Bold-Colored Tresses and Strong Brows at Thakoon Spring 2012 Runway Show

The world-traveling, multi-cultural cowgirl motif that inspired the Thakoon Spring 2012 collection necessitated adventurous, thrill-seeking  makeup and hair looks — after all, no horse-riding, cattle-wrangling gal would want her beauty looks to be roped in!

World-renowned hairstylist Odile Gilbert, revered for approaching hair as a medium through which to create movable art, led the Kérastase team backstage and designed the technicolor, chignon-like updos seen at the show, which took place at the Plaza Hotel. Using multi-purpose organic clay powders shipped from France, she painted models’ strands in shades of bubblegum pink (think Jem and the Holograms), vibrant lilac, iris-like blue-violet, and jade green — all of which worked harmoniously with designer Thakoon Panichgul’s Indian spice market-inspired color palette.

To create the look, Gilbert started by spraying hair with the Kérastase Volumactive Volume Expansion Spray, which adds body to the hair while also protecting it from heat damage incurred due to hot styling tools. Next, she applied the Kérastase Volumactive Amplifying Perfecting Mousse to create a messy, crispy, scrunchy texture. Next, she mixed each clay powder with water and made a paste, then brushed the desired color paste onto the finished ‘do using a paintbrush.

The minimalist makeup balanced the colorful effervescence of the hair. Diane Kendal, who led the NARS Cosmetics team, opted to focus on natural-looking skin and strong, well-defined, dark brows (one of the season’s most prominent beauty trends).

To create the makeup look, Kendal first applied the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, which will debut in Spring 2012, then brushed the NARS Zen Blush, a mid-tone beige shade to cheeks for a sun-kissed effect, and layered the Gaiety Blush (also new for Spring 2012), a bright pink, atop the apples of cheeks to create a healthy flush. On the eyes, meanwhile, Kendal used a combination of soft, neutral NARS eye shadows: Portobello Duo Eyeshadow, which incorporates a matte mushroom brown and a sepia-tinged portobello ecru; the Bengali Eyeshadow, a rich matte brown; the muted taupe Blondie Eyeshadow; the Bali Eyeshadow, a neutral taupe; and the Snow Loose Powder to soften, mute, and mattify lids.

When contouring the eye, Kendal used a darker color at the crease and right above the crease, sweeping it in a rounded shape mimicking the eye’s natural curve, winging the color out ever so sightly at the outer corners and adding a touch of this neutral shade directly beneath the lower lash line. Most of all, she focused on defining the brows by using the aforementioned eye shadows to fill in any gaps and create a brow shape that was thick but not unruly or bushy.

Lips were kept completely neutral with a touch of NARS’ Belle de Jour Velvet Matte Lip Pencil while nails were painted with the NARS Versailles Nail Polish, a creamy champagne-tinged, golden beige.