The AW13 Backstage Beauty Reporter - Paris
GLAMOUR's Junior Beauty Writer Sarah Jossel goes backstage at Paris Fashion Week AW13 to bring you all the latest hair and beauty trends, hot off the catwalk.
Rex Features#PFW
Paris is known as the city of love. But over the next week, there will be a different kind of love. More like an infatuation, a lust for all things beauty, fashion and style. So this is it! Our beauty reporter's last stop on her Fashion Week marathon. Keep checking in for all the backstage beauty updates and say bonjour to your new beauty crushes…
#beautyreporter
Twitter:@sarahjossel / [/b]@GlamourMagUK
Instagram:@Sarahjossel / @GlamourUK
Day 1 - Roland Mouret
What better way to kick off Paris Fashion Week than with French fashion designer, Roland Mouret. Famous for his figure-hugging, dreamy dresses; we're just a tad excited to see what backstage has in store...
"For make-up think 1983, The Hunger, Catherine Deneuve," says our favourite make-up artist, Val Garland. At this point she turned her head and pleaded to her team to hurry up. "Sorry ladies, we have eight girls that have just arrived and it’s 30 minutes until showtime," explains Val.
"The look is all about the eyes. We're smudging NARS Eye Paint in Black Valley (coming Autumn 2013) across the lid for a lived in feel. We're dabbing and blending it so that it doesn't look too perfect."
We soon found out that like make-up, Catherine Deneuve was the inspiration for hair too. "We're slicking hair back into a French twist," says Orlando Pita for Moroccan Oil. "It’s really important that it’s ultra slick and pulled tight off their faces. The clothes are precise with clean silhouettes, and I want the hair to have the same feel."
Some hair loving...
"After what the girls hair have been through over the last month, we're using Moroccan Oil hair treatment (from £12.85) on the ends," says Orlando. "It's fair to say they deserve some tress TLC."
Nail Art Alert!
You'll never guess who the inspiration was for nails? Yes, it’s Catherine Deneuve (again!)
Fake nails were pre painted in Chanel Rouge Noir (£18). "The idea of the pattern comes from the slits in the collection," says nail expert Anatole Rainey. Our thoughts? Chic, so chic.
Day 1 - Issey Miyake
"It's all going up on top of the head," says Eugene Soulieman for Wella.
"The look starts with a high ponytail and then we're looping it. Each girl is slightly different - we're pulling strands out to create a wispy, airy effect."
Eugene finished by saying, "it's a nod to goth in an 80s ethereal way."
Ethereal Beings
"We're sketching linear streaks of lights on the cheekbones," explains Lucia Pieroni.
Lucia's go-to kit:
MAC Pink Opal Pigment (£16.50)
MAC Strobe Cream (£22.50)
MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush (£22)
Art Attack
Drawing a perfect straight line can be a challenge at the best of times. Imagine the pressure of sketching not one, but two perfect symmetrical lines on each cheekbone.
From rulers and credit cards to business cards and any other straight lined objects - the tools used backstage at Miyake was anything but the usual.
Day 1 - Vanessa Bruno
You know those girls who have effortless, sleek, shiny hair... And that makeup where there's definitely some there - but you're not quite sure where - basically the cool girl who you really want to be? Welcome to Vanessa Bruno; where that chic, French coolness comes so naturally.
Double Act
The term 'dream team' is thrown around a lot during fashion week. But for AW13 Eugene Souleiman and Lucia Pieroni really are this season's power couple. From Issey Miyake to Haider Ackermann and now Vanesa Bruno - these two can be held responsible for what hair and makeup we will all be rocking over the next season.
No pressure then!
"Often we're trying to get that sun kissed look, but today I want the girls to look healthy kissed," explains Lucia. "These cool French girls have beautiful skin with a bit of shine where light would naturally hit." Scroll down to see Lucia's top picks:
Lucia went on to say that the products she's using at the Vanessa Bruno show are in fact her favourite products to use on herself. So take note...
The lowdown on Lucia's top picks:
MAC Technakohl Liner in Graphblack (£14) - smudged under the lash line.
MAC Eye Pencil in Coffee (£13.50) - along the waterline.
MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork (£14.50) - as an eyeshadow and for contouring cheekbones.
MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush (£26) - for blending
Day 2 - Haider Ackermann
Go Back To Your Roots
If you're the Haider girl that's exactly what you're doing. But with a twist...
"She's a bleached blonde babe; her hair’s grown out and her roots are showing," says Eugene Souleiman for Wella. "The texture is flat, messy and matte; and the story behind the hair? She's snuck out and had a good time," says Eugene with a wink.
Backstage buzz: It took 3 days and 3 nights to colour the extensions.
