Minimalist and Sporty Hair, Makeup and Nails at Alexander Wang SS15
To complement the athletic feel, clean and crisp fabrics, and strong lines in the Alexander Wang SS15 collection, the beauty look created for the designer’s runway show emphasized natural-looking makeup that emphasized prominent facial features, wet-looking and sporty ponytails, and sheer muted nails.
Redken Creative Consultant Guido decided upon a low ponytail with a sleek and modern twist that involved contrasting wet and dry textures. To create the look, Guido began by dividing the hair into thirds: top, middle, and bottom. Starting with the top section, he applied a quarter-sized dollop of the Redken Hardwear 16 Super-Strong Sculpting Gel along the scalp, using a fine-toothed comb to work the product along the base of the head and pressing firmly against the scalp. He then repeated the process as he worked through the middle section of hair, concentrating on pressing the gel along the sides of the head and taking extra time along the top section so as to create an almost helmet-like, super smooth, wet-looking effect. Next, he secured the hair into a low ponytail using an elastic band, and left the hair within the ponytail free of any gel and left the texture as natural-looking as possible. To enhance the look’s sporty feel, he added a second black elastic band atop the first one. Last, Guido sprayed the Redken Diamond Oil High Shine Airy Mist all over the hair to give it a glossy, wet-looking finish.
Diane Kendal, the key makeup artist for NARS Cosmetics at the Alexander Wang SS15 runway show, vied to create a look that conveyed strength and power. To do so, she focused on moisturizing the models’ skin and accentuating their cheekbones and jaw lines. She started by applying the NARSSkin Luminous Moisture Cream to models’ cleansed complexions so as to give them a healthy radiance and a supple smoothness. Next, she applied the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer underneath their eyes and atop any blemishes or dark spots that needed a bit of coverage. To keep the look fluid, natural, and radiant, she next applied the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation to their complexions. For the cheeks, meanwhile, she smoothed on the Cappadoce Matte Multiple, a brownish bronze shade, along the hollows of cheekbones and then brushed the color on the left side of the Craving Dual-Density Blush along the top of cheekbones to accentuate these angular lines. On the eyes, meanwhile, she applied the Via Appia Larger Than Life Eyeliner, a rich brown copper hue, along both the upper and lower lash lines, concentrating on the outer “V” area of the eyes. Next, she brushed the NARS Iskandar Eye Paint, a yellow gold shade, along the eyelids and layered the NARS South Beach Multiple, a golden copper shade, atop it. The result was an earthy eye with a lustrous finish. Lips, meanwhile, were kept bare — a strong trend for Spring 2015.
Nails, meanwhile, were also toned down and made to look natural but clean. Michelle Saunders, working for Essie, filed and shaped nails to create a short rounded look and then created a sheer neutral tone by applying two coats of the Essie Au Natural nail lacquer followed by one coat of Essie’s Ridge Filling Base Coat and one coat of Essie’s Good To Go Top Coat.
