The Backstage Beauty Reporter
GLAMOUR's Beauty Assistant Sarah Jossel goes backstage at London, Milan and Paris Fashion Week, bringing you all the backstage gossip and new season trends, as they happen.
It’s that time of year again!
Yep, you guessed it: fashion week! Follow GLAMOUR’s beauty assistant Sarah as she scurries from show to show at London, Milan and Paris Fashion Week! She’ll be sharing the latest trends, backstage buzz, street styles and everything you need to know to keep you in the beauty loop. Ready, Steady… GO!
Sarah’s Survival kit:
1. Rose Petal Salve £5 Rose &Co Apothecary – “The perfect balm to keep my lips hydrated while running between the hot backstage and cold outdoors.”
www.rose-apothecary.co.uk
2. Bronzing powder in Heat £25 Nars. – “A tan touch-up throughout the day is a fashion week must! And this is the perfect shade to create a natural bronze glow.” www.narscosmetics.co.uk
3. Plum Blossom Cologne £36 Jo Malone – “A mini sized perfume that fits perfectly into my handbag and keeps my scent fresh and fruity!”
www.selfridges.com
Maria Maria
AW12 kicks off with a bang at Maria Grachvogel! Bumble and Bumble Hairstylist Mark Hampton says, "think 20s meets futuristic meets androgyny. Futuristic because it’s simple, 20s because of the bob effect and androgynous because it’s slick and off the face."
Can't live without product? Classic Hairspray, £10, bumbleandbumble.co.uk. The proof is in the picture!
GLAM’S fave hairstylist!
Show: Felder Felder
GLAMOUR's favourite Hair stylist Adam Reed was backstage at Felder Felder. "Think Kate Moss in the Jonny Depp era," says Adam. "We want it to have an expensive finish so we've created a strong deep parting and used a wand to create perfect waves. To finish we straightened the ends."
Crush Alert at PPQ!
Her name is Hannah Holman and she is rocking the catwalk in all 4 cities. Not only does she look amazing at the PPQ show but she also loves GLAMOUR!
PPQ has Nick Irwin (Tigi) doing hair and Katie Hughes (Fashionista) doing make up.
P.S. PPQ nails scream bling! Think gold glitter and hearts. (Secretly hoping this is a new season nail trend!)Nail polish used: Golden Treasure by Fasionista available at Superdrug.
LFW Day 2...
Good morning everyone! My first show is DAKS and what better way to start the day than to see Nail Expert Marion Newman!
"Using nail polish in Red Ascot (£11) Nails Inc I am doing one quick slick," says Marion. "To finish I am using a matte top coat. It should look like blush on your cheeks rather than a solid colour."
And on to the next show we go!
Pretty In Pink
Show 2... I am backstage at Clements Ribeiro and am loving the hot pink pout that the models are sporting.
"This is Vogue with a hard edge," says Bourjois Head Make up Artist Cassie Lomas. "The girls are rocking a fuschia lip and then we are keeping the rest of the look completely bare."
Millie and I are having a pink affair backstage but the Bourjois lip palette being used is not out until June so can't reveal anything yet. (Sorry!)
SAM SAYS...
30 models, the tiniest backstage and the mane man Sam McKnight is as calm as ever at Moschino Cheap n Chic.
"We created a beehive bun with a semi chignon for a touch of royalty," says Sam. "I had 60's volume in mind and played around with the incredible leather hair bands that were designed to match the belts in the collection."
Sam's Kit: Pantene Volume & Body Hairspray, £2.99 nationwide.
Bringing the House (of Holland) Down!!
With Adam Reed (for Babyliss) doing hair, Lucia Pica (MAC) doing make up and Sophy Robson (Leighton Denny) on nails... There's no surprise this look is H-O-T.
Adam used Wonderfully Wavy Texturising Spray £12 Percy And Reed selfridges.com to create a low side parting ponytail.
Lucia mixed Russian Red, Ruby Woo and Lady Danger MAC lipsticks all £13.50, maccosmetics.co.uk, together to create an ultra classic red.
Sophy painted half the models nails pink and the other half blue.
Pink: All about me £11 Leighton Denny
Blue: Captivated £11 Leighton Denny
She created an exclusive House of Holland houndstooth print (as seen in the collection) and layered it on top of the nails.
Dream team!
Say it with Glitter!
The Kinder Aggugini show is the second today where the theme is glitter (new season trend?)