We spotted this model having extra fun with the Haider hair look.
And kudos to her for having the energy at 8am on a weekend!
"Haider showed me a picture of James Dean," says Lucia Pieroni for MAC.
"The clothes all have a masculine feel so I've gone for a strong brow. We're drawing them in, brushing them up and making them darker." Lucia gave the girls a healthy flush and brought up MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork (£14.50) again; reminding us that it's the one product she can't live without this season. "The final step is a slick of eye gloss on the lids."
The round up: Pretty makeup and punk hair - Haider Ackermann never fails to disappoint!
Day 2 - Vivienne Westwood Gold Label
Major Nail Alert
"All the girls are sporting ultra long, blue, transparent nails by Nail Rock," says the fabulous Marian Newman. "Vivienne Westwood said she had a vision of colour tinted, glass windows and that's what we've recreated on the nails today."
There's a medieval madness backstage at Westwood today. "Vivienne did so much research for hair and makeup; she was really involved,” says Sam McKnight for Pantene. "She referenced some strong medieval styles; so we played with the number of braids and how we could create something that has the Westwood stamp on it."
And oh how he succeeded! Sam was braiding the hair and wrapping fabrics from the collection and plastic garment bags through the plaits. His key product? Pantene Volume Mousse (£3.69). He started by smoothing it through the hair to get some texture. He explained that the braids wouldn't have worked if the hair was too silky."
Face Painting
Do you remember last season when Val Garland painted heart shaped faces onto the girls? Well this season is no less of a statement. "Today its David Bowie meets medieval," says Garland. "We're using white, pale blue and lilac matte shades as the base for skin, taking back the brows and then adding a wash of bright colour around the eyes. It can be anything from acid green to bright cyan. It’s fun isn't it?" asks Val. Yes, Val... Fun is the perfect word to describe it!
Day 3 - Kenzo
Yesterday the brilliant Marian Newman gave us some advice. "If there's one show you should come to tomorrow, its Kenzo. We've spent so much time on the nail prep, it will be worth it."
Enough said. When the queen of nails has spoken, there is only one possible outcome. We obey.
And no word of a lie, the nails were genius. "We're painting all the nails in a glossy black nail shade. When they're semi dry, depending on what they're wearing, we're dipping a cotton bud into different shades of Mac Pro Pigment (£16.50) and sprinkling onto the nails.
Top Tip: don't add a topcoat. It loses the striking pigment effect.
Sunday 8am call time? Totally worth our while!
"You know how a liner on the top lashline looks glamorous and chic?" Asks the legendary makeup artist Aaron De May. "We've gone for the complete opposite." Aaron wanted an aggressive winged out, matte black line along the lower lashes. "And then I'm contrasting the harsh line with soft illuminated skin and glossy lids. There's a definite play on shine vs matte and soft vs harsh."
Aaron gave a shout out to Mac Lip Glass (£13). He's never seen a product that gives such a glossy effect.
We're loving the Kenzo shawls that were given out to keep the girls warm in the line up.
The Kenzo girls killing it.
Strike a pose!
And look.. Our two favourite things (coffee and clothes) come together to make us happy. Very very happy.
It's coffee o'clock. See you all at the next show.
Day 3 - Chloe
Meet this season's double act who are responsible for creating the Chloe girl, aka the coolest girl around town.
It's hairstylist Anthony Turners first time on Chloe soil. As for Diane Kendal? We welcome her back for another season of makeup magic.
Moodboard to Model
Every season the Chloe girl is effortlessly beautiful, but it's a gamble as to whether she's ultra-girly or has a more androgynous feel.
This season? All-out healthy tom boys. The key feature is a bold brow. "We're filling them in and winging them out. We've kept skin clean and fresh; and there's no mascara or lip today," says Kendal.
The good news for us? It's never been so easy to be a Chloe girl!
"It's my first time doing the hair at Chloe so I've decided to switch it up a little," says Anthony Turner. "In past seasons, whether it was up or down, Chloe tresses were always soft and pretty." Not when Anthony's in charge! He tells us "It’s a stronger, masculine feel today. We're blowdrying hair into a low ponytail and using a mason Pearson brush to sweep hair into a low side parting."
And that's a Chloe wrap!
Day 4 - Sacai
Trend Alert: Real Girls
The natural beauty theme that begun at Vanessa Bruno and Isabel Marant, continued through to Chloe and Stella McCartney is at yet another show - Sacai. It may be one of the less well-known designers, however with Diane Kendal for MAC on makeup and Guido Palau for Redken on hair. The look is on par with the top of the crop.
