A Dark Romance — Blackened Aubergine Lips And Luminous Lids At Rodarte Fall 2016

Designing sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy made us an offer we couldn’t refuse when they presented the Fall 2016 Rodarte collection during New York Fashion Week, a cinematic spectacle that often referenced Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.  To complement the white, black, and blood red lace gowns in the collection, makeup artist James Kaliardos for NARS Cosmetics created a look rooted in romantic notions but also distinguished by a touch of deep, enigmatic, even foreboding color.

To give models a velvety smooth complexion, Kaliardos began by applying the NARSskin Luminous Moisture Cream and NARSskin Aqua Gel Luminous Oil-Free Moisturizer, massaging it onto skin so as to hydrate and replenish. He then worked the NARSskin Total Replenishing Eye Cream below the eyes and along the orbital bone to again smooth out fine lines and make eyes look alert. Next, to give their skin a matte, porcelain-like finish, he applied the new Velvet Matte Skin Tint and dabbed the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer along any areas that needed to be camouflaged. He finished the complexion portion of the look with the NARS Soft Velvet Loose Powder.

Next, he decided to give the cheeks a concentrated luminosity, using the 413 BLKR Illuminator along the cheekbones, dabbing it onto the skin for a nice gleam. The deep rose side of the Paloma Contour Blush was swept from the outer edges of the face, by the ears, to the apples of cheeks using downward, diagonal movements.The blush was applied almost as a contouring powder, with most of the color concentrating on the hollows of the cheeks, but a small bit was swept onto the apples themselves to give them a youthful feel.  He followed by brushing the Miss Liberty Highlighting Blush (for fair-skinned models) or the Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush (for darker-skinned models) to further highlight the high points of the cheeks and give the face a strategic and almost haunting luminosity.

Moving on to the eyes, Kaliardos focused on light-reflecting powders in very subtle hues, thereby augmenting luminosity but keeping the overall color scheme muted. To accomplish this goal, he used the Albatross Highlighting Blush, a sheer pearl-toned hue that looks like the faintest, shimmering veil of white lace atop lids. He then livened up the look and played up its youthfulness by layering the Antares Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow (new for Fall 2016) atop it, working the soft shimmering peach hue all over the lids. He finished the look by lining eyes with the Las Pozas Velvet Eyeliner (new for Fall 2016), a white hue similar to the Santa Monica Blvd. Larger Than Life Eyeliner, working some of the color into the inner corners of eyes. For darker-skinned models, he used the Dione Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow and the Las Pozas Velvet Eyeliner (new for Fall 2016).

The etherealness of the eye look was juxtaposed against very strong and dark brows which were filled using the matte black side of the NARS Pandora Duo Eyeshadow, then brushed into place and set with the NARS Audacious Mascara.

To balance the strong brows and create the desired theatricality, Kaliardos created a to-die-for lip using the Liv Audacious Lipstick, a deep aubergine shade, and the matching, super-saturated Train Bleu Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.

The final look felt like it belonged in a doomed epic romance, a gripping but ultimately tragic love story with gothic, neo-noir, and operatic elements.