxtaposed perfect skin to smudged eyeliner to mimic a just-woken-up look in the morning. Using MAC Cosmetics products, she put the black Smolder Eye Kohl in the inner corner of the eye, avoiding “taking it too far out as we don’t want it to look too sexy,” and then smudged it down to get a nonchalant effect. MAC Patent Polish lip pencils in Ruby and French Kiss tones were tapped with the fingers on the cheekbones while lips were left natural, with just a touch of MAC Dim Lip Erase lip balm applied around the outside lip line. — Sandra Salibian
There was one imperative echoing ahead of the show: “More mascara!”
Mark Carrasquillo repeated it to everyone on his team, who applied MAC Cosmetics Haute & Naughty Lash mascara on models’ top and bottom lashes multiple times. The “black and clumpy” effect wanted to be a nod to the collection’s surfer girl muse, who “just got out of the ocean,” he said.
Skin was barely treated, with only red spots covered with concealer, but freckles were drawn on the nose and cheekbones with MAC Cosmetics dark brown and taupe shaded pencils and then buried with nude powder. Pinker tones of blush were also applied to mimic the effect of “being in the sun for an hour with no sunblock on.” — Sandra Salibian
Girls traveling across Africa on safari adventures inspired Antonio Marras’ collection and beauty look, which was conceived by Tom Pecheux.
Powders in various earthy tones were mixed and brushed on the models’ eyes and upper cheeks to create sand-hued gazes.
Newly launched MAC Cosmetics products were used, including the MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Contour Palette in medium-dark tones and the MAC Studio Conceal and Correct palette in brown shades. The MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid Blinking Brilliant was applied on the lids to add a glittery effect, while lips were treated with the beigey Impulsive Powder Kiss Lipstick. — Sandra Salibian
Mascara abounded backstage at Prada, where Pat McGrath applied it liberally and multiple times to create a look focusing on “iconic, superthick, superlong lashes.”
To further enhance models’ gazes, a shadow of the lashes was created with a grayish-toned pencil on the lids and under the eyes, while eyebrows were bleached and recolored in a nude shade. Foundation and concealer were applied to give a matte finish to the skin, while lips were slightly paled down. “So there is almost like an alien quality and beauty about all of the girls, but then also it’s kind of a twist on a very conservative look, and that’s what Mrs. Prada wanted,” she said. — Sandra Salibian
“The whole luminosity and glow is the focus of the look, and the lip will stand out because of its shine,” said Peter Philips of the natural makeup look he conceived for the show. Working with Dior Backstage products, Philips treated the skin with foundation before sculpting and highlighting the cheekbones with the Contour Palette and the Glow Face Palette, respectively. Eyes were framed with shades of the warm Dior Backstage Eye Palette while eyebrows were left natural.
The Dior Addict Ultra Gloss #001 Bulle lip gloss was used as a top coat on models’ lips, with a beigy shade from the Dior Lip Palette. — Sandra Salibian
“The inspiration is South of Italy mixed with California: It’s very chill, it’s very happy,” makeup artist Tom Pecheux said ahead of the Alberta Ferretti show.
Using MAC Cosmetics products, Pecheux treated the skin with foundation and emphasized the models’ cheekbones and nose bridge by applying with his fingers a blush that mixed bronzer with copper and pink tones.
The eyes were framed with the same hues, and gold glitter and clear gloss were added for an extra-shimmering effect, giving “another texture and quality” to the whole beauty look, he noted. Lashes were curled and licked with black mascara. — Sandra Salibian
Thomas de Kluyver heated up MAC Cosmetics Face and Body foundation and used it as a concealer to heighten the look of smooth, tight skin at Jil Sander.
“It actually thickens a little bit and sort of turns into a balm texture,” he explained.
The makeup artist had already applied Skin Resurfacing Cleanser from Dermalogica, which also “smooths the skin, making it tight.”
As a final touch, de Kluyver treated models’ cheekbones with MAC Cosmetics Face and Body Mixing Medium, “which normally you’d mix colors with, but we’re using it just on its own, because it gives that nice shine on the skin.…So rather than having like a shimmery highlighter, it just gives that slightly sweaty kind of feeling.”