Moodboard to Model: Sacai
"This look is ultra-simple," says Diane Kendal. "We're squeezing Embryolisse (spelling) onto a cotton bud and smoothing it onto the eye lids and up through the brows." Diane went on to say it's not the same as Chloe. "While they're both inspired by natural beauties, Sacai has a slightly more raw feel. It's a greasy eye, matte skin and we're taking down the lip. Brows are being brushed up for a spiky effect and there's a touch of Blush in Tenderling (£17.50) MAC for a healthy glow."
Day 4 - Maiyet
Down To Earth
And we mean that quite literally... "The collection is Himalayan inspired, so we're playing with earthy colours; greys, beiges, brown's etc," explain Mr Tom Pecheux. "The main focus is the eyes. I want the colour on the lids to look like clay in regards to texture and hue. Skin, lips, cheeks - It's all ultra-matte; it should have that dusty feel."
Tom walks off and we hear "the girls are looking too pretty."
If only we had such problems?
And here's Tom keeping everyone entertained. "These girls are just too too pretty..."
New Product Alert
Marian Newman always has exciting things up her sleeves. But the news she shared at Maiyet? Pretty huge! "Today I'm painting nails in Kure Bazaar nail polish in Sofisticato (£14.95) available at Selfridges," says Newman. Are you wondering why we're so excited? Patience patience... "This brand of polish is 85% natural. It contains the likes of potato, corn, wheat and cotton; it has a huge reduction in it's use of chemicals and it strengthens and smooths out nails."
So basically... You can finally detox nails in colour!! - That deserves two exclamation marks, right?
Spotted: GLAMOUR's favourite nail guy sleeping on the job.
Bumping into David Barton on foreign ground makes us feel like we're at home.
We heart you DB x
"Think natural with a hippy feel to it," says hairstylist Orlando Pita. "The Maiyet designers gave us these amazing braided headbands; we're sliding them on and then tonging mid lengths to ends. It should have a matte, dusty texture, so we're sprinkling in mattifying powders."
Dusty hair, beige nails, clay-like makeup - it appears this team all had the same idea.
Day 4 - Giambattista Valli
It appears that becoming a Valli girl this season may be easier than we anticipated. "The reference today?" Asks Val Garland for MAC. "There isn't one! Today it's about that girl you see every day on the tube." Does she mean us?
"Skin is the priority. We're creating a satin finish with MACs amazing mineralize foundations (from £24). The other main focus is the precise slick of MACs new eye glosses in mother of pearl. I'm applying it with a MAC #212 brush (£17) from the corner of the eyes tilting slightly upwards." For darker skin girls Val's using the same product in black sea.
Attention To Detail
"Like the collection, the hair is all in the detail," explains hair guru Orlando Pita. "There shouldn't be one hair out of place. We're slicking it back with a comb (as demonstrated by Orlando himself,) and making sure the ends are ultra-straight and blunt - we've even had to use extensions on some of the girls to get a polka straight effect."
Orlando's Backstage Tip: Use hairspray to slick hair back. Most people would think gel is best, but that makes hair so wet you can see the scalp. L'Oreal Air Fix Hairspray (£9.80) gives a subtle slick finish.
Day 4 - Emanuel Ungaro
Keeping it Simple
"It's really not about the hair today," says Guido Palau for Redken. "The clothes make enough of a statement without major hair too."
Guido used Satinwear 02 Redken (£13) as a heat protector. He blow-dried hair with a large round brush and set it in rollers. To finish, he brushed it out, used his fingers to give it a matte texture; and gave all the girls natural, messy middle partings.
Golden Eye
"You must understand that even though this look is about a golden eye; it's supposed to be a very sheer, fine layer," says Tom Pecheux with a very serious expression. "Nothing heavy or too bling."
And may we take this moment to announce a new product on its way to a counter near you... MAC Fluidline in Gold. Get ready to shimmer and shine.
We're not done just yet! There's more to the Ungaro look than just the gorgeous, gold lids.
"I'm using two lipsticks to play with texture and light," says Tom. "First I'm sweeping on mauve nude lipstick mac across the lips. But then I'm doing something which has become a regular backstage trick of mine. I'm dabbing runway hit lipstick mac (£14) onto the centre of the lips. Why? It brings life to lips; it gives a fresh, more juicy finish."
And for us that's another pro trick under our belts.
Fashion Week Delirium
We wake up early, have the odd bad hair day and get the occasional, unwanted skin gripe. For the models? That's just not allowed. Here's the stunning Andreea Diaconu having some backstage fun. She said she's bored of posing so seriously and wants to show GLAMOUR her favourite funny face. Imagine looking like that when not trying to look pretty?
Sweet Delights
Now we know this is a beauty blog. But how can we not share this with you? At the end of every long (and we mean long) day, a pick-me-up is needed. And here are our top 4 sweet delights:
Macaroons
A HUGE bowl of chocolate mousse
Custard and jam croissants
Mille Feuille
And back to beauty we go!
