NY Fashion Week Spring 2011: Aveda Backstage at Christian Siriano

let the beautiful madness begin-- fashion week for the spring/summer season is underway, beauties! so much is going on, but i will do my best to bring you the best hair and beauty as the week progresses. so, here we go...




Aveda lead stylist Antoinette Beenders (pictured above with Christian Siriano) created an amazing, textured bun at the Christian Siriano spring/summer 2011 show. using a lot of Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray, Antoinette explains, "the Christian Siriano hair look for this season is all about different cultures mixing and blending together. the style is a modern bun—full of attitude—with sections of crimped hair cascading over it for texture. it's a strong, contemporary twist on the classic bun."

here's how she created the look:

1. brush hair with a Mason Pearson brush. pull the top section of hair — from the hairline to the crown — and clip it out of the way.

2. comb the remaining hair back into a tight, high ponytail and secure with a bungee elastic. spray with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray for hold.

3. spray Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine directly onto the bristles of a kabuki-style Aveda Uruku Bronzing Brush. "paint" the sides of hair with the Uruku Bronzing Brush for shine.



4. take the ponytail and braid it. then twist the braid into a bun, securing to the head with bobby pins. spray with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray for ultra-strong hold.



5. remove the clip from the remaining top section of hair and comb to the crown. working with small portions of hair (approximately one inch) at a time, use a micro-crimping iron to add texture from the crown to ends.

6. brush the hair with a Mason Pearson brush to loosen the crimp. gently pull the hair over the bun and secure at the base with hair pins. spray with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.



7. pull a few pieces of hair out of the bun with fingers for extra texture. set the look with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.



visit aveda.com for more info about the styling products used.

xo
all images courtesy of Aveda

Lacoste: American Classic!

Hello Divas!

I hope you had a super Monday. It is flooding like crazy in Atlanta! This is something I have never seen before. Wowza!

Well in the next couple of posts I will wrap up my coverage of Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week. What an amazing experience! Another show I was able to sit and view was the Lacoste show. Now I don't necessarily think of Lacoste as high fashion, but the Spring 2010 collection proved me wrong. Seriously it was one of the best shows I saw during Fashion Week. The clothes were American classic yet still beautiful and stylish. The Spring 2010 Collection featured beautiful sportswear, swimsuits, and rompers. Love! Here are some pics. There are not the best pics, no front row seats here. LOL!

Twins! They were too adorable!

Loving the romper with the hoodie!

Urban Cool.

Lacoste used lots of head wraps in the show....is this a new trend for Spring 2010?

I am loving the yellow. My favorite second favorite brown model, Chanel Iman, (Arlenis is my first), was in the show. I tried to get a frontal pic. I only caught her from the back!


Toodles!

Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week: Miguel Antoinne Show: Metro Fab!

Hello Divas!

I hope your weekend has been fun and relaxing! Mine was good...besides the constant rain, I really enjoyed spending time with the luxe kids.

While at New York Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to attend the Miguel Antoinne Show. Miguel Antoinne is an up and coming American menswear line that is cutting edge and what I call "Metro Fab". The textures of the clothes are outstanding and the tailoring is impeccable. It is simply beautiful. Miguel's inspiration for his Spring/Summer 2010 Collection was the beauty of thunder and lightning. This is the one show I was able to get a front row seat and I am so glad I did. I could really see the details in the clothing close-up. And oh..Derek Luke and Janelle Monáe apparently are fans. They were so there and fab! Enjoy the pics!

Stila for Beauty.com at Julie Haus

Hello Divas!

I hope your Friday is fantabulous!

During Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to interview Stila Lead Make-up Artist, Sarah Lucero. She created the look for the Julie Haus show and the look was all about purples and lilacs. Sarah said her inspiration for the look was all about "teenage mania." The woman who wears this look is feminine, street smart, and organic. I think I like this woman! Sarah used navys, plums, and grays to create a soft look with a little bit of edge.

Sarah used the following Stila products:

Face: Stila Oil Free Foundation and Perfecting Concealer

Eyes: Pigalle Eyeshadow, Montmarte Eyeshadow Quad, and Bauquet as a base color. Plus Black/Brown Clumpy Mascara.

Cheeks: Powder only.

Lips: Stila Perfecting Concealer with Lip Balm

Here is the look! I love the eye color!

Here is Sarah. She should actually be on the catwalk herself!

Divas soft purples are all the rage for Spring 2010!

An Interview with Michelle Smith of Milly and more fashion show pics to come!

Toodles!

Vivienne Tam Goes "Twiggy"

Hello Divas!

I am back in the ATL, but I still have lots to report from Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week.

One of the hottest looks was the make-up from the Vivienne Tam Show. The look was very reminiscent of the 1960s! Think Twiggy all the way! Gina Brooke, Artistic Director for Shu Uemura and world renowned creative makeup genius, drew inspiration from nature, feathers, and freedom! I hate to gush, but Gina is a baaaaadd Diva! She created the lashes for the show! Did you know that she also created custom diamond lashes for Madonna's Confessions Tour? The lashes for the Vivienne Tam Show are called Farfarling and she applied them to the top and bottom lashes. She then applied a little bit of blush and lipstick and that is it! There is really no need for anything else because the lashes are the stars of the show! Check them out!

