TFW backstage beauty: Slick hair, soft shadows and tarnished nails at Jeremy Laing
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Clean, simple and slightly androgynous was the idea for hair and makeup at Jeremy Laing. “It’s masculine, but with feminine tones to contrast the gender-bender look,” explained CoverGirl makeup pro Greg Wencel. Eyebrows were defined with a brow pencil, but the desired effect was for a full, soft brow—not a harsh or bold statement. Eyes were equally soft, with a light wash of CoverGirl Intense ShadowBlast in “Beige Blaze” and a dusting of warm eyeshadow on top. In a very Downton Abbey sort of move, no mascara was applied—this further impressed the idea of a masculine, androgynous look.
The hair was slicked back in a style that Justin German, Pantene’s consulting stylist, described as extremely current: “Helmut Lang started this hair […] you don’t reference it back to another decade, it’s not ‘20s, it’s not ‘40s, it’s modern.” The trick to the look is the pulled panel in the back, which German’s team actually secured with a French twist. The top portion of hair was backcombed and secured-slash-styled up with a mix of wax and shine serum.
And then: the nails! Created by Leeanne Colley from Tips Nail Bar, the design used two custom China Glaze polish mixes. The base—a deep red—was a combination of “Liquid Leather” and “Drastic” that gave solid coverage with a bit of transparent sheen after one coat. Then, a gold mix of “Champagne Bubbles” and “Agro” was added on top, painted roughly from the moon and about halfway up the nail for a deconstructed and almost tarnished final look.