"This gold glitter lip matches the gold shoes in the collection," says Sharon Dowsett Maybelline. "I used Color Sensational gloss in beige rose, £6.19, Maybelline, boots.com in beige rose to create a tacky finish. I then applied at least 6 layers of glitter and finished with swarovski crystals. The most expensive lip finish perhaps?"
Major Model Alert!
If you're 'model mad' like us you'll understand my excitement when I saw Magdalena Frackowiak backstage at Issa.
Whatever the look, the girl knows how to rock it!
She's graced over 100 catwalks from Dolce Gabbana to Chloe and walked the Victoria Secret Show in 2010.
It’s great to see a top model storming LFW catwalks!
LFW day 3... MULBERRY
"The Mulberry model is a healthy, boarding school girl," says L'Oreal Paris make up artist Mathias Von Hooff. "I used 3 lipsticks (sweet berry, dating coral, nude ingenuine, all L’Oreal Paris lipsticks, £7.99) mixed together on the cheeks in a round shape. I didn't sweep it to the temples as it should look like they've been running in the playground... A natural windswept finish."
PS loving the model Hedvig! (She's the one with berry lips!)
The Show Dog!
After speaking to Sam McKnight backstage at Mulberry I saw the rug moving in the corner of my eye.
But when it started wriggling I quickly learnt that the rug is in fact Missy the puppy who may just make an appearance on the catwalk!
I considered myself to be average height until I walked into the Nicole Farhi show. I'm in heels... and look how tall the models are at the show!
Minx with Marion
You can always expect a statement look at Westwood so no surprises that Marion is minx-ing the nails with random gravel/ grey transfers and tattoo symbols.
"The girls are in a street gang," says Newman. "But not in a scary way. Think hard but gorgeous!"
Just waiting for Val Garland to arrive. But I've seen models with symbols of the alchemists on their necks and knuckles!
Join the Gang...
I couldn't help but want to be in the Westwood gang!
Last season we saw neons and flashes of colour at Westwood. "AW12 is all dusty earthy tones," says Val Garland (MAC) "I've used a lip pencil in mahogony (£10.50, MAC) with foundation on the lips. And then dusted them with studio fix C5 to give them a matte finish."
Talk to the hand...
Another pic from Vivienne Westwood. Not too much to say except for how cool is this!
Travelling in Style... (and in heels!)
What better way to get around town than our very own Vivienne Westwood Cheeky Alice fragrance taxi. It also means I can now wear heels to the shows and (attempt) to fit in with the fashion crew!
A special shout out to Mark - the taxi driver! The nicest, friendliest chap with the biggest smile. Not to mention his success rate at getting us to every show in perfect time.
Cheek Alice eau de toilette £32 Vivienne Westwood – selfridges.com
Mark... we heart you!
Unique C'est Chic!
"The collection is a lot more chic and sophisticated for AW12" says make up artist Hannah Murray. "I've worked on skin perfection using Glow Pot (£9) Topshop on all the highlighted areas and I used lipstick in Nevada (£8) for a subtle lip tint."
Have a look at Unique SS12 to see how the collection, hair and make up has totally changed direction!
LFW Day 4!
7:30am call time and the girls are eating cupcakes and drinking coffee backstage at Antonio Berardi.
Gucci Westman (Revlon makeup artist) describes the look as ‘handsome beauty’, "androgynous yet polished," she says. Jenni Longworth (Revlon nail expert) used Nail Enamel in Fashionista (£6.49 at boots.com) which is a deep teal. "We chose this shade as it runs through the collection."
Pic: Gucci working her magic with only a few hours sleep. Coffees for everyone today!
Caught Blue Handed!
"Remember the girl that all the boys fancy and all the girls are scared of? Well this is her," says L'Oreal Paris hair stylist Paul Hanlon. "We are dip-dying the hair with water-based make up, which washes out for the next show! For a textured tousled look I'm using Studio Line Curl Power Spray £3.56 L’Oreal Paris.”
"She's super cool - in a Pringle kind of way!" adds Paul.
Get Graphic!
"The lighting at the Erdem show is graphic and harsh so I created a skin texture that the light will bounce off,” said Nichola Joss. “I started with body butter on all exposed skin and then used Skin Illuminator (£15.32, St Tropez) everywhere. It gives an all over radiance and glow - I call it amethyst skin!"
Pic: The fab Nichola Joss herself!
Playing with fire!
"Giles burnt the dresses with Bunsen burners," says hairstylist Paul Hanlon. "So we used the bits of burnt fabric to make messy bows in the girls’ hair."
