Monday, September 8, 2008

Direct from the Runway: Miss Sixty

"It's like Patti Smith, but cleaned up." That's what Omar, one of the ghd hairstylists, confided to me backstage at the Miss Sixty Spring 2009 show. Inspired by the powerful women of the 1970s -- think Jane Fonda and, well, Patti Smith -- hair and makeup took on a life of their own. With hair that was tousled yet somehow super-shiny, and an absolutely unbelievable take on the smoky eye, this was definitely one of my fave shows so far.

Leonardo Minetti was the key hairstylist for this show. Omar, on the other hand, let me in on the secrets for this big, beautiful hair -- all done with ghd products, of course!
"This hairstyle works well with loose fabrics," Omar told me. Stylists began by spraying Miracle Mist onto the hair, a leave-in conditioning spray that works to make hair sleek, shiny and static-free. They followed with touches of Maximize Mousse and then blew hair dry, making sure to keep the products in the hair the whole time. Then using a ghd Styler, stylists created alternating sections of movement throughout the hair that were totally and completely random. The idea was to create a look that was anything but uniform. A touch of Reflection Spray -- spritzed into the hands and then shaken and patted firmly throughout the hair -- gave tresses a glossy look. To finish it off, stylists took a small brush and laced it through the crown to create a bit of volume and texture.

Next up, the fabulous makeup. Makeup artist Romy Soleimani said they wanted to do a variation on the classic smoky eye. Rather than making it into a cat eye or winged eye shape, they went for a completely round version that really made the eyes pop. To achieve this look, black liner was traced all around the eye and followed with layers of black Pigment. To give it a bit of definition, this was followed by a layer of loose violet glitter in Purple Duo Reflect. And, of course no smoky eye would be complete without mascara -- and lots of it! Makeup artists brushed one coat of thinner mascara onto the top and bottom lashes and layered a heavier mascara over it. To achieve the fabulous bottom lashes, they rolled the mascara brush vertically instead of horizontally.

Keeping the eyes the focus of the look, brows were brushed with a light brown brow gel. Lips were kept simple and pretty, swiped with a soft pink stain and a layer of glittery pink Baby Sparks lipgloss on top.

Strong? Totally. Powerful? Definitely. A look I'll be adopting for spring? You'd better believe it.

*Photo is the property of The Beauty of Life.

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