NYFW backstage beauty: Red lips and bobby pins at Jason Wu
The humidity in New York right now may be horrible for hair, but it’s doing wonders for skin. It helps to explain the luminous skin witnessed backstage at Jason Wu, first prepped with skincare by Sunday Riley. “A lot of the girls are coming from Peter Som where the makeup was heavier, so we’re leaving cleanser on for a little bit longer,” explained Riley. A pump of her lactic acid cream was included for additional exfoliation. Then it was off into the hands of makeup artist Diane Kendal, who perfected skin with concealer, and blotted T-zones with powder. Taking direction from Wu’s inspiration for his collection of ‘50s and ‘90s Pop Art, as well as NYC artist KAWS, Kendal painted bright-red tomato mouths using a trifecta of product: M.A.C. Lip Pencil in “Redd,” a yet-to-be-launched lipstick shade called “Scarlet Ibis,” and M.A.C. Pigment in “Neon Orange.” Mascara was skipped, but lids were treated to a thin black line close to the lashes and smudged “to give eyes some definition.” OPI’s “Monsooner Than Later”—a near match to the lips—was applied to fingers, while “Samoan Sand,” a nude, was painted on toes.
As for hair, French stylist Odile Gilbert worked her magic creating a style that she described as “punk with couture elegance.” After dousing with mousse and texture lotion, both by Kerastase, she sculpted an updo that was smooth in front but “boyish” in the back.” Taking sections from the back, Gilbert pinned them up randomly with black bobby pins, purposely meant to be seen. “It’s very ‘90s, in a way.” Skinny black feathers were then secured throughout. As to why she chose plumes that looked unconventional, she explained, “That’s the punk touch, we don’t want them to look romantic.”