New York Fashion Week S/S 2012 Day 4 Recap

Natural, clean nude faces had a moment on the runway today, as did crazy, artful hair at Thakoon. From star designers to models, anything went today at the tents. Beautylish's Tara was backstage to capture the magic.

Victoria Beckham

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK S/S 2012

MAKEUP

Pastels, structured shapes, and her classic sculpted silhouette was on show at Victoria Beckham this morning. Makeup artist Charlotte Tibury was inspired by a '90s Jil Sander model and a dewy, radiant complexion. The focus was on the eye brows, which were arched highly and filled in with Lancôme's Le Crown Poudre Brow Pencil to create an ultra feminine shape. Lots of contouring highlighted cheekbones and gave a sophisticated look, and lips were coated in a slick layer of Juicy Tubes Pure Gloss.

HAIR

A super slicked back, lacquered look showed off the models' clean skin and ensured that there was no distraction over the face. Hairstylist Guido used Redken Hardwear 16 Super Strength Sculpting Gel to keep the hair tight and clean, and pulled it back with a Goody pin before teasing to create a huge messy back. 

NAILS

Butter London founder Nonie Creme described the look as extremely feminine, and wanted nails to be a direct representation of what the handsome Victoria Beckham woman would wear. Models were treated to a full manicure backstage, and nails were simply coated with one layer of Horse Power, a nail strengthener that Nonie describes as, "the perfect polish to use when you want a great buffed nail and have to run out the door!"

Lela Rose

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK S/S 2012

MAKEUP

Makeup artist Tina Turnbow was inspired by Lela's color palette this season, which was a combination of soft, rosy, spring-like colors. Eyes were covered with a smoky, hazy layer of Bare Escentuals soft grey shadow, and the top lashes were lined with black eye shadow. Bottom lashes were lined with a dark navy blue eye liner called Midnight Blue, which works beautifully with silver and is Tina's favorite color. Cheeks had a rosy glow, and Tina used eye shadow as blusher. Lips were coated with a slick of rosy gloss which Tina tapped on with her fingers. "It makes the color look so much more natural," she said.

HAIR

Hairstylist to the stars Ted Gibson took over hair this morning, and kept it natural and feminine with a side part and twist to hold hair in place. Ted Gibson hair spray was used to give the hair a slight gloss before twisting, and long locks were left to hang straight without any waves. 

NAILS

Deborah Lippmann looked after nails this morning, and coated both feet and hands in Believe, a polish that combined both silver and gold to make a bronzey hue. Inspired by the early '60s, the nail bed was shaped to be super short and round. A look that Deborah says is all the rage this season—long nails are out!

Tracy Reese

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK S/S 2012

MAKEUP

The soft pastels, prints, and boatneck necklines of the '40s came out to play at Tracy Reese, with the collection focusing on retro shapes and styles. Makeup artist Mally Roncal used her own line on the girls' faces, and was inspired by fresh, breezy, young and romantic looks. The skin was covered in Satin Foundation, with a focus on brows. "These are super strong brows. This is a fierce girl," said Mally. Mascara was brushed on in a zig zag movement to keep lashes spiky, and eye liner was drawn on with a pencil and only slightly winged out in the outer corners. The whole look was dewy and fresh, and to finish it off, Mally applied fuschia gloss to the top lip and a sheer coral gloss to the lower lip and asked models to press their lips together to create the perfect pout.

HAIR

With direct reference from the '40s, hair was wavy and curly, and pulled back into one roll at the front of the head, just like the hair you saw in the movie Pearl Harbor. Hairstylist Jeannie Syfu used a Chapstick to create the roll before spraying Tresemmé Curl Activator Spray into the ends of the hair for a slight wave.

NAILS

Tracy Reese partnered with Sally Hansen again this season to create a collection of summery bright colored polish, from aqua blues to oranges and pinks (out next April!). Backstage at her show, Tracy chose Temptation—a beautiful coral—for the models.

L.A.M.B

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK S/S 2012

MAKEUP

The makeup at L.A.M.B was classic Gwen Stefani. The heavily lined eyes and lashes looked exactly like something the musician would wear herself. Makeup artist Charlotte Willer was inspired by the clothes, and wanted to emulate the L.A.M.B girl and her love of playing up her features. A rosy pink Maybelline lip gloss kept things fresh, skin was dewy and light, and eyes received a very heavy, thick line across the lashes. A set of false lashes were also applied.

HAIR

A very high, very graphic black and white ballerina bun placed on the very top of the head completed the Gwen Stefani look. Hairstylist Danilo wanted to keep the look edgy and modern, and cited a yoga nut as reference for the look. He used hair extensions to create the graphic black buns, and sleeked everyone's hair with a Pantene serum to make sure it was smooth and shiny before creating the knot.

NAILS

A dark, moody blue was used by the Essie team (and celebrity manicurist Elle) to finish off the look. The creator of Essie took me through the color, which is very much like Deborah Lippmann's favorite shade, Stormy Weather. It looks like this fall's navy manicure trend will continue through next spring!

Thakoon

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK S/S 2012

MAKEUP

Thakoon's inspiration this season was cowboys and Indians, a look that you might not think works for a fashion brand, but was interpreted through colors, prints, motifs, and shapes. The makeup was super natural as the hair and clothes contained all the color, and makeup artist Diane Kendal wanted the girls to stay grounded. Eye brows were strong and filled in with an angled brush, (this makes it easier to get a solid color). A multitude of taupey colors were used on the eyes, including NARS Laguna Bronzer and NARS Bali Eyeshadow.

HAIR

It was hair art at Thakoon. Odile Gilbert hand painted three different colors into model's hair (pink, purple and blue) in messy, spontaneous splotches. Mussed up and rough, the hair was styled in two different ways, either two braids crossed over each other or a roll tucked up underneath at the nape of the neck. Random pieces were then pulled out and messed up before painting. Each girl's hairstyle looked completely different, as if an entire artwork had been created on their heads. 

Tommy Hilfiger

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK S/S 2012

MAKEUP

When someone says Tommy Hilfiger, you think Americana prep. A fresh, summery look inspired the makeup, as makeup artist Diane Kendal (she sped over to the Tommy show straight from Thakoon) wanted to keep the girls natural and fresh, as if they spent all their time outdoors. The face was covered in a base of MAC Bone beige foundation, and eyes were a soft brown taupe. Everything was natural, and lashes were kept clean without mascara.

HAIR

A super simple, straight ponytail was the look Eugene Souleiman created this season. The sleek hair was a change from Tommy's usual natural, wavy style, and had an almost early '70s Yves Saint Laurent feel. Not one product was used, as Eugene wanted hair to look natural, not weighed down with product. 

NAILS

A soft creamy white called Coronation from Priti NYC coated fingers, and an understated nudey-pink called Spring Song covered toes for a simple, classic look.