De Kluyver defined brows with La Palette Sourcils de Chanel and applied his favorite Dolce Vita natural lipstick from Nars to all the models.
Sander campaigns from the Nineties were the main reference: “I was interested in this idea of seeing a lot of character in the face,” he said. — Sandra Salibian
Makeup looks erred on the theatrical side; there were prosthetic lips, face painting and Eighties-style brows. “It’s very exaggerated,” said Val Garland, who added bright greens, yellows, oranges and pinks to the eyelids to create a stronger statement. – Samantha Tse
“We are doing flawless, Rubenesque skin so low flushes and with extreme show-glow highlights. There’s nothing subtle at all about this highlight,” explained makeup artist Lauren Parsons. Taking inspiration from 1930s blown glass, Parsons created an eye in peach or mint-green shadow and feathered it out so “it almost looks like you rubbed your eye with a pastel.” – Samantha Tse
Makeup artist Aaron de Mey focused on flawless and velvety skin. To make brows stand out and appear fuller, he muted down the lip and touched up the cupid’s bow with a dash of highlight. “I wanted the girls to look very rich and expensive but without looking overtly cosmetic,” he explained. – Samantha Tse
“We moved on from the joy of sex from last season to the joy of sex outside in nature so it’s about a kind of sexy girl with a beautiful but quite masculine face,” said makeup artist Lucia Pieroni. Eyebrows were the focus this season and she extended the models’ natural brow to give it a light but boyish feel. Skin was beautiful and dewy to give the models a “little flush that you would have if you were outside having sex,” Pieroni added. – Samantha Tse
Makeup artist Wendy Rowe drew from Macdonald’s muse — the sexy, gorgeous, confident and unapologetically glamorous woman — and updated the smokey eye with a wearable color trend. “The blue shade worked perfectly on all of the girls, regardless of skin tone, eye and hair color; a universal shade that added a modern, fresh feel that perfectly complemented the collection,” Rowe said. – Samantha Tse
“While it gives a nod to the Fifties, we didn’t want to do it too literally,” said lead makeup artist Diane Kendal. “[Jacobs] showed me lots of old pictures and covers from the Fifties with all of the different ways of doing color on the eyes.” Kendal gave models a wash of sheer pastel color on the eyelids, ranging in hues from purples to greens and pinks to peaches. She applied foundation over the lids as a base before sweeping on the loose pigments in shades due out next year. She complemented the shadow with brown or black eyeliner depending on the models’ skin tones. — Layla Ilchi
The hair and makeup mentality at Michael Kors was: from the beach to the club. “We talked about maintaining the individuality of each girl, but amping this idea of energy in the face,” said makeup artist Dick Page. “The girls look like they’re superactive, healthy, flushed. Four of the girls have a smudge of black eyeliner. That’s interpretation of the idea of coming off the beach and going to the club.” — Alexa Tietjen
“Urban tribes of Morocco” is how makeup artist Tom Pecheux described the look he created for the Morroccan-inspired Oscar de la Renta show. Pecheux lined the eyes with a purple kajal liner on top, and copper kajal on bottom. Said Pecheux, “The color is very turned-down, you know how under the sun in the desert everything is kind of gold and copper and at night the sky is not black, it’s midnight blue?” — Ellen Thomas
Pat McGrath created two looks for Anna Sui’s spring show, one natural and the other fantastical. “This season is very much based on escapism and wanderlust,” she said. While the natural look focused on a taupe eye shadow, McGrath created a gradient effect using yellow, orange and pink pigments that extended from the eyebrow to the cheekbones. For both looks, McGrath used her new Lip Fetish Tinted Lip Balms, which are launching at the end of this month. — Layla Ilchi
“The look today is natural, perfect, even skin,” said Cassandra Garcia, makeup artist for Bobbi Brown. “We wanted to keep the makeup slightly edgy, but we also wanted to keep the girls looking perfectly hydrated with a soft glow. The trick is not to see any texture, so it’s like no-makeup makeup, which is what we do best at Bobbi Brown.” — Alexa Tietjen