Pauls kit:
Relaxing Balm, £13.75 and Sleek Blowout Cream, £14.50 both Label M at lookfantastic.com
David Barton Backstage!
Look who we spied backstage at Mark Fast. It's David - our favourite nail guru working his magic with Maybelline.
"I'm creating mannequin nails to match the models’ seamless skin (by Sharon Dowsett)" says David. "I painted on two coats of Forever Strong Pro Nail Polish in Ivory Rose, £3.09, Maybelline New York, boots.com, and finished with a topcoat."
And one subtle detail... David’s painted the half moon of the nail bed in gloss and the rest in matte!
Want to book in with David himself? Call... Percy and Reed on 020 7637 4634
Giles
Between designer Giles and the stylist of the show, Katie Grand; they bring in the top of the crop models!
Here is Doutzen Kroes and Lindsay Ellingson!
Giles
Sleeping models pre show!
More from Giles...
The make up by Lucia Pieroni (MAC).
Lucia’s Inspiration? Sleepy hollow – the film directed by Tim Burton!
'If David Koma was a dog he would be a greyhound' - the inspiration.
"She's dangerous and ready to charge," says Stila makeup artist Sarah Lucero. "I wanted to create a strong purple/blue lip so I mixed Pomegranate Crush Lip and Cheek Stain, £14, with Smudge Crayon Waterproof Eyeliner in Midnight Blue, £14, all by Stila."
Marion Newman minxed the girls with mini greyhound faces and Kenna (GHD) used a dog collar accessory to secure a slick back ponytail.
Finish LFW with a bang!
1 city, 5 days and 39 shows. Even if I felt in the slightest bit tired I knew I could count on Meadham Kirchhoff to wake me up!
Florrie White (MAC) was airbrushing paint on to the models faces and spraying Kryolan glitter while James Pecis (Bumble & Bumble) used wigs, hair paint and more backcombing than I thought possible to create caricatures of the girls. Their inspiration? Drag queens!
Before the girls walked on they were told, "If you don't dance and go crazy when you're on the catwalk you're gonna look stupid." No pressure then!
Finish LFW with a bang!
James Pecis at Meadham doing finishing touches in the line up!
Milan Fashion Week begins!
MFW day 1 and first stop is Max Mara. Its 8am and the girls are eating brownies and sipping on orange juice.
So I start with Luigi Murenu (John Frieda.) His hands are flapping and he's chatting away in Italian to the press. My first thought? This might be tougher than I anticipated. But before I knew it Luigi/fashion-week-hair-guru switches to English and says he knows the score and he always does it in both languages!
"Me, Carine (Roitfeld) and Tom (Pecheux) wanted to create dark glamour," says Luigi. "So the hair is dominant, slick and masculine in the front and then two beautiful braided rosettes at the back."
His must have product: John Frieda Luxurious Volume mousse, £5.59, Boots nationwide.
Beauty Crush!
Every season there are a few girls who stand out from the rest. Backstage at Blugirl Tara Jean was singing away and looking totally gorgeous. Hello new beauty crush!
Hairstylist Enrico Mariotti (Pantene) created low side plaits. "I'm using excess hair spray so that the braid doesn't move. It's the perfect contrast to this floaty collection."
Next shot is Tara Jean face on!
Tara Jean!
Why has Blugirl gone for neutral make up?
"This collection has everything from red and black tartan to pastels," says Gordon Espinet (MAC). "I've stayed away from colour as it was bound to clash with the collection at some point."
Boy Pretty at Ermanno Scervino!
The title may not make sense on its own but hairstylist Franco Gobbi (Moroccan Oil) explains "the very low side parting and the updo makes them look androgynous and boyish from the front. But on the sides we are using hair accessories and when the girls are lined up, we are tying long pleated ribbons around the bun at the back of the head."
Boy from the front... And pretty from the back! Luigi said something similar at Max Mara. I spy a new trend!
A fashion Moment!
I know I'm supposed to be reporting the beauty trends but I had to ask Arizona Muse where her amazing shoes are from. They're Jason Wu and they are her favourite shoes of the season.
Ok back to beauty!
Fashionably Late!
It's 10 minutes ‘til show time and a blonde girl with gelled down hair and silver eye make up, dressed in loose jeans and a black sleeveless t-shirt comes running in to the Ermanno Scervino backstage.
Someone shouts "Cara's here!" And backstage claps.