Here is Gina putting the finishes touches on a model.


I am telling you Divas, those lashes were absolutely Amazing! Gina has true talent!

Stay tuned for more posts on my experience at New York Fashion Week!

MAC Cosmetics Backstage at Georges Chakra and Alice + Olivia

Hello Divas!

Due to computer issues, this post is a day late but the "Beach Chic" look created by MAC Make-up Artist, Gregory Arlt, was well worth the wait.

Artlt wanted to create a look that was "straight from the beach to the red carpet." As a result, he created beautiful glowing bronze Goddesses to compliment Georges Chakra's gorgeous gowns. He used warm tones like golds, peaches, and bronzes.

The MAC products used were:

Cheeks: Sun Basque Blush

Face: Motif eyeshadow as a highlighter underneath the eye.

Lips- Love Nectar, which Arlt called the "American Express of Lip Glosses..Never Leave Home Without It!"

Eyes- All That Glitters on lids and Dip Down Chocolate Brown Eyeliner to line the eyes.

The result is simply gorgeous! This was one of my absolute favorite looks for Spring 2010.


MAC also did the make-up for the HOT design house Alice + Olivia. The look created by Lead MAC Make-up Artist, Nadine Luke, was inspired by the movie Pretty in Pink! Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite movies of all time! The look was Rock & Roll with a soft edge. Nadine used soft washes of color including lilacs, pinks, and mauves.

The MAC Products used were:

Face - Mineralized Foundation and So Sweet So Easy on Cheeks

Eyes- Rosy Outlook, Turkey, and Jessie in the inner corner of the eye

Lips - Angel lipstick and English Accents and Underage Lip Glosses.

The look is soft and pretty! Love!

I also had the opportunity to speak with the Lead Fekkai hair stylist, Andre Rodman. The hairstyle he created was classic Alice + Oliva...funky and fun! He created a "Rocker Sheek" look that included waves waves waves! He created this look curling the hair with a double barreled curling iron in a figure eight pattern. He used Fekkai Coiff Strong Hold Volume Mousse before curling and finished with Fekkai Coiff Magnifique Ultra-Light Finishing Creme. The look is soft but sexy!

Beautiful Alice & Olivia multi-pink colored dress!


Toodles!

THISDAY ARISE AFRICAN COLLECITVE AND JUAN CARLOS OBANDO FASHION SHOWS: MAC COSMETICS

Hello Divas!

Remember no matter what you are going through, you can always turn it around!

So far Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week has been simply fantastic! MAC Cosmetics is definitely setting the tone for Spring make-up. The face for spring includes healthy looking skin with natural warm colors.

At the Thisday Arise African Collective Show, the lead MAC Makeup Artist, Fatima, created a simple but classic look. Her inspiration for the look was the fiery orange red color used in the Jewel Collection. Specifically she used a strong red lip with sheer lightweight foundation, black smudged gel eyeliner, and no mascara. Here is the look:

The MAC Products used were:

Lips - Mix of Pure lip Pigment and Park Side lipstick

Face- Face and Body Foundation

Eyes- Fluid Gel Eyeliner. No Mascara just curled lashes.

At the Juan Carlos Obando Show MAC Lead Make-up Artist, Fulvia Fanolfi created a look that was reminiscent of "Old Westerns", which was Obando's inspiration when he created the Spring 2010 Collection. Fulvia used colors that included the colors of the desert. As a result, she used browns, bronzes, and taupes to create a dusky look.

The MAC Products used were:

Face - A blend of MAC NC45 and NC55 on the cheeks, Bronzer, and the color Taupe for countouring.

Eyes - Brown Breeze eyeshadow was used on the eyes.

Lips - Brown Breeze eyeshadow was used on the lips as well.

Here is the look:



As Fulvia stated, "the look is very monochromatic and cinematographic as if the model had been exposed to the sun for a month."

Stay tuned for more Spring Beauty Trends!

PREEN MAC COSMETICS AND CHARLOTTE RONSON

Hello Divas!

I hope you are having an awesome day! It is rainy and coooold in NYC! But that does not stop Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week!

Today I had the opportunity to cover make-up and hair for the Preen Fashion Show. Preen is a British label that was launched in 1996. The clothes are edgy, punk rockish, and futuristic. Keeping this in mind, the lead MAC Make-up Artist, James Kaliardos, created a look that was slightly futuristic with a masculine/feminine vibe. As Mr. Kaliardos stated, "the girls look masculine but are still super beautiful and feminine. The look was very light but futuristic. The MAC artist started with healthy looking skin.

