It seems the statement eye is here to stay. Much like the Lela Rose makeup, Alice and Olivia CEO Stacey Bendet partnered with Stila for a look that kept the face and lips natural while creating a beautiful encrusted gold statement eye.
The makeup team prepped the models with Skin Inc products to keep their skin dewey and natural, then followed up with some Stila shimmer to highlight the cheek bones and the Stay All Day gloss in Dolce. But the real masterpiece is the eye. Stylists dab on the Stila Mag Metals shadow in Comex Gold and Gilded Gold. Instead of the glaring shine of a straight metallic, Mag Metals is flecks of gold that catch the light to sparkle rather than blind the audience. “Stacey wanted the makeup to reflect the clothes that we have,” says makeup artist Kaci Harabedian (Bendet was away at the time of the show) “It’s really about the sun beating down on you in the desert, creating that jewel tone effect on the eye. It’s really glowing and beautiful.”
The desert theme stays strong in the hair look, created by Marshall Lin. The models feature a middle part and a mid-height ponytail with volume at the back of the head. The ponytail is wrapped with braids and a few extra braids spill over into the tail itself. The look has an overall wavy, messiness that lends itself to desert glam. “To get the very dusty, dry, desert look, we put a little height on the top and then pulled a braid around the back,” says Lin. He uses Fekkai Blowout Dry Shampoo and Sheer Hold Hairspray to create that effect. Although soft spoken, the stylist is a true artist. He nailed the perfect blend of messy and glamorous that is often misconstrued on the runway.
The nails are the perfect polish on the look, pun intended. And the best part is, they couldn’t be simpler. The team prepped with a Nails Inc base coat, then added on a foil glitter coat in Buckingham Square, a rich gold tone. They used a dabbing technique rather than a straight brushstroke so that the nails show flecks of gold rather than a straight gold nail. Much like the eye detailing by Bendet, this causes a more glittery reflection than a stream of metallic when it hits the light. To top it all off they use the 45-second dry Caviar topcoat. This adds an extra bit of sparkle and keeps the foil in place. A look as simple as that is a must try at home for runway nails any day.
Photos are mine.