In the midst of scoffing down a backstage sandwich, Cara Delevingne has hair and make up done all at once. While the hair stylists ask Cara to put her chin down, the make up team ask her to tilt her head up. Good Luck Cara!Next show... Prada
The Princess Wears Prada
"Miuccia Prada wanted the girls to look like virtual princesses," says the supreme team Guido Palau (Redken) and Pat McGrath. "A major step away from all reality."
For Guido this meant creating something perfect and simple but with no emotion. "The key is dead straight hair," explains Guido. "I've added extensions in red, black and white." Why? He felt it made them look like they've just stepped out of a computer."
Take a look at the model behind Natasha Poly to see one of Guido's finished looks.
Guido's go-to products? Redken Thickening 06 (£10.75) and Iron Silk 07 (£15.15, both available at www.redken.co.uk)
MFW Day 2
An early start in Milan with an 8am call time for Moschino!
"All the girls either have a 60's chignon with a large bow or a tiny French twist with a cowboy hat," says Odile Gilbert.
Tom Pecheux (MAC) created a retro, winged out flick on the top lid. "The girl is quirky," says Tom. "I used MAC Blacktrack Fluidline (£14) with lots of mascara piled onto the top lashes and nothing on the bottom lashes."
Tom's Tip: Applying mascara on the top lashes lifts the eye and gives a widening effect.
Here is model of the moment Lindsey Wixson showcasing the look!
Handsome Brows
Bleached, bushy or even orange (a la Prada.) Brows have been the talk of the season at almost every show... and it's no different at Etro!
"I'm giving the girls handsome masculine brows," says Charlotte Tilbury (MAC) "I used Carine Roitfeld's brows as inspiration. We're filling in the arches and making a boyish statement."
Designer Water...
Would you expect anything less from Etro?
I Love Rock n' Roll
And so does Charlotte Tilbury! Yep, it's make up maestro Miss Tilbury again. This time she's channelling The Rolling Stones/Marianne Faithfull.
"The Iceberg girl loves to party," says Charlotte. "I'm creating a smokey eye using an eye pencil in coffee (£12.50) MAC around the lash line and a black liner on the inner rim."
Surprised that Daphne Groeneveld's cut a fringe? That means Paul Hanlon has done his job! "All the girls are wearing fake fringes. I want them all to have sexy bed head hair with sweeping messy bangs." (Paul's taking the hair down right before the show!)
Party Rockers in the House!
Supermodel Spot
THE Anja Rubik backstage at Emilio Pucci.
Ferragamo
... And another amazing braid at Ferragamo
Spotted!
Sigrid Agren working a bold brow backstage at Ferragamo.
Missoni
"The girls are turning up with bleached brows from past shows," says Lucia Pieroni (MAC) "I'm reversing that by drawing on long, straight, statement brows!"
The Milan Update!
To sum up the beauty at Milan Fashion Week I would say it's all about the 3 B's: Braids, Bangs and Brows. From the braided rosette buns at Maxmara to the ethereal plaited halos at Ferragamo (both by Luigi Murenu), braids are in the lead to be a key hairstyle for AW12.
And while Guido Palau cut blunt short fringes at Versace; Paul Hanlon styled up a storm with sweeping bangs at Iceberg and long, full fringes at Marni. All 3 looks were completely different and utterly gorgeous at the same time!
Finally, boyish brows. "Brows are the pillars of your face," says Charlotte Tilbury. "Androgynous, sexy, handsome brows are a big trend this season." Lucia Pieroni agreed as seen at Missoni and Tom Pecheux was on the same brow page at Marni and Ferragamo.
Stay tuned for updates from Paris!
My 5 favourite moments of Paris Fashion Week... so far! #PFW
It's the final stint of Fashion Week - the key industry experts have shared their inspirations and predicted their top trends for the season ahead. We've spotted major models, discovered new beauty crushes, filled 2 entire note pads, lost about 13 pens and have fallen in love with at least 10 new products. Our thoughts? We have a lot to look forward to for AW12!
Click to see some of our favourite Paris moments...
1. The Girl in the Clay Mask
It’s 8am at Haider Ackermann and our initial thought is... Can this really be the look? Even Karlie Kloss (in the pic) is not pulling it off!
"The girls are wearing these clay masks for 20 minutes and then we are cracking it off," says makeup artist Stephane Marais. "The result? The skin has a gorgeous glow without any shine. We are working to create a pale, powdery, matte texture that oozes radiance."
Click here to see the final Haider look!
2. Vivienne and Val!
It's 30 minutes before showtime and Vivienne Westwood makes an appearance backstage at her show. The decadent and ultra-glam dame strolls over to Val Garland's working area to gives her the thumbs up.