Makeup was almost nonexistent at Eckhaus Latta, save for 12 girls who received colorful marble-ized lip art by Kanako Takase, who used Kryolan’s Aquacolor paint in shades of blue and white layered over a heavy coating of MAC’s clear Lip Glass to create the look. — Ellen Thomas
Model backstage
Brandon Maxwell show, Backstage, Spring Summer 2019, New York Fashion Week, USA – 08 Sep 2018
Backstage at Monse RTW Spring 2019
“It’s a little bit Seventies with that feeling of super glamorous women,” said Diane Kendal, key makeup artist. Kendal created a greasy look for the show, applying grease paint to the apple of the cheeks and lip balm on the eyes to give the face an overall glossy sheen. Focusing on eyes, Kendal blended brown and black eyeliner on both lash lines and used Tom Ford Cream Color in Sphinx on the eyelids for a glittery effect. – Layla Ilchi
Makeup, done by Min Min Ma for Lilah B, was simple — centered around a smudgy, reddish lip. “The edges are very blurred, and her skin — right now because it’s so hot — I’m going over it with powder,” Ma said. Which lip shades were blended — b. memorable, a burgundy; b. fearless, a red; or b. daring, an orange-coral — “depends on their personality,” Ma said. “We kind of just wing it.” Marvelous Crème Foundation was used to even out models’ complexions, and terra-cotta or olive-colored eye shadow was gently pressed on lids, for depth. — Allison Collins
Beauty at Jeremy Scott was all about foil lips and understated hair. “I talked to Jeremy on Instagram and he told me the theme was about the gender-bending experimenting he did with image when he was a teenager, and he knows I did a lot of that myself,” said makeup artist Kabuki, who keyed makeup for MAC. “He suggested a foil lip and I came up with a technique of applying foil to lip to get this super high shine look.” — Alexa Tietjen
“Elevating the nonchalance of the Nineties,” is how makeup artist Lauren Parsons for Maybelline described the makeup look at the Carolina Herrera show — designer Wes Gordon’s debut as creative director. “It’s a matte beige lip, slightly darkened in the center of the mouth for a three-dimensional effect, juxtaposed with super-highlighted, shiny skin with an imperceptible contour. Essentially, it’s like you’ve had a really, really good facial.” —Ellen Thomas
Backstage at Prabal Gurung RTW Spring 2019
Francelle Daly for Nars created a monochromatic makeup look for 3.1 Phillip Lim, focusing on a nude lip using concealer. “By using [the concealer] with an eye shadow brush, you’re able to feather on the product,” she said. “You’re just lightly color-washing the lips, so it almost looks like a brown lipstick because there’s no shimmer.” On the eyes, Daly used the Nars Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base before applying a brown and beige eye shadow for a soft tint of color. Daly then looked to the new Nars Climax Mascara to finish the look, applying the product with an eye shadow brush to target all of the lashes. —Layla Ilchi
“It’s a bit like picture restoring,” said Lisa Eldridge while doing Amber Valletta’s makeup at Proenza Schouler. The Lancôme makeup artist decided to forgo foundation in favor of different types of concealers — which she applied using eyeliner brushes — and opted for a cold cream instead of a highlighter. “I want all the texture to be in the skin, the different coloration, the naturalness, but using your concealer in a clever way, so that you’re highlighting and lifting different areas, but concealing certain things,” she said. — Alexa Tietjen
For Chromat’s show, MAC lead makeup artist Fatima Thomas created three different colorful looks. “Chromat celebrates all people, all races, all body types and all ages,” she said. “When you have a wonderful and diverse casting, I think it’s fun to have more than one look because you can give each model a slightly different look on the storytelling of the season.” The three looks consisted of a blue and silver eye, a yellow and gold eye or a pink eye that was finished off with high pigment dots surrounding the eyes. Thomas applied the eye shadows on the corners of the eyes, leaving a negative space in the middle for added drama. — Layla Ilchi
Backstage at Michael Kors RTW Fall 2018
Backstage at Etro RTW Spring 2019
Backstage at Missoni RTW Spring 2019
Backstage at Missoni RTW Spring 2019