Direct from the Runway: Carolina Herrera Fall 2009

One fashion show you just don't skip? Carolina Herrera. So when I had the opportunity to go backstage for the show, you'd better believe I took it ... even though I had to be there and look awake at 7:30 in the morning! And I was thrilled to be there, especially since Carolina Herrera herself walked around backstage and talked to every single person. She is just the epitome of grace, style and elegance. (Side note: she was once on a flight of mine. I freaked out and called every person I knew to gloat.) Find out everything hair and makeup related after the jump.



Orlando Pita for T3 was on hand to create the chic modified chignon seen on the models. After coating the hair with T3 Plump and blowdrying it, he sprayed the hair with T3 Control, brushed it back and gathered it into two ponytails. He then flipped these up and pinned them into the chignon shape with 100 bobby pins. The pins were meant to be seen, so they were arranged in clusters around the chignon.



Diane Kendal for M.A.C was the key makeup artist on this show. "The inspiration was making the girls look really fresh and beautiful," she told me. "[We] wanted to do a makeup that really enhanced the girls' natural beauty." She accomplished this by blending a nude contour into the eye and lining it in the corner before putting a highlighting shimmer on top. This was accompanied by a rosy cheek and the natural lip color Twig, which she said helps you "just get all the natural highlights on the face." Eyebrows were brushed slightly and skin was kept dewy.



I also spoke with Fatima T., who has been with M.A.C since 1995 and gave me some more detail on the look. "Twig is just enhancing the natural lip color because it’s the type of color that looks like your lip color but a little bit richer," she said. "Just topped with a little bit of gloss in the center –- a new Dazzleglass called Local Color. Just in the center so you get that highlight and it gives the lip dimension."

Fatima told me that two pigments were used on the eyes -- White Pigment on the lid and in the socket to sculpt and wrap it out, and then a new PRO product called Dark Pigment under the eye. Cheeks were swept with Mineralize Blush in Handfinish, a soft apricot with gold pearl laced through it. "It's gorgeous," Fatima gushed. "It just gives you a glow on your cheeks that's not overly frosty or sparkly but just glowy."

Lashes were dusted with Dazzle Lash Mascara. "It has a fantastic brush that looks like a Christmas tree," Fatima said. "It separates but still builds fullness. The brush is smaller, it gives you more control. Diane focused the mascara at the base of the lash -– she kind of wiggled at the base and pushed the lash up, and of course curled the lashes first."



Fatima's final thoughts on the look? "It’s beautiful, it’s the kind of makeup that yeah, it’s gonna look great on these girls, but it will look great on you and I too. Anyone can wear it!"

Finally, I spoke with Wanda Ruiz of Creative Nail Design about the nails for the show. "We are doing a beautiful nude," she told me. "She has lots of texture in her collection, lots of draping and color. She has electric blue, green, hot pink. So I think nude was the way to go because one color would just not cut it for all of the models." She accomplished this with one coat of Ridge Out Base Coat, one coat of Serenity Nail Polish and one coat of Air Dry Topcoat. The end result? "Luxe, beautiful, shiny nails."