Direct from the Runway: L.A.M.B. Fall 2010

So imagine my surprise and delight when I walked into the backstage area of the L.A.M.B. Fall 2010 Fashion Show and immediately spotted Gwen Stefani herself. There was a kind of quiet hush surrounding her ... all you could hear from anyone in the vicinity was, "That's Gwen Stefani!!" It was pretty unbelievable. But once I tore my eyes away from her -- and wow, did she look fantastic with her white-blond Marilyn Monroe-esque hairdo and signature red lips -- I was blown away by the hair, makeup and nails.

Charlotte Tilbury for M.A.C, Danilo for Moroccanoil and Roxanne Valinotti for Creative Nail Design really hit the ground running and came up with a fantastically beautiful look that was, as Charlotte so eloquently put it, "Young, naughty, wild, slightly 1930's prostitutes." Intrigued? Read more after the jump.

Charlotte Tilbury for M.A.C created a look with very pale, translucent skin and a "very feline, black, lived-in, up-all-night, wild eye." She started by lining the eyes with Eye Kohl in Smolder and Fluidline in Blacktrack, blending and smudging them into and around the eyelid. She also used tons of mascara, "gunky gunky," as she called it, to give a false eyelash effect. Charlotte recommended putting masses of mascara on the wand and then applying in individual long, thick strokes up the lashes to achieve this by yourself.


Charlotte paired the dramatic eye with an equally dramatic lip, mixing both black and red lipcolors together to create a rouge noir look inspired by 1930's starlet Clara Bow. A mix of Lipmix in Crimson and Lipmix in Burgundy, teamed with Lip Pencil in Burgundy, gave the mouth an overdrawn shape. "Even if you have small lips you look fabulous, because you can kind of cheat," Charlotte told me. "It's very dramatic -- hugely sexy and gorgeous and beautiful."

Right before the show, Charlotte dabbed a touch of Lip Treatment on the eyelids for a glossy finish. Face and Body Foundation gave the skin a translucent, doll-like quality. She blended a touch of foundation through the eyebrows as well.


It was a real thrill to speak with Danilo, whose hairstyles I've seen in every major magazine for years and years! (Not to mention he's Gwen's personal stylist, along with having worked on Beyonce and Katy Perry to name a few). To bring the 1930's inspiration up to date, he gave the hair a more contemporary finish, creating a loose texture instead of it feeling so "put away." Girls were given the Hairdo Faux Bang and then put in pincurls. After undoing the pincurls, he brushed them out for a flowy look. Danilo mentioned that this look is very doable on your own. He told me that "Women are getting as talented as they were in the 60's with their hair -- with their bouffanterie, shall we say!"


Then it was time to speak with Roxanne Valinotti for Creative Nail Design. Two coats of Dark Ruby gave an impression of "shadows and darkness," Roxanne told me, "really edgy and cool." She also used Stickey Base Coat and finished with Air Dry Top Coat for a high gloss shine.