Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: Backstage at ADAM with MAC, Redken, and Deborah Lippmann

The Scene: A number of bloggers marveled at how calm the scene backstage was. They may have been blind. Models were being shuffled between and among the various stations, often getting their hair, makeup, and nails done at once. There were tons of fashion news outlets interviewing the experts – flashes and bright lights became part of the background. Show coordinators hurried about the backstage area on their walkie-talkies and Blackberries. A power outage at one of the hair stations caused a stir.

Overheard Backstage: “I only know how to get in backstage. The front [entrance] is for pedestrians.”

The Products: Makeup: MAC Fluidline gel eyeliner in Rich Ground, MAC eye shadow in Cork, MAC Mineralize blush in Laguna, MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl

Hair: Redken Spray Starch, Redken Workforce Volumizing Spray

Nails: Deborah Lippmann nail lacquer in Fashion, Deborah Lippmann high gloss top coat

Get The Look: Makeup: Romy Soleimani wanted to create an “earthy warrior” look, perfect for a “wild, sophisticated, nomadic woman.” The look is rendered entirely in warm, rich tones – even the mascara was brown! To start, Soleimani made a soft cat eye with a medium brown shadow, smudging it with her fingers to keep things perfectly messy. She also drew a light line under the eye with the same brown shade, and applied a light coat of mascara. Using an angled brush, she dotted a bit of gel eyeliner closely along the upper lash line. Next, Soleimani brushed the models’ eyebrows upward with brow gel and filled them in using the appropriate shades of pencil eyeliner. She then used minimal liquid foundation to even the models’ skin tones, and applied Laguna blush liberally to create a dramatic, contoured cheek. A bit of Cream Color Base went under the eyes, as well as a very light layer on the forehead, nose, and chin. This look is easy and sexy, and is certainly adaptable from the runway to reality.

Hair: Stylist Rudy Lewis crafted a similarly tribal, “ethnic” look for the models’ hair. The focal points are the tightly-pulled, controlled sides, messy mohawk on top, and a “woven, messy, lived-in” fishtail braid. To achieve the look, Lewish blew the model’s hair straight and, using Redken Spray Starch, pulled pieces from the sides of her head back toward the center of the head and pinned them there. With the remaining hair in the center of the head, Lewis created a small pouf, teasing and spraying to secure the height. This hair was pinned on top of the two side pieces. With all of the model’s hair in the back, Lewis divided it into two segments to create the fishtail braid. Then, using a blush brush covered in hairspray, as well as his fingers, Lewis touseled and generally messed up his handiwork. The final look was “windswept” and soft, and interacted with the great textures in ADAM’s line.

Nails: For models’ nails, Deborah Lippmann used two coats of Fashion, a grayish, “dirtied” taupe from her eponymous line. The color was finished with high-gloss top coat, so that the “earthy” manicures would stand out on the runway.