Biker Chic Makeup And Nail Looks At 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2011 Show
Though motorcycles were clearly on Phillip Lim’s mind when he envisioned the 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2011 collection, showcased yesterday during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City, the Asian-American designer went beyond the cliché studded, spiked, and zippered leather pieces, instead crafting street-flavored, effortlessly cool pieces like cobalt blue silk jumpsuit with brown leather sleeves or a chunky coat-colored cardigan worn over a black tunic made out of a shimmering, lurex-like fabric and layered over slim-cut white pants. The resulting look, then, was a mélange of visual references ranging from Asian biker gang to Marianne Faithfull in The Girl On A Motorcycle, Hollywood stunt doubles, and even chic British girls embracing their bike-riding beaus.
Makeup artist Lisa Butler led the NARS Cosmetics team backstage and created a dramatic eye look that was inspired by a reference on Lim’s own inspiration board: an image of a black swan in a green lake. To mimic the colors in that photograph and capture its theatricality, Butler opted for moody dark teal and aquamarine shadows, surrounded by metallic, almost iridescent sage and mint greens in a halo-like beam around the dark center. Lips, meanwhile, were downplayed with a hint of creamy, understated nude color.
To keep the complexion clean and young-looking, Butler only applied NARS Concealer, though she used a new cover-up poised to launch in Fall 2011. On eyes, she used the NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliners in Rue de Rivoli, an Army green shade new for Fall 2011 similar to the Fuji Single Shadow, and Abbey Road, a deep teal similar to the Kalisté Eyeliner Pencil, which is also launching in the fall. Butler also applied shades from the teal-heavy Cap Ferrat Trio Eyeshadow, set to launch in the summer, and the Delphes Trio Eyeshadow, poised to launch in Fall 2011, which includes a color similar to the shimmering sage hue in the April Fools Duo Eyeshadow. Lastly, on lips, Butler used the nude-colored Pago Pago Lipstick, which will launch in the fall.
The nails, meanwhile, played with shapes and movement for a look that was consistent with the kineticism of Lim’s biker inspiration. CND nail artist Angi Wingle created manicures that Lim playfully dubbed “Yazuka’s Flesh and Ink” due to the way they mixed together a sandy beige base and the dark, ink-y blue used for the half-circle accent at the base of the nail, near the cuticle line. To create the look, Wingle used the CND Desert Suede shade then brushed half-moon shapes using Midnight Sapphire, a new shade for September 2011. Those models wearing open-toed shoes were given pedicures using two coats of Midnight Sapphire.
