MBFWA: Makeup and Nails

Set against the sparkling backdrop of the Sydney Harbour, Australian fashion week (MBFWA) brings together the best of Australia’s fashion into an annual industry-only event. Known as RAFW prior to 2012, Australian fashion week brings to the catwalk established and upcoming designers from Australia and neighbouring countries. The fashion week largely features trans-seasonal clothing suited to Australia’s climate. But none of the looks would be complete without matching makeup, nails and hair, as Professional Beauty discovers.

Sponsored by Maybelline New York, whose key makeup looks include metallic, pastel, blue, prints and architectural tailoring, other makeup brands at MBFWA include Napoleon Perdis, Bobbi Brown and Make Up Store. Nail brands, CND, OPI and Essie will be doing a number of the shows, and Redken, Goldwell and KMS are just a few of the hair brands on board.

Six6Photography, courtesy of Pacific Nail & Beauty

Napoleon Perdis and his team are doing daily shows during MBFWA. They started the week with Gail Sorronda and Camilla on Monday. Gail Sorronda’s Oh My Goth saw black and white clothing complemented by gothic-style smokey makeup. Dark and pale lip shades, including a dark defined cupid’s bow looked striking on models. CND did the nails for the show and complemented the makeup with a black and white twist on the traditional French nail, with a reversed French using CND colours Brilliant White and Blackjack.

Camilla’s show was inspired by a jet-setting Gypsy. Circumnavigating the globe on a whim, the Camilla woman is free-spirited, strong and culturally curious. Camilla's collection took spectators on a journey visiting seven different countries without the need for a passport.  The journey began in Australia where the colour palette of the kaftans were inspired by the Australian landscape and natural wonders – rich ocean blues, vibrant reds, pinks and oranges. In other countries such as Africa the reptilian and leopard prints were cleverly accessorised with tribal motifs.  The Brazilian inspired range was full of energy and vibrant bold colours. The parade took visitors to Asia, where the models wore delicate flower accessories, chop sticks and asian hair pieces.  Kaftan prints with more earthy tones filled with richly coloured spices including yellow and orange, represented India.  The Peru inspired range was filled with vibrant greens, royal purple, blue and burnt orange.  The Navajo collection was filled with pastel shades and hot pinks.  The shows’ finale was highlighted with a tribe of young children following Camilla down the catwalk to showcase the childrens' range.

Camilla model wearing OPI nail colour and Napoleon Perdis makeup

The makeup and nails reflected different colours and textures for different countries. Head makeup artist Tanya Tiropanis said of the makeup look: “This look is ‘Gipset’- where gipsy meets jetsetter travelling to exotic places. We wanted to create a mysterious look with dark, earthy colours and chocolate shades for smokey eyes. We added jewels to the corner of the eyes and glitter below the lower-lash line. Different colour glitters have been used to represent different country categories; for example, Australia has bronze, Peru has pink, India has red and Brazil has blue. This adds a cultural difference to the each model and complements their clothing. Camilla has gone for intense and eye catching colours and fabrics. There is also a tribal influence to the look – hair has been decorated with feathers and lips are defined at the cupids bow, only, for a bold look.”

Backstage with Napoleon Perdis

Napoleon said, “For me, the appeal [of this look] lies in the raw, earthy smokey eye and the just-bitten lip stain… I really love the touch of diamante in the corner of the eye; paired with my glitter Loose Eye Dusts on the lower lash line. In fact, it really reflects the essence of my collaboration with Camilla – we both love colour!”

OPI did the nails for the Camilla show. Like each of the countries that inspired the collection, the nails and toes were carefully designed to match the style of each country explored. For example, the Australian collection had the models wearing OPI’s On the Same Paige on hands with a few key nails in Barefoot in Barcelona.  The toes complemented the look in Barefoot in Barcelona. While, on the African savannah all four nails were painted in OPI’s Black Onyx whilst the index finger was painted in Glitzerland.  The toes were adorned in this pale silver gold shade, Glitzerland.

Dylan Cooper model wearing Bobbi Brown makeup

Making a bold debut into the world of fashion, Dylan Cooper, the 21-year-old winner of the 2011 hit reality show, Project Runway, said of his collection: “My inspiration for the new collection is influenced by my travels overseas to London, New York and Paris. The furniture and architecture inspired me. The collection is a role play on masculine and feminine, androgynous and chic, with sheer and tailored aspects, for head-to-toe dressing reflecting overseas styles.”

Backstage with the Bobbi Brown makeup team

Dylan chose Bobbi Brown after falling in love with the products in New York. “The peony print of my collection is fitting since it is Bobbi Brown’s favourite flower,” he said. “Alfie – head makeup artist at Bobbi Brown and I decided to go for David Bowey inspired makeup combining silver and purple colours. The hair is scraped back in ponytails with a James Dean influence.”

Alphie applying makeup to a Dylan Cooper model

Alphie Sadsad, head makeup artist for Bobbi Brown lead the makeup team for Dylan Cooper’s show. He said of the makeup, “It is Dylan Cooper meets Bob Dylan influenced by 80s geometric shades. We have made the eyes sharp with a pop of lilac colour underneath and black smokey colour on top. We are using a different lip colour for every model including Cosmic Raspberry, a vibrant fushia pink. Skin has a velvety finish, cheeks are soft and eyes are really dark and smokey. We have also brushed up brows for a dramatic look.”

Karon applying OPI's Same Paige on Dylan Cooper models

Karon McKendrick-Taylor, OPI educator and stylist, said of the nails for Dylan Cooper: “Dylan chose this shade, it is a cement grey, classic neutral called French Quarter For Your Thoughts from the last winter collection. It complements all skin tones and suits the collection beautifully.”

Taking cue from Twiggy with a mod 60’s vibe, Make Up Store took the wing-eye to the catwalk for Toi Et Moi’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia show on Tuesday.

Maria Gabriel, creative director and general manager of Make Up Store Australia said the look was French inspired, “The designer and I wanted to go with a black and white theme and decided together on the completed makeup look. The skin has been left very natural and sheer and the focus is on the eyes. Make Up Store’s Base Prep and Liquid Foundation have been mixed together to create the luminous and fresh finish. We have gone for thick, winged eyeliner to bring out the eyes and white eye shadow. Nude, coral lip colour has been chosen to complement the tangerine print clothing.”

The Make Up Store Australia team created a French inspired look for Toi Et Emoi's MBFWA show

Make Up Store also painted the models’ nails in black to match the sophisticated and chic makeup look. KMS created loose and simple hair styles to reflect the collections’ sexy nature.

As the models strutted down the catwalk to the sound of French music the look came together perfectly. The Toi et Moi collection is stylish and chic and perfect for everyday city wear.

To find out more about MBFWA visit australia.mbfashionweek.com