Direct from the Runway: BCBGMAXAZRIA Spring 2010

There's always something really lovely about BCBGMAXAZRIA. The hair, makeup and nails are never over the top -- they're usually kept quite simple so as not to distract from the clothes. And this time was no exception. Headed by Bob Recine for Phyto (hair), Lisa Butler for M.A.C (makeup) and Creative Nail Design (nails), the look was polished, effortless and just a little bit sexy. Butler told me backstage, "If they'd given them the mascara and said come in with their hair brushed, we could have stayed in bed!" (Joking, of course.) Get all the details after the jump.

Bob Recine for Phyto created a look that would "empower them in a sense," he told me. "We're not really overstyling hair ... it's kind of like how Mom used to pet you, that's what the look is. We're calling the look petting the girls a bit." To achieve the flattened-down style with just a bit of texture, he used a Phyto mousse and Phyto hairspray to "shag it up a bit." He said they wanted to "make it some kind of fantasy, as opposed to a kind of sharp-edged realism."

 
Gordon Espinet for M.A.C is always very entertaining backstage ... and I got to see him for a quick second today! Unfortunately was so busy back there today that he had little time for anything more than a kiss on the cheek and a spirited "How are you!" Luckily, Lisa Butler was there to save the day. She told me that the look was very minimal -- all that was used was M.A.C Zoom Lash, a chunkier and fatter version than regular mascara, applied with a fan brush to "get right down to the roots of the lashes," she said. This technique basically presses the mascara into the lid and creates a line without the use of eyeliner. They finished with a thin layer of mascara on the bottom lashes, then a bit of concealer if necessary to knock out any color and left the lips matte. "It's about the clothes, not the hair and makeup really," she said. "They're new girls, they don't have the identity where you have an expectation. Better to see them in their bareness now."

At the same time, she did mention that "they're a bit more trendy, these girls. They're a bit harder at school, not being all that prissy!"


Finally, I spoke with the fabulous Angi Wingle from Creative Nail Design about -- what else? -- the nails. The manicurists used one coat of Ridge Out, followed by two coats of Putty (a "warm semi-sheer that gives [the models'] own natural color more warmth, almost like foundation," Angi told me, which is from the new Colour Effects line), and then a coat of Air Dry to finish the look. "We're really paying attention to details this season," Angi told me. "In the past we've done, like, 60-80 shows. This time we're only doing 20-25 shows with one team."