No one does pretty quite like Lela Rose, and her S/S 2016 beauty looks are nothing short of stunning. Although the core of the look radiates sweetness, a little edge keeps it from going saccharine. 
The makeup, created by Romy Soleimani, is dewey and natural. A light pink, glossy lip and a healthy, glowing face sets the tone. But the statement is the tight black cat eye that brings a dose of sexiness to the runway. “It never goes out of style,” says Soleimani. “We’re doing quite a minimal cat eye, it’s a tight line on top and bottom.” The minimalism of the rest of the pallet emphasizes the cat eye further. The models wear no mascara, and no blush, just some light gloss on the lips and rose gold highlight on the cheeks. Skincare is important here, especially when pulling off such a minimalistic look. Soleimani uses Murad Active Radiance Serum, Murad Hydrating Toner, and Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture to keep the models at their best. With such a strong natural base, heavy makeup just isn’t necessary.
Picking up on the warm glow of the makeup, Nonie Creme created a warm metallic nail look that has pretty colors in a powerful pattern. She starts with a base of Colour Prevails “Date Night,” which is a beautiful rose gold metallic and then adds a splattered silver tip with Colour Prevails Party Girl. Instead of clashing, the tones mix together harmoniously to create an eye-catching look. When demonstrating the splatter technique, Creme dabs a thin, jagged line of polish onto the tip of the nail. It’s a light, fast gesture that creates a casual chic look of the “I just threw this on” quality. Creme’s pro tip is to dilute the base metallic with half a bottle of clear polish. “When you dilute a metallic it turns into kind of a shimmer,” she says, “It’s very beautiful.”
James Pecis, the mastermind behind the Lela Rose hair, is mainly concerned with keeping the girls edgy. With clothes as delicate and lovely as Rose’s, it’s important to keep the looks grounded. Pecis achieves this with a messy, undone knot. The hair is teased up lightly in the front and then clipped to the side and tied in two square knots in the back. “The collection is super feminine, super beautiful, very girly,” says Pecis. “With the hair I toughened things up a little, made it a little bit boyish.” He planned the knots intentionally to get the look of an updo without the strictness of a chignon or similar style. To maximize hair potential Pecis uses Alterna Haircare products such as the Bamboo Volume Uplifting Root Blast and the Bamboo Volume Weightless Whipped Mousse. To make the messy waves on the models even, he makes loose curls where necessary with a 1-inch iron.
The beauty at Lela Rose was the perfect compliment to the breathtaking collection. It maintained the pretty aesthetic of the clothes while also incorporating enough rough-and-tumble to ground the looks in every day life. The result was a perfect communion between girlish and badass.
Photos are mine.
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