SPRING FLING Complexions like morning dew, sensuous pouts blooming from claret to ruby ... Nature shows us a trick or two. By Li Ying Lim.
If anyone took the floral beauty direction seriously, it would have to be Erdem. Transforming the Old Selfridges Hotel into a hothouse, birds were chirping everywhere and magnificent tropical greens with bright pops of florals matched the dresses coming down the runway. “She is this obsessive botanist – a bit demure, a bit Victorian – who spends most of her time in the conservatory where she goes mad and wanders into the jungle,” says Erdem’s lead make-up artist and doyenne Val Garland. “The look is romantic, beautifully organic with a dewy complexion.”
“There is little more beautiful than natural skin enriched with clear shine,” agrees make-up artist Terry Barber. Transparent skin – almost crystalline like sunshine glinting on a drop of morning dew – is the order of the season. Veils of flower-inspired hues and textures – from gloss and gleam to powdery and velvety – perfect this beauty direction.
“There is a lot of transparency and airiness to the collection – I wanted that to come through in the make-up,” says Francelle Daly of the look at 3.1 Phillip Lim. “My inspiration was sensuality, the way the morning light hits you as you wake up in your bedroom, with sensual skin beaming with rays of light.” Using Nars Blush in Reckless and Jubilation, both available as part of the Spring release, “I highlighted the cheek bones, high planes of the face, and the bridge of the nose to accentuate and bring out that glow in each girl.”
NATUR AL P U L L
Headbands of delicate flowers at Valentino Spring/
Summer ’15 Vibrant shoots of colours culled from gardens are also prevalent. Burberry Prorsum slicked on death-by-roses lip shades (available now) for the models, alongside nails of blue, green, azalea, and hydrangea pinks. At Guy Laroche, similar to Derek Lam and Alberta Ferretti, eyelids were washed out with beautiful floral tones, and painterly strokes that evoked the softness of petals. “I was inspired by words like mauve, lavender, and violet,” says Pecheux of the violet haze seen at Derek Lam. “They were twisted, built on top of nudes.”
At Dolce & Gabbana, red carnations that hailed back to Sicily’s Spanish invasion (among the glittering bolero jackets and red baroque threads) complimented the two-toned pouts and accessorised hair by dynamic duo Pat McGrath and Guido Palau. “It’s feminine, soft, and pretty – how girls want to look,” says Palau, who pricked a finger or two while adorning the wispy buns with fresh red roses and carnations.
From pretty and delicate to eye-catching and vibrant, spring blooms continue to captivate with luscious shades and intensity. Best of all, you don’t even need a green thumb to make it work. “Creating light in the complexion starts with selecting the appropriate tone to brighten its undertones,” explains Barber. “This could be anything from pure white through to a deep gold or pewter.” Tom Pecheux used “a mixture of lipsticks, creams, and glosses to create the ‘sweaty skin’” seen on the girls at Marni. Coincidentally, a flower market had been set up at the show venue to sit beautifully with the theme of the clothes, as well as the models’ dewy complexions, reminiscent of freshly watered plants.
“Pressed into the high planes of the face with the balls of the hand, it gives a translucent, dewy finish to the skin,” shares Garland of her secret weapon, MAC Mixing Medium Shine. And don’t forget to arm yourself with a pearlescent base. “Buffed into the cheekbones with a brush, it can really achieve lustre and a lit-from-within glow,” says backstage beauty pro Lucia Pica.
DAR L I NG BUDS