Every day for two weeks, we send beauty writer and punishment sucker Lindsay MacAdam to one Toronto fashion show. She’ll go backstage to get step-by-step instructions from a makeup pro, then follow them herself, delivering each time a verdict: do, or don’t, try this look at home. At the Attitude by Jay Manuel show, models get a lashing of the Twiggy look, plus… hat head?
At the show: Canadian fashionisto Jay Manuel, best known for his silver hair and his role as “Creative Director” on America’s Next Top Model, clearly has a thing for the ‘70s. Last season, his first as designer for the new Attitude line at Sears, models trotted out in what was easily the most excessive beauty look of the week, as well as the most literal reference to a particular decade. Why fix what ain’t completely broken? Yep, Manuel went for the ‘70s vibe again—but this time, in a less obvious way, and his team would make sure of it.
The pre-show action was almost as comical as an episode of ANTM, as Mr. Jay and his team of advisors, including Canada’s most sought-after stylist, George Antonopoulos, carefully scrutinized each and every girl’s hair and makeup until it was just so. My eavesdropping revealed that what they were after was simple: luxe but not too luxe, ‘70s but not too ‘70s and ringlet-y but not too ringlet-y. Come on, people, is that really too much to ask? In the end, I don’t blame them for being so particular. The girls looked gorgeous, even when falling flat on their behinds (ahem, Yasmin Warsame) and it was a vast improvement from last season’s ridiculously overdone look.
Makeup featured a natural complexion and pale lips (trendy again for spring), with a dramatic, rusty eye (also trending) and Twiggy-style oversize lashes. On the lips, Eddie Malter, Official Make-up Artist for L’Oral Paris Canada, used L’Oral Paris Infallible Le Rouge Lipcolour in “Forever Frappe,” with a beige gloss on top. For the eyes, he began with a base of L’Oral Paris La Couleur Infallible Eye Shadow in “Time Resist White” across the whole lid, heavily into the inner corner and along the bottom lash line. He then blended in L’Oral Paris Studio Secrets Professional Eye Shadow Single in “Gilded Bronze” and La Couleur Infallible “Endless Chocolat” on the outer corner, along the bottom lash line and into the crease, blending carefully from light to dark. He lined the entire eye with Le Kohl Pencil in “Carbon Black,” making sure to smudge the line for softness, and doused the top and bottom lashes in several coats of Voluminous False Fiber Mascara to achieve Twiggy’s signature spider lashes.
Hair looked wind-blown—flat on top, with loose, messy curls starting around eye level, as if the girls had just taken off their fedoras at a hard day’s end. Eric Del Monaco, Official Hair Artist and Colourist for L’Oral Paris Canada, started with the girls’ natural parts, then split the hair into 10 sections (six at the back and two on each side). Using the largest-barrel curling iron he could find, Del Monaco sprayed each section with L’Oral Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray before curling each section vertically, from eye level to the ends of the hair. To muss it up a bit, the models turned their heads upside down as he softly ran his fingers through the curls and gave the hair a light shake.
At home: I mimicked Malter’s dewy base with L’Oral Paris Visible Lift Smooth Absolute Instant Anti-Aging Makeup and contoured my cheeks with M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in “Dark.” In lieu of “Time Resist White,” I covered my eyelid in a layer of L’Oreal La Couleur Infallible Eye Shadow in “Hourglass Beige,” and brought the colour into the inner corner of my eye and along the bottom lash line. I then blended in M.A.C Eye Shadows in “All That Glitters” and “Woodwinked” to achieve the gradual transition from light to dark on the lid and along the lower lash line. Using L’Oreal Le Kohl Pencil in “Carbon Black,” I lined the eye, smudged the line and then applied three heavy coats of L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara to get those spider-lashes. Learning from yesterday’s mistake, I blanked out my natural lip colour with Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer before doing a “nude” lip with the “Forever Frappe” lipstick and Smashbox Reflection-High Shine Lip Gloss.
Verdict: DO try this at home if you’re looking for a rusted spin on your tired roster of evening-appropriate looks. Just make sure you build the eye shadow gradually and tap off any excess, rather than overloading your brush with product, so you don’t end up with a face full of “infallible” (read: impossible to remove without water) shimmer.
