Direct from the Runway: Georges Chakra Spring 2010

I'll tell you something. When I have the opportunity to interview my Twestie (read: Twitter Bestie) at Fashion Week, I take it. So when I heard that Gregory Arlt, Senior Makeup Artist for M.A.C, was doing the makeup for Georges Chakra, I simply had to see what gorgeousness he would create. And as usual, he did not disappoint!

The makeup was inspired by girls lying on the beach in 1950's Portofino with lots of chocolate brown eyeliner. "These clothes are stunning, they're really, really beautiful," Gregory told me backstage. Along with Amy Farid of Bumble and bumble, who also gushed about the clothes -- "They're so beautiful! Lots of colors: light, airy, springy, beautiful clothes!" she told me. Get all the details after the jump.


 
Amy Farid of Bumble and bumble created an 80's-inspired crimped look at the request of Mr. Chakra -- but rather than give it a totally 80's reference, she diffused the crimps with backcombing and teasing. "From there it's a structured look that's unstructured, an up that's not too done or fancy," she told me. "Because his clothes are so beautiful, and practically couture ... I created a deconstructed chignon [with] a little bit of a 40's reference, a little bit of an 80's reference."

The juxtaposition and duality came from a roll that Amy created in the back. She started with Bumble and bumble Spray de Mode before crimping the hair and then laced each section together, finishing by pinning the sides back with hairpins and then creating a roll at the back with both hairpins and bobby pins. "I want it to flow as they walk down the runway," she told me, so she didn't use too much hairspray to finish the look. "The texture has got so much hold naturally that I don't want it to look too stiff."



Then it was time for the incomparable Gregory Arlt of M.A.C! Right off the bat, he had some pearls of wisdom for me. "I always like to make a pretty girl prettier, so today's no exception," he said. "If you want me to get philosophical, they were laying on the beach all day in Portofino, and were like, you know what? I will go to that red carpet event!" He created a beautiful, bronzed golden glow with a kind of "plasticky luminosity" using only a few M.A.C products -- Care Blends Essential Oil (used as a moisturizer to prep the skin), Face and Body Foundation ("My favorite," he told me), and Mineralize Skinfinish, buffed into the skin with a fluffy 136 Brush. ("The thing about Mineralize Skinfinish -- you can really blend it into the skin, it never has that 'I'm wearing powder' look," he said. "I'm not into Duncan Hines Cake Face!")

Next it was time for Gregory to get out his "little artillery of peaches and golds." He swept a touch of M.A.C Rice Paper Eye Shadow under the brow and on the upper cheekbone to make the skin glow -- "Like I've been out in the sun all day, I have natural highlights!" he said. He chose powder highlights because they last longer than cream ones. He followed that with a layer of M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Fawntastic over the lid followed by a layer of All That Glitters Eye Shadow on the eyelid and just under the browbone, which created a mauvey gold hue. He finished with M.A.C Cork Eye Shadow, taking it through the crease to blend out All That Glitters and create a socket with the 224 Brush. "I was a little inspired by a late 60's vibe, but modern," he said. "So there's just a little bit of that shading." He also used Cork under the eyes with a softer, more defined brush to make the lashes look more full and make the models' eyes appear more dreamy.




And then it was time for -- as Gregory called it -- the piece de resistance! Using M.A>C Fluidline in Dipdown and a 210 Brush, he held the brush flat against the eye to get a crisp, perfect line. He created a bit of a 50's flip, working up, but then made the line on top a bit more straight and crisp. He actually almost traced the line first before really darkening it ("It's almost like you sketch and then you finish," he said), before telling me, "I LOVE CHOCOLATE BROWN EYELINER! It's pretty, it's soft. It's not as intimidating."


Gregory described the eye makeup as "A little more modern. It's a little edgy, I hate to say punk, but there is a punk element to it. It's really hardcore, but when you see it with these clothes, it's like OH MY GOD! It's a really cool juxtaposition." He finished with a sweep of M.A.C PRO Longlash Mascara just on the top lashes before applying M.A.C Lustreglass in Love Nectar, his all-time favorite M.A.C lipcolor. When asked why, he told me, "You always hear this in magazines and stuff -- 'it looks good on every skintone.' It looks good on every skintone! It really does! It really, really does! It's that perfect amalgamation of peach and pink, a little bit of frost."



And there you have it! The amazingly gorgeous look created by Amy Farid and Gregory Arlt for Georges Chakra!