Backstage beauty: The Blonds Fall 2013

a model awaits her BLONDS transformation/image:C.Hope for Style Wylde

This season at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, there was not a single collection with as much whimsical fun, and creative sense of humor as The Blonds, whom took inspiration for their heavily beaded and crystal encrusted looks from Hollywood's most famous slasher films. To go with the wild, and inspired looks designers David and Phillipe Blond tapped the masters at MAC, TIGI, and CND to create an equally fantastic beauty look.  

To create the look, the beauty team started with clean scrubbed models with hair pulled into stocking caps. A stripped down base on which to build their massive model-transformation.  And the transformation was incredible many of the girls we chatted with backstage before the show were utterly unrecognizable by the time they took to the runway, here's how it was all done. 

sexed-up, drugged-out wigs await the models/image:S. Whittle for Style Wylde

Starting with hair: In the tradition of all Blonds shows,  Tigi Key stylist Nick Irwin styled and set blond wigs for each model on the runway. Inspired by, "post-coital acid trip Marilyn Monroe" the wigs were set with old-school rollers to create big loose curls. Wigs were then misted with Tigi Catwalk Sleek Mystique Look-Lock hairspray to give the style volume and super-hold. From there, wigs were put aside to 'set' fully while model's moved forward with make-up and nails with the other two teams. 

Scream queen worthy nails created by CND/Image:C.Hope for Style Wylde

Another major tradition at The Blonds shows, nails were literally individual works of art created by CND Nails. Depending on the look with which they were paired, nails were crystal-encrusted, grenade textured, sporting the face of Janet Leigh's famous shower scream, printed with the words "The Bates Motel" or a wickedly evil take on Jack Nicholson's The Shining performance.

dangerous sparkle created by CND Nails/image:S. Whittle for Style Wylde

The intricacy of creating these nail looks, not to mention the sheer time commitment of creating so many variations was staggering, and unsurprisingly, the nails were almost as big an attraction to photographers backstage as the models themselves! 

But of course the models are very important, and the make-up created for them was the shining star on the top of the overall beauty look.

MAC key artist Kabuki works on a model /Iamge:C.Hope for Style Wylde

Describing the look as "Ladylike but with danger, or perhaps Punk Rock Barbie." Make up Maestro Kabuki from MAC Cosmetics, created a graphic bright red cat eye using MAC Chromecake in Basic Red, with a bold black wrap-around line using MAC Fluidline liquid eyeliner in Blacktrack. "It's somewhat inspired by the posters of the 1960s, with that bright graphic look." Kabuki told journalists backstage as he worked."But it's not too 60's, because the shape is clean, it's almost a bit 80's in the way that many styles in the 80's referenced the 60's. It's an impactful look but it's clean, and it's simple."

image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde

Once, the red cat eye and liner were completed Kabuki applied MAC eyelashes to open the eye and give an added drama to the look. 

To compliment the super-bold eye, skin was kept clean, with only a very light contouring on cheeks and a soft-pink lip to balance out the look.

image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde

The final look on the runway/image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde

The result? A wild beauty look that was both whimsical and exquisitely executed, the perfect match for The Blonds Fall 2013. 

For more images from The Blonds Fall 2013 collection check out the Style Wylde feature in Fashion.