Mr. Kaliardos

He then applied the following:

MAC Moisture Care Concealer. This product was applied only where needed. Full coverage foundation was not used.
MAC Pro Cheek Color in Sculpt was used to contour the cheeks and on the eye lids.
Lashes were curled only without Mascara.
MAC Pro Pigment in Platinum was used in the inner corner of the eye.
MAC lip conditioner was used on the lips.
MAC White Eye Pencil, Fascination, was used in the center of the lips as a highlighter.

Here is the look: simplistic, light, and futuristic.


The hair was done by Bumble and Bumble stylists. The look was boyish/girlie, which was a more short cut styled with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. The stylists used a hair dryer and their hands to style this look. There is also a slight pouff in the front for a sleek but manageable look.

I also went to the Charlotte Ronson show. Charlotte Ronson is a young hip line that is all the rage with young starlets! Nikki Hilton and Keri Hilson are huge fans! They were in the front row! The clothes were very rock and roll yet feminine and ultra modern. Here are a few pics!

My favorite outfit. Black sleek swimsuit with a hood! Hot!




Here is a video of the show submitted by makeup artist extraordinaire, Victoria Stiles.


Okay Divas. I am running off to the next show. More New York Fashion Week Hotness to come!

Toodles!

Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week Day One

Hello Divas!

I hope life is grand! Remember life is what you make it, so make it beautiful!

I am in New York for Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week, Spring 2010 Collections! Last year I set a goal to attend and I am here! I will be reporting on beauty trends for Spring 2010 and will also throw in some fashion trends. It has been an exciting and fun filled day.

Yesterday morning, I attended the Total Beauty Summit hosted by Loreal Paris. The Summit was held at the Loreal Paris corporate headquarters and we received an amazing presentation on hair color from celebrity Loreal colorist, Patty Slattery. She stated that you can achieve your desired color at home or in a salon if it is applied correctly..."Its all about application." The Loreal technical color team gave us a class on how to properly apply color. Here is the mannequin I worked on:

Loreal Paris then treated us to a fabulous lunch. I dined with some of my favorite beauty bloggers. Here is Kia of Yummy411 and Nikkia of Silverlips.

I had to leave the summit a little early to attend the Ports 1961 show. Ports 1961 is a new line that is all the rage. The pieces are modern, fluid, creative and gorgeous! The new line, Fluere Spring 2010, "draws inspiration from the elements of nature." The colors in the collection included peaches, mauves, reds, grays and yellows. There was a gorgeous yellow and gray jumpsuit that I simply adored! I also loved that the pieces were very simplistic and realistic. Any woman could wear the pieces. Here are a couple of pics. They are not great because I was in the absolute last row! LOL! Hey you have to start somewhere.

I then attended a few Fashion's Night Out events. Fashion's Night Out was like a big fashion shopping party. Hundreds of retailers kept their doors open until 11pm and encouraged people to shop with music, food, cocktails and special discounts. My first stop was the Milly/Clinique event. Michelle Smith, designer of Milly created a signature bag for Clinique using her signature pink. HOT! I did interview Michelle and I will post the interview later. Check out the Milly bag in the pic:

I then attended two Lancome events...of course. LOL! Lancome hosted a blogger bash at their SOHO Bloomingdales Counter. I met the new it girl, model Arlenis. Simply gorgeous. She is tall beautiful and her skin is like chocolate silk. Plus she is the absolute sweetest person ever. So personable. Lancome did a fantastic job picking Arlenis as one of their "faces" of the brand. She represents Lancome well! Here is a pic!

Lancome intern Ilene. She is so sweet!

I also met my girl, DE of Beautylogicblog. Remember she turned me on to coconut oil. It was like we were old friends! Love her.

My next stop was backstage at the Julie Haus show. Stila's lead make-up artist, Sarah Lucero, created a gorgeous look for the show. The focus was on the eyes and she used purples, plums, and navys on the eyes with lots of Mascara. The rest of the face is a matte neutral. I was given the opportunity to interview her and can't wait to share her inspiration for the look. Stay tuned.

I then went to another Lancome event at their boutique store on 69th and Columbus Circle. The highlight of my evening was meeting Keri, VP of Public Relations at Lancome. She is VP and still writes the Lancome Blog! She is personable, sweet, and super nice to the blogging community. It was so nice to finally meet her in person. Here we are:

My first day was fun and jam packed with beauty and fashion. I will regularly post updates as Fashion Week continues!

Toodles!

Fashion's Night Out - September 10, 2009

What is Fashion's Night Out? It's a Global Celebration of Fashion!

I'll be out in New York City to check out my fave designers and stores to get insider style tips and goodies!



Go to: FashionNightOut.com for a detailed list of over 700 retailers and designers you can go to and meet on Thursday, September 10 at your nearby city.


Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

NY Fashion Week Celebrities

Spotted! Celebrities We Saw at New York Fashion Week

See who was sitting in the front row of the hottest shows

OK, OK, so New York Fashion Week is really about the designers and their clothes, but we can't help but get excited about all the celebrities! It was hard to say who was the coolest (but we tried anyway). Check out our picks. See stars

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com