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| Amit Abraham L'Oréal Professionnel Lead Hair Stylist |
words/images Judith Ecochard
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| L'Oréal Professionnel Fresh Dust Hair Powder/Dry Shampoo, Perfect Shimmer Shine Illuminating Mist (weightless luster, intense shine), Infinium 2, 3 , 4 (regular, strong to extreme hold finishing spray, Mythic Oil (our fav) |
We had a chat with lead stylist Amit Abraham...who told us that "the idea behind Bibhu's collection is 20th century Chinese Opera...very graphic and strong design...feminine gorgeous, striking middle part with adding extensions for length and thickness."
The super clean, low ponytail was actually a process to get just right. Seriously. Even the 18-22 inch extensions were flat ironed board straight before being attached...then blunt cut-with a piece of hair wrapped, then bobby-pinned around the low ponytail knot at the head.
Very labor intensive..."a lot of girls and not a lot of time..." the biggest challenge. AND "...simple hair takes forever..."
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| Soray a few inches away for a fine mist |
----meaning to get this look exact requires two pairs of hands...
Nails by Zoya were custom colors-(to be for sale in a few months, fyi...)...a creative process that took months according to Rachel Isa, Zoya's color guru and the affable Erin Giddings-Art of Beauty's point guard for media relations-and designer of that fab shaped Zoya bottle.
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| model in cute hat that was def. not on the catwalk-getting her nails glammed up |
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| Parveen-2 coats |
Three colors were used, a creamy golden nude Parveen (right) a pearly dove grey Zeenat (middle)-both with liquid crystal or glass flecks that impart a rich shimmer---and the wonderful Rekhah-a full coverage creme red with just that right amount of balanced undertones. Our latest obsession.
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| Erin Giddings, Rachel Isa |
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| must have backstage products-hand sanitizer and Pepsi |
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| other Zoya nail products including UV protecting Armor top coat, Anchor base coat-for maximum wear, and Fast Drops Drying Drops |
Isa told us the reasons behind the models having one hand painted with the red Rekhah (left)...the other painted with either Parveen or Zeenat-was in tribute to the designer's late mother who painted her left nails red -but ate with the right hand...a tradition that is common in that part of the world (India).
We loved the shimmer-in the two colors (Parveen/Zeenat) and top coat for a layered shine that really looked awesome under the runway lights.
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| A lot of science went into getting liquid flecks inside---and the red Rekhah was also on model's toes |
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| opaque, beautiful and flattering on all skin tones, we thought |
Make-up by Maybelline artist Gato Zamora was a stylish and dramatic interpretation of a Chinese Opera star's visage---with bronze cheeks, a super high gloss, precisely applied burgundy lip (using at least 3 different products to get it just right!)...and a shimmery white creme for a luminous glow...both above and below the eyes. Eyelashes were subtle---almost the exact opposite of the smoky eye look we have seen elsewhere for seasons,
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| Gato Zamora and model |
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Julian Mackler/BFAnyc.com
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CODA:
W HOTELS Fashion Next Program helped to support the designer's first runway show...
