Karen

The Saturday Night Runway Show on August 25, 2007

That sage of song Ru Paul once sang, “You better woooooork.” Saturday, August 25 was the final night of the runway shows for San Francisco Fashion Week 2007, so we here at www.makeupandbeautyblog.com busted our bum for one last final hustle to get you more behind-the-scenes MAC looks … possibly more than your MAC-loving heart can handle!

Before we move onto the looks, lets meet a few more members of the MAC team backstage, yah?

Five MAC Backstage Makeup Artists Reveal their Favorite MAC Products and Give Some Oh-So-Juicy Tips

Makeupandbeautyblog.com has spent lots of time with key makeup artists, Victor Cembellin and Louise Zizzo, who work with designers to create a specific look for their runway show.

How do you get these looks onto all of the models? With the help of a fantastic team of MAC artists, of course!

I got the chance to chat with five MAC artists who played this important role backstage. Not only was their eye makeup super hot, they were also really friendly and fun to talk to, and had a lot to say about their favorite MAC products and makeup tricks.

MAC Artist:
Angela Miller

Years with MAC:
11
What she’s wearing right now:
Espresso and Carbon — it’s kind of a 90s-style makeup because it’s coming in right now. Oh, and an 80s gold lip.
Must have MAC Product:
Any MAC brush! My favorite brush is the 227. I use it for concealer, for eye shadow base, for under-eye cream, it’s an “everything” brush!
Favorite super-secret makeup tip:
Always make sure you blend out your liner whenever you are using a dramatic look with color. If you’re wearing eye shadow color, use a 212 brush to blend out your line to make it more smoky and smudged right by the lash line.

MAC Artist:
Christine Salopak


Years with MAC:
4
Must have MAC Product:
Zoom Lash
What she’s wearing right now:
A little bit of everything! Studio Fix Fluid, Mineralize Satinfinish Powders (a few different shades), Omega in my brows, good old Soft Brown in the crease, Vanilla on my lid, Blacktrack, brown lashes, and a little bit of Pink Swoon Blush on my cheeks.
Favorite super-secret makeup trick:
Use different tools. If you took my brushes away I’d be hopeless. I’m a big brow girl so I love the 266, the 224, and the 109. I love the 109 because it puts foundation on seamlessly. The 109 is a great way to lay it on seamlessly if you want light coverage, or if you want to layer it on for heavy duty coverage. It’s always about skin every season so it doesn’t really matter if it’s winter or if it’s summer. Your skin has to look flawless no matter what type of shape your skin is in.

MAC Artist:
Melissa Ranoa


Years with MAC:
5
Must have MAC Product:
I love Face And Body. It feels very light and looks good on everybody. You can apply with fingertips, brushes… a 109 brush is great to use with it. The 109 is my favorite foundation brush because it’s very buffy and I like things to look a little bit softer and natural.
What she’s wearing right now:
Smoke Signals! Smoking in the crease, Showstopper on the Lid, Smoking Liner on the lashline, Falsh Lashes #7, Zoom Lash mascara, and Emote on the cheek. I’m in love with Emote – I need to buy 5! On my lips I’m wearing Brew Lipstick, Amber Ember, which is a Creamstick Liner with a pearl undertone, and Illicit Gloss.
Favorite super-secret makeup trick:
I love using brushes, but now I’m starting to use fingers more to apply makeup, because you can really feel the bone structure.

MAC Artist:
Marinda James


Years with MAC:
4
Must have MAC Product:
Lady Danger lipstick, because it’s a true vintage orange-red with a matte texture. I love that 50s vintage look, with those powerful lips!
What she’s wearing right now:
Smoke Signals! Rondelle eyeshadow, in the center and on the browbone, smoked out with some of the darker shades in both the Gentle Fume and the Smoking Eyes palettes. Mineralize Skin Finish on cheeks in Northern Lights, and on the lips Brew Lipstick from the Smoke Signals collection, with Beurre Creamstick Liner.
Favorite super-secret makeup trick:
Edge your lip line with a little bit of Studio Fix Powder. It helps to provide a barrier so my lipstick doesn’t bleed, so I can wear my Lady Danger Lipstick all night long with no bleeding.