Day 5 - Valentino
It's day 5 of Paris fashion week, but it's also the final day of the AW13 shows for us. Where has the time gone?
But before we head home we still have some work to do. And first up it's Valentino.
"They're supposed to look like master portraits of themselves," explains makeup maverick Pat McGrath for Max Factor. "All the girls should look like themselves, but that little bit more beautiful."
Who would've thought these girls could get any more beautiful!
The Natural Beauty How To:
Be excited. Very excited. Max Factor is launching a new foundation that gives a flawless matte coverage. "Whipped Creme Foundation Max Factor is the key product today," says Pat. "We're smoothing it all over for the perfect base, and then adding a touch of miracle blush (£6.99) in soft pink onto the apples of the cheeks. We're actually dabbing a touch of foundation on top of the blush so that it gives an ultra-subtle pinky flush. Once we've perfected the skin, we're adding a slick of clump defy mascara in brown onto the lashes, sweeping a white shade across the top lashline and using master touch concealer under the eyes to cover up any signs of exhaustion.
Result? Runway ready natural beauties!
Guido Palau told us at Ungaro that sometimes simple is best when it comes to hair. And it seems that feeling has stuck. "Today is a simple, beautiful plait," says Palau. "The girls should look like they're in a Dutch portrait; we're working with that classic Valentino aesthetic. In other words, the girl that everyone wants to be."
The Valentino hair how to:
1. Smooth satinwear 02 (£15) into damp hair as a heat protector.
2. Blowdry hair straight and form a middle parting with a Mason Pearson brush. There shouldn't be any volume in the hair.
3. Comb hair over your left shoulder and plait from around your chin downwards. Tie with an elastic
4. Tuck hair behind ears and slide on the leather band designed by Valentino. (or a band of your choice if you're doing it at home.)
5. Finish with a slick of Diamond Oil Redken (coming soon) to tidy up any flyaways.
And here's the final look modelled by Monika Jagaciak aka Jac.
Unlike the natural makeup and simple hair, nails followed a different route:
The glossy statement red is Essie nail polish in forever yummy (£7.99).
The Chanel Scoop
Sadly we can't get backstage access at Chanel. (sob!) BUT we did catch a few models rushing from Chanel to Valentino.
The girls told us that makeup artist Peter Phillips stuck down individual glitter flecks along the lashline and their nails were painted in bright red.
Oh, and that they each got a gift from Chanel (as seen in this picture.)
And that sadly is all we can tell you!
Day 5 - Hakaan
Moodboard to Model
"All the makeup stays within a nude palette," says Charlotte Tilbury, while closing one eye to check Catherine McNeil's makeup is even. "The look has that mannequin effect. I'm completely concealing the centre of the face and contouring under the cheekbones with Sculpting Powder in Sculpt MAC (£17.50); I'm also taking down the lips. But the main focus of the look is the mac eye glass (coming soon) across the lids and up to the brows."
Charlotte Tilbury finishes by telling us it's a real play on textures. Especially matte vs shine.
Here's a better look at the dual textured makeup look. Glossy eyes vs matte skin.
Major Model Alert
Not that we're name droppers or anything but look! It's THE Catherine McNeil, THE Cara Delevingne and THE Lindsey Wixson.
A little bit major right?
Hakaan Hair
The dual textured theme seen over in makeup followed through to hair. "Matte vs glossy," says Paul Hanlon while backcombing furiously. "On the one side there's a candy floss, over-processed feel. But on the other side, we're slicking it back with Hold and Gloss Label M (£11.75) for a wet look."
Not that the over processed look is one we want, but Paul backcombed, brushed and flat ironed the hair several times to get a crinkled effect. "Do not call it crimped hair though. I repeat it is not crimped," says Paul jokingly.
And because it was her last show of the season, GLAMOUR's beauty reporter swapped her backstage pass for a front of house Hakaan ticket.
How amazing is that chandelier? We could get used to life on the catwalk!
We're used to hanging around big models. But ladies of this calibre? Well that took us to a whole new level of frenzy.
Here we have:
Emmanuelle Alt - Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris.
Carine Roitfeld - Former Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris and Global Fashion Director of Harper's Bazaar.
Anna Dello Russo - Editor at large of Vogue Japan.
And most importantly the dog - who is Anna's must-have accessory for the front row.
And so... This brings us to the end. 4 cities, 4 weeks and 74 shows - we hope you've had as much fun reading our blog as we've had writing it.
It's been a brilliant season with a whole new set of beauty rules. So start experimenting and having fun!
And until next season,
Your Beauty Reporter XOXO
