NYFW Spring 2012 Backstage Beauty: DKNY

The Look: Hamptons’ Chic

The hair look at the S/S ’12 DKNY show in New York was a pretty, contemporary take on New York glamour with a young and fresh finish. Volume and length were dialled up by adding lots of hair extensions to create a blended contrast to the natural hair color, for a ‘Beachy Hamptons Summer Look’.

“I was inspired by the rich colors and prints of the collection which had a kind of French Riviera feel about it, and I wanted to create a contrast against the high glamour of this look. I wanted the girls to be cool, young and fresh, and their hair to look like it has been in the sun all summer long – so it had variation in color and an arid texture. I wanted the girls to look like they’d be in the Hamptons for the summer and were now back in the City – the contrast of the rich clothes against the fresh, textured hair was what I was after” said Eugene Souleiman, Wella Professionals, Global Creative Director, Care & Styling.

How to Get the Look:

Start with freshly washed and conditioned hair using Wella Professionals Enrich Shampoo and Conditioner for Volume. At the show, Eugene and his team added extensions, but when working with natural hair, roughly blow dry the hair to create volume and body. Spray Wella Professionals, Ocean Spritz, Beach Texture Spray on to dry hair, then wind into a low bun and pin in place, using the hair as a roller by winding the hair back on its self. Apply heat from a hair dryer with a diffuser to the hair, make sure it’s thoroughly dry, and then change the setting to cool to ‘set’ the hair. Once the hair is cool, remove the pins from the hair to release the bun, and run your fingers through the hair to break it up a little and create some texture. The finished look should have a slightly ‘raw’ feel to it.

Products Used:

Wella Professionals Enrich Shampoo
Wella Professionals Enrich Conditioner
Wella Professionals Ocean Spritz, Beach Texture Spray

MAKEUP: Maybelline New York Global Makeup Artist Charlotte Willer

Inspiration: California girl that visits New York. “It’s about the simplicity of beauty — fresh, sun-kissed and glowing”

Face: Willer prepped the models’ skin with Maybelle Fit Me Foundation. T get that “California girl glow, ” she used a mixture of blush and bronzer. She then applied Fit Me Bronzer in Light Bronze to the temples, top of cheeks and eyelids. Fit Me Blush in Deep Rose was added to the middle of the cheeks, to give a natural flush.

Eyes: Swept Eye Studio Color Explosion Luminizing Eyeshadow in Caffeine Rush palette across the inner corners of the eyes. She next applied a light beige shade over the lids. To add drama, she applied Volum’ Express One-by-One mascara on the lashes.

Lips: Willer dabbed on Color Sensational High Shine Lipcolor in Glisten Up Pink and Baby Lips Lip Balm in Quenched.

Nails: Brooch the Subject was our go-to shade for fingers and toes and I really love this look — it is classic Essie. Nude, without being too sheer; sophisticated with an edge and totally universal, ” said Essie Weingarten, founder and creative director of Essie cosmetics.

For more spring runway beauty looks, check out our spring fashion page here.