MAC Artist:
Chris Bustos

Years with MAC:
5
Must have MAC Product:
Plushglass. It gives fullness to your lips. Plus, I have chapped lips, so it really helps because it has moisturizing agents in it. My favorite color is Cushy White.
What he’s wearing right now:
Select Tint Foundation
Favorite super-secret makeup trick:
Use Graph Black Pencil underneath on the waterline.

A Video of Senior Artist Victor Cembellin Demonstrating the MAC Runway Look for Designer Effie’s Heart

It’s raining lashes, HALLELUJIAH!

Now onto the looks! There was one thing that wasn’t missing from the Saturday night looks and that was lashes.

Richard Hallmarq

Check out these crazy lashes for the Richard Hallmarq show! Louise told me earlier that one of the reasons why I thought the makeup looked so washed-out on the runway was because of the lighting, but honestly, you could NOT miss these lashes from five miles away.

Model, Chelsea

Model, Shaopat

Model, Victoria

Vindy Co

Here they are once more, in a slightly toned-down form, for the ethereal and doll-like makeup from the Vindy Co show.

Model, Brittany

Another shot of model Brittany

Model, Caroline

Don’t you love the cheeks? That’s Posy and Lady Blush on cheeks, and Luna cream color base around the eye. I *lurves* this!

Velvet Leaf

Heavy Lashes on the bottom along with a pop o’ color were a key elements in the look created by Victor for the designer Velvet Leaf.

Model Nora Shows the Final Velvet Leaf Look

Another Shot of Nora

Remember your neon sweatshirt from the 80s? Super-charged brights are baaaaack. “There’s a trend called techno-colors that we’re seeing in Milan and Paris with lots of pops of color,” says Victor. “Think of it as colors with batteries included.”

Inspiration Behind the Look:
– Sad, wide-eyed dolls in velvet paintings from the 60s
– Precious Moments dolls (aww…)
– Sad innocence

MAC’s Look for Velvet Leaf
On the eyes:
– Bare Study Paint Pot
– No Mascara
– MAC #7 Lashes on lower lashes
– Primary Yellow Pigment
– Reflex Pearl Pigment
– Natural Brows

The only product on the lid was a layer of Bare Study Paint Pot. Victor’s used it in six of his nine shows, and it’s been quite a hit. “It’s a champagne shimmer, so it’s easy to wear,” he says. “It’s a great wedding color too! And because it is a paint pot it’s not going to crease or smudge.”

The models were given thick, blunt hairpieces for bangs that covered up the brows, so the brows were left natural. Three layers of Primary Yellow Pigment were added underneath the eyes, and then topped with a little bit of Reflex Pearl Pigment to add a sparkle. Here’s another Velvet Leaf model, Jessica Marie, who I met in the bathroom as she was tugging on her crazy bangs!

Reflex Pearl is another favorite product of Victor’s, which he calls a very sophisticated glitter. “You can put in on top of lipsticks, on top of high cheekbones, anywhere — and you won’t look like you’re Forever 21 or Wet Seal.” LOL!

To give the lips color but less structure, Victor used MAC Sandy B Lipstick and applied it with a fluffy brush to buff up the lips to avoid making them too shaped. “It creates the dry, overly-frosty 60s lips that maybe Cher would wear back in the 60s,” says Victor.

And to create a plastic looking cheek (think mannequins and Barbies), he spun a 168 brush over and over the cheek with Pink Bronze Pigment to create a “plasticized” look.

Effie’s Heart

Model, Katie Sue

Another shot of Katie Sue

Here’s a pretty pop of color that’s more my style. The scarlet lip for the Effie’s Heart show was inspired by dry, velvety rose petals.

Inspiration behind the look:
– The silent film era, with a focus on structure and shape
– Rose petals

MAC’s look for Effie’s Heart includes:
– A thick line of Blacktrack Fluidline applied on lids with the 266 Brush
– A bright, matte, romantic lip, using Glam Lipstick applied as a stain with the 217
– Apple Red Blush added to the center of the lips, to create the dry, matte look
– Symmetry shadow (a grey brown) to create structure and a high contour up in the crease
– “Gobs and gobs” of Fashion Show Lashes

In the tent you’ll often here the term Fashion Show Lashes. What does it mean?

