Libertine’s Fall/Winter 2016 show took place Monday evening at New York Fashion Week, and as a lover of Korean cosmetics and Johnson Hartig’s zany designs, I have to admit I had seriously high expectations for the show. Those expectations were exceeded on all fronts: hair, makeup, clothing, accessories, music, you name it. I think you’ll agree with me as you scroll through the photographs I took backstage moments before all the models hit the runway. First, though, let’s talk about the makeup.
Korean brand Too Cool for School lead the cosmetic front for Libertine, and the makeup was undeniably cool. True to Libertine style, the general theme for the female models was “3 a.m. girl” from the ‘60s and, according to lead makeup artist Robert Greene, perfection was not the goal. How refreshing!
After moisturizing and prepping the skin with TCFS Egg Mellow Cream, makeup artists zoomed right on to the eyes with a graphic, slightly haphazard, overdrawn cat eye. For that, they used TCFS’s Glam Rock Extreme Color Eyes in Ecstasy, a super black eyeliner already loaded up with silver glitter flecks. They used a fluffy eyeshadow brush to lightly apply Glam Rock Eyeshadow in Devil Blue, a deep midnight blue that helped create a more smoked out final effect. For lashes, they liberally applied Glam Rock Volume Thriller Mascara to the top and on the outer corners of the bottom lashes.
The rest of the makeup was kept very minimal. No foundation or BB cream or even blush—just natural skin. To add a tiny touch of dimension, makeup artists very lightly highlighted the cheekbones, cheeks, inner eye corners and t-zone with Dinoplatz Pearl Bay Invasion Highlighter in Baby Pink. As for lips, they actually muted the natural color with a bit of BB cream
Libertine chose a messy side braid on one side of the head and tousled, textured, loose hair on the other. Hair stylists also applied an assortment of kitschy, colorful clips (sourced from Amazon, no less) to the back of each model’s head.
Nails were done by CND, Inc. and were truly wacky. Lots of texture, lots of color, and no holding back.