Val told us the inspiration is a Botticelli painting. Our thought? It's a work of art. Tres gorgeous!
Click here to see the look
3. The Rocker Rykiel Girl! Pt I
"The girls are really cool, so I want the make up to look worn," says makeup artist Dick Page. "I mixed eyeshadows in Angel and Caviar, (Shiseido £20.50) together for a sultry, sexy finish. In the line up I'm adding Beneficiance Lip Treatment (Shiseido £32) to the eyelids to give an oily, lived in feel."
3. The Rocker Rykiel Girl! Pt II
I asked Cara Delevingne to channel her inner rock chick... and this is what she came up with!
4. We Heart Issey Miyake!
At most shows there are scribbles and big X's all over the model board. At Issey Miyake each girl is perfectly circled in red hearts. And guess what? We are feeling the Issey Miyake love!
"The girls are super natural," says Lucia Pieroni. (MAC) "We used Brit Wit Crèmeblend Blush, (MAC £17.50) on the cheeks for a natural flush and a clear lipgloss on eyelids and cheekbones. This gives a luminous, reflective finish!"
5. She's All Grown Up Now!
"The Kenzo girl is much more sophisticated this season," says make-up artist Yadim. “She’s working a couture flick on the eye and a very expensive (but cool) deep red lip."
Yadim's must-haves for the graphic eye liner look are:
1. Blacktrack fluidline (£14) MAC
2. A #226 brush, MAC
What do we think? Major bombshell alert!
The Valli Girl!
"Think of a New York club in the late 80's blasting out techno music," says Val Garland backstage at Giambattista Valli. "I want the eyes to be icy white so I've used lots of white eyeliner on the inner rim and along the outer edges of the eye."
When Val told us she's not using any mascara we asked what she thought of the 'no mascara' look. Her reply? "Every woman should wear it! It's a look that should only be seen on the catwalk."
"Think Young Kate Moss..."
Is what make up artist Aaron De Mey said at Chloe. "My inspiration is Corinne Day's photographs of Kate Moss in the early 90's."
"Everything is very minimal. Just touches of concealer where needed rather than a full face of foundation," says Aaron. "Also, I want the brows to be the focus of the face. (Hello brow trend!) If they have bleached brows we are giving them back their colour and brushing them up with brow set gel (price) MAC.
... Oh to be the Chloe girl!
Take us to Tokyo!
Well not literally... But a Harajuku town called Shibuya in Tokyo was the main inspiration for Vanessa Bruno. "There are pops of electric colour in the collection so we have picked purple extensions for the blonde girls and green for brunettes," says hair stylist Odile Gilbert. "My go-to product to build up texture for this look is Super Dust (price) L'Oreal Professional."
It's All Happening At Hakaan!
We're backstage at Hakaan and have spotted Constance Jablonski, Joan Smalls and Lindsey Wixson to name a few!
Hairstylist Paul Hanlon had an 80's boyish image in his head for the Hakaan hairdo. "It's graphic and slicked back into a tight bun," says Hanlon. "I want it to look like a short haircut rather than an updo."
Charlotte Tilbury concentrated on strong, thick, boyish brows (again!) "I've used Mink brow set (£11.50) MAC and brow pencils in lingering and spiked (£11.50) MAC," says Charlotte.
The Supermodel Line Up!
There's normally the odd major model dotted around, but at Hakaan the top-of-the-crop catwalk queens were everywhere! Here is Lindsey Wixson, Liu Wen, Anja Rubik and Constance Jablonski all in one line having their make up done.
Face Painting at Valentino!
"I really concentrated on the skin," says Pat McGrath. "I'm applying 3-in-1 foundation by Max Factor with a paintbrush all over the face. I love this product as it has a primer included and gives high coverage and a matte finish." We have total skin envy back here - it's complexion perfection all round!
Two words to describe AW12? Pat says it's all about Iconic Beauty.
Click for more pics from Valentino...
In It to Pin It!
Just as we were getting used to the tough, slick, bad-boy trend, hair guru Guido Palau creates one of the prettiest dos of AW12 at Valentino.
"It's feminine and pretty," says Guido. "In true Valentino style, we've done braids and rolls and this season we are doing the twist!"
Our favourite part about it? "It's easy to do at home," says Guido. "You just twist the front sections and pin it at the back making sure the crown is flat. I love it because it can be imperfect."
So come on girls... Time to do the twist!
Let's twist again...
Here is a close up of the Valentino hair!
