For those of you who don't know, I love Ports 1961. LOVE.  So imagine my frustration when I was granted backstage access to the show (Stam! Coco!) via MAC and I was unable to attend due to my beloved day job (insert sad face here).  Fortunately, my darling Twitter friend, Felicia Sullivan, was able to go backstage in my sted.  In addition to taking gorgeous photos - see below - she also snagged great video of the hair backstage.  Thanks so much Felicia!

Pearson Knight, Master Stylist for Aveda discussing the look for the Ports 1961 Fall 2009 show from Felicia Sullivan on Vimeo.

The Dashing Diva ladies were nailing it backstage at Tony Cohen, using Cosmopolitan from Dashing Diva's Manhattan Collection.

Check out the ladies painting it up backstage below.

NARS Cosmetics was backstage creating the makeup look for Marchesa’s Autumn/Winter 2009 show.  Below is information on the look and attached is an image and face chart for your reference.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

SHOW: Marchesa

LEAD ARTIST: Talia Shobrook for NARS Cosmetics

TREND: Wild brows, matte skin

Inspiration:  Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig created their Fall 2009 collection with fairytales in mind.  To highlight this theme, Talia Shobrook created a whimsical look from her vision of a naughty aristocrat running out of a party, “like a young girl going into the woods wearing a gorgeous ball gown, putting on makeup rather naively,” she explained.

Look:  Wild brows atop flawless skin was the focus of the look.  “I used a dash of Madrague brown shadow and went right into the inner corners of the brows,” said Talia.  To capture the look of a tousled young girl, the brows were brushed in an unnatural direction. Beneath the brows was a colored lid of matte white, as if applied in a fleeting moment by a true makeup novice.  Soft lips complemented the perfect skin.  


Below is a step-by-step to recreate the look:

Face
·         Lightly exfoliate and smooth skin with NARSskin Hydrating Freshening Lotion

·         Moisturize with NARSskin Aqua Gel Hydrator

·         Use NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (NEW for Fall 2009) in the center of the face and buff out for a neutral base

·         Apply NARS Concealer generously, to cover any imperfections

·         Apply NARS Loose Powder for matte finish
Eyes:

·         Apply NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Kilimanjaro (icy yellow and icy blue sides) to entire lid, all the way to the brow, in a block shape, not blending

·         Apply NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Madrague (cream side) on top 

·         Dash of the brown in NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Madrague (caramel side) into the inner top corners of the brows, pushing the hair in opposite directions

·         Curl lashes with NARS Eyelash Curler

·         Coat top lashes with NARS Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara in Black (NEW for Fall 2009)

Lips:

·         Massage light layer of NARS Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls

·         Apply a bit of NARS Concealer to center of lip for matte look

In case you missed it, check out Eye4Style's backstage report.

The Dashing Diva team used my favorite color from The Manhattan Collection, Central Park After Dark, at the Lorick Fall 2009 show.  You might remember this color from my Virtual Nail manicure I have yet to post the video for (don't hate me, it's coming) In case you missed it the first time around, check out the runway video from the show above.

View images of Alisha Rimando and the Dashing Diva crew backstage below.

HOW: 3.1 phillip lim

LEAD ARTIST: Ayako, International Makeup Director, NARS Cosmetics

TREND: Wispy lashes, translucent matte skin

Inspiration: The Fall 2009 collection took inspiration from the mythical spirit of rock and roll, while the hair and makeup was created to emulate Tao Okamoto’s look, a Japanese model in Phillip Lim’s Fall 2009 collection. Fused together, Phillip wanted the makeup look to mirror Tao’s mod style with a touch of rock n’ roll.  With this in mind, Ayako created a look centered around “poetic mod-rock.”

Look: False lashes were placed on the outer half of the bottom lash line and was the central focus of the look.  For an exaggerated effect, matte charcoal shadow was used with a wet eyeliner brush to draw lashes beneath, as if to create a shadow effect.  “This is the poetic part of the look,” said Ayako.  As a complement to the wispy lashes, shimmering pink and gold shadows covered the lids, while the lips were muted with concealer.  Skin was made flawless with the newly formulated sheer matte foundation (NEW for Fall 2009) to counteract the sleepy look of the lengthy bottom lashes.  Atop the matte skin, a gentle sweep of shimmer was added to cheekbones to catch the light.

Below is a step-by-step to recreate the look:

Face

· Apply NARS Concealer generously, to cover any imperfections

· Use a small amount of NARS Sheer Matte Foundation (NEW for Fall 2009) to create even, beautiful skin

· With NARS Yachiyo Brush, dust NARS Single Eyeshadow in Bombshell from apple of cheeks up to temples for a light shimmer without pigment

Eyes:

· Line lower lashes with NARS Glittler Pencil in Danceteria

· Smudge with finger to bring out gold shine

· Use NARS Eye Contour Brush to layer rose gold with golden flecks side of NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Silk Road (NEW for Fall 2009) over Danceteria

· Apply frosted champagne side of NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Indian Summer (NEW for Fall 2009) over entire lid, blending up to brow

· Cut a set of false eyelashes in half and apply to outer half of lower lash line

· Apply NARS Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara (NEW for Fall 2009) to lower lashes

· Wet NARS Liquid Eyeliner Brush and apply matte charcoal side of NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Brumes (NEW for Fall 2009), drawing lash shadows on outer half of lower lash line

Lips:

· Apply a generous amount of NARS Concelear to entire lip

Charlotte Ronson selected Jet-Set, the same color we saw backstage at Erin Fetherston.  Alisha Rimando led the Dashing Diva team to another set of flawless manicures!

Check out the backstage photos below.

SHOW: Marc Jacobs

LEAD ARTIST: François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics

TREND: Night clubbing – theatrical makeup – strong eyes, porcelain skin

Inspiration: The Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 collection paid homage to the New York night club scene of the 1970s and ‘80s.  Drawing inspiration from these decades and the works of Sprouse, St. Laurent, and Halston, François Nars took into consideration each model’s individual beauty before creating a separate edgy look, reminiscent of the past but still very modern. "We are doing quite an eclectic look," he said. The inspiration for diversity came from Nars’ book XRAY.  “[Marc] wanted to keep that feeling,” said Nars, “the variety of looks, the same way we do the campaigns for NARS.”  Overall, it was important that each girl look beautiful, even with strong theatrical looks.  Much like the fashion, Nars emphasized having fun with makeup for the coming year, despite the times we live in- “It’s a good antidote.”

Look: Focusing on an edgy, night clubbing look, strong eyes and bold color were a major theme.  Black shadow laid the foundation for creating the dramatic eye, to which the artists added cobalt blues, deep greens, bright purples, reds, fuchsias, and glitter.  “There is a wide variety of color,” said Nars, “it’s whatever looks good on the girl.”  For many of the models, porcelain skin was a key component, allowing the black eyes and bright colors to pop.  “You want to play with makeup,” says Nars, “makeup is a great accessory - that is the message.”

Andy & Debb selected two colors from Dashing Diva's Manhattan collection - East Village and City That Never Sleeps.

Check out photos of Alisha Rimando and the Dashing Diva team backstage below.