Fashion Show lashes means as much mascara as ou can possibly put on a model’s lashes to make them look chunky, thick and crazy. It’s not for streetwear, but it’s just when you think you have enough mascara you go back and add another coat to make it WAHHH! It’s three or four layers, and we don’t comb them through. The idea is to get them so chunky that from the runway they won’t look like they are spikey, thick and weird. We always use ProLash Mascara because it goes on thick, once it dries it builds really thick to the next coat. — Victor

Our last two looks are inspired by the Photoshaped series of runway looks MAC’s Web site. WE LIKEY!

Onerary

Inspiration behind the look:
-A woman in perfect candlelit lighting

The focus of this look is skin, and getting it to look as it perfect as it would during a romantic candlelit dinner with a single candle. “We want the girls to look almost Photoshopped,” says Victor. There’s lots of golds, warm-based browns and glowy skin.

MAC’s look for Onerary:
– Face: Pearl Cream Color base
– Eyes: Bare Study Paint Pot, Layers of Pro Lash Mascara
– Cheeks: Emote from the new Smoke Signals Collection
– Lips: Terra Cotta Lip Gelee

615 Project

Like Onerary, the look created for 615 Project echos the Photoshaped trend. The eyes have warm browns with a glossy center lid.

Inspiration behind the look:
-A woman that’s traveled the world

MAC’s look for 615 Project:
– Eyes: Cocomotion Pigment on inner eye, A brown Cream Color Base on outer eye, Coffee liner (Victor’s favorite brown liner)
– Brushed up brows set with Brow Set
– “Fashion Show Lashes” with Pro Lash Mascara

Scenes from the runway

Once again, I did my best photographer impression and hung out in the pit once more so that I could get some runway pictures. Here they are!

A hello and special thanks to Jason from the house photography crew for the tips, Patty over at Soybaby.com and the ladies at Antiquitypress.com for being such groovy company in the pit.

And because I fancy you (yes you), there’s also a video for you to enjoy as well.

But wait! There’s more! Here are Makeupandbeautyblog.com’s SAN FRANCISO FASHION WEEK RANDOM FUN FACTS …

Bags of LifeSavers Gummies eaten:
2
Pieces of Orbit Gum chewed:
Approximately 14
Best makeup night:
Saturday. I wore Ricepaper on the brow bone, Woodwinked on the lid and into the crease, Blacktrack on the upper and lower waterline, two coats of 2000 Calorie Waterproof mascara, MAC Bronzer on cheeks, Subculture Liner on lips covered with Clear Lipglass
Average amount of sleep per night:
4
Favorite song to listen to when driving to and from SF:
“Watcha gonna do when you get out of jail? I’m gonna have some fun …” Genius of Love, by Tom Tom Club
Weird banana incidents:
One. On Saturday I found a banana on my passenger seat of my 4Runner. I don’t remember putting it there, because I don’t eat bananas in the car (too stinky). I still have no idea where it came from.
Conversations with Russian couture gown designers who spoke no English:
1
Favorite MAC runway look:
Vindy Co!
Favorite designer:
615 Project. That khaki coat is soooooo mine.
Could not have made it through without:
El Hub, who carefully explained the difference between 18 and 55 mm lenses and gave me this sound photography advice when I started FREAKING OUT – “Just take a ton of pictures, damnit! You’ll be fine!” Oh, and these weird chocolate Special K protein bars helped too. They saved my perpetually hungry ass.
Best part about San Francisco Fashion Week:
Using my travel journalism skills in a different setting and genre. Learning new skills that I hope will help me become a better blogger and journalist.

WOW. I am exhausted but so glad that I got to participate in SFFW. I learned a lot and met so many great people. Next stop? The Macy’s Passport Fashion Show in September. Hope to see you there!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.
Didja miss any of our other coverage? Say it ain’t so! If you just can’t get enough of San Francisco Fashion Week, here’s more … just for you, cause you so crazy.

Dinner with MAC folks!
Excitement. Drama. And doughnut cravings from the first night of coverage!
Behold, looks galore from the second night!
Some vids of backstage and the runway for you visual learners!

Next on my agenda…