Thanks to MAC Cosmetics and photos from Style.com, here is part three of beauty trends straight from Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Michael Kors:

“With Michael, bronzer is a given,” said makeup artist Dick Page as he dusted MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden on models in ladylike dresses and long blond extensions, courtesy of hair wizard Orlando Pita. “Michael’s been growing this woman in a test tube for years,” Page continued. “He has a pretty good idea of who she is.” And while Kors’ muse has always been a jet-setter, there was an added twist to her story this season: “She’s the love child of Donatella Versace and Bill Blass!” Page revealed. “I’m not kidding! That’s what Michael said! That’s why I’m adding smoky eyes.” Expertly blending two new dark shadows- a silvery taupe and a black embedded with flecks of gold, he created an elegant “gunmetal” effect on the lids. A stroke of Smolder Eye Kohl along the top lash lines coupled with some false lashes and… Voila! Donatella Blass was born.

Richard Chai:

James Kaliardos is feeling blue… Yves Klem blue, that is. “I’m stamping Mineralize Skinfinish Natural on the corners of the eyes with a sponge wedge but not blending it in, so it’s a bit Impressionistic, raw and innocent.” To balance Chai’s delicate collection, the makeup artist defined the rest of the face with neutral tones. Top fashion photographers, not painters, were his inspiration here: “I used a spicy brown color on the cheeks and all around the eyes to make it a smoky Peter Lindberg eye,” Kaliardos said. “Then I applied a little gloss under a beige lip tint so that the mouth wouldn’t look too dead. Richard Avedon taught me that!”

Tse:

“I’m going for a cold look,” said makeup artist Aaron De Mey backstage at Tse. The effect was less corpse bride and more ethereal, ghostly beauty (think Cate Blanchett in ‘Lord of the Rings’). The key: Luminous skin achieved by stippling on the most minute amount of concealer in a “seamless” fashion. “This face is hyper-natural, not shiny, not matte,” he said. To further reduce the temperature, De Mey toned down the lips two shades with Soothing Beige Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15. Finally, he glazed the eyes with Lusterglass in Lusterwhite. The result was so cool that it’s a good thing those boys and girls were modeling sweaters!

Malandrino:

Catherine Malandrino is obsessed with Zizi Jean Maire. Zizi who? “She’s a Sixties singer who embodied everything chic and masculine,” said the designer, who paired chunky cashmere sweaters with tailored pieces and sprinkled touches of feathers, mirrors and crystals throughout her magenta-dominant collection. “There’s a sense of humor to everything,” she said. Judging by the black bob-style wigs and the wig-like black felt chapeaus worn by all the models, it’s true. Makeup artist Diane Kendal took the cue, going for doll-like appeal. She defined the brows, blended soft gray shadow into the crease of the eye and created flushed cheeks with the softest hint of MAC Pink Shock Cream Colour Base. Malandrino summed it all up: “This girl has an edge, but not a hard edge.”

More MAC Backstage beauty recaps can be found here and here.

Thanks to Lancôme and photos from Style.com, here is a recap of beauty trends straight from Gucci Westman Neville backstage at Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Rag & Bone:

Backstage at Rag & Bone the look was “‘My Fair Lady’ meets street urchin with a little biker chic thrown in,” said Lancôme’s artistic director, Gucci Westman Neville. “I balanced a wet, almost greasy eye with a matte, fresh, angelic face and lip.”

For this look Gucci used Lancôme Color Design Lipstick in Enigma (new for Fall 2007), Lancôme Magique Blush in Pink Softness, and Lancôme Color Design Eyeshadow in Backstage Pass and Pose.

Thakoon:

In keeping with Thakoon’s wishes for an eye with a feathery line and floaty feel, Gucci used pink and brown shades from Destiny Cube, a new shadow palette from her fall collection. In addition, she used Lancôme Color Design Artist Palette in Stylish Neutrals, and Lancôme Magique Blush in Pink Parfait (a Makeup Bag favorite!)

Behnaz Sarafpour:

The focus was on the eyes at Behnaz Sarafpour Fall 2007 runway presentation. For eye drama that picked up the color of each model’s eyes and the textures of the collection, Gucci used Lancôme Color Design Eyeshadow in Ciel du Soir and Style Section. The rest of the face was simple with a beautiful complexion, healthy cheeks (again Lancôme Magique Blush in Pink Parfait) and almost nude lips (Lancôme Color Design Lipstick in Pale Lip mixed with All Done Up).

Thanks to MAC Cosmetics and photos from Style.com, here is part two of beauty trends straight from Autumn/Winter 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Monique Lhuillier:

“Super, super blended and lots of beautifully layered textures… that’s how you get away with wearing a lot of makeup,” declared makeup artist Aaron De May at Monique Lhuillier, where “glamorous, expensive and utterly chic” was the woman he had in mind. Working up eyes in a classic smolder-y contoured shape before coating lids in MAC’s new Blackened Gold Reflex Glitter – “I’m obsessed with steel grays and anything that sparkles at the moment,” he raved. De May extended the feeling of shimmery intensity onto the lips by layering Copper and Rouge Reflex Glitters over matte burgundy Diva Lipstick. Decadent yet polished, “sure, Lhuillier is always sophisticated but I wanted her to feel really cool as well.”

Chaiken:

The rich aubergine lipstick worn at Chaiken was MAC Deep Purple, but the spirit of Tom Pecheux’s makeup was anything but Underground or Hard Rock; “they’re hip and chic young girls,” he said. To fit with the collection (“American sportswear infused with eclectic touches,” says Julie Chaiken) this strikingly pigmented mouth indeed gave a touch of eclecticism to the otherwise paired-back face (simply a dust of light taupe eye shadow and black lashes). While precise and matte, Pecheux stayed away from lip liner – “it would look too severe and hard” …and rather Hard Rock, one could imagine…

Temperley London:

‘Beauty in Exile’ was the title of Alice Temperley’s Fall collection, which set Charlotte Tilbury to thinking about “a woman’s journey, particularly that of those wonderfully pale 18th century Russians… I wanted makeup reminiscent of another era and quite Eastern European, but in a modern way,” she said. In keeping with the newly neutral shades of Temperley’s collection (less colorful and embellished than we’ve come to expect) the makeup was a quietly tonal and toned down affair which gave the girls a very monochromatic beauty that still nodded towards the bohemian (you can’t take the label out of West London…)

Rodarte:

The makeup at Rodarte was as enigmatic and artistically crafted as the portraiture of Titian and Velazquez that influenced the clothes. Sent the Seventies Czech film ‘Valerie and her Week of Wonders’ by the designers as a reference point (yes, there’s nothing no-brainer about Rodarte), Kaliardos set about creating “a sweet young virginal girl discovering her femininity,” with soft Smurf blue eyes (MAC Paint Stick in Clear Sky Blue), fine liquid liner, translucent skin and blanked out lips. Carefully keeping color away from the brows (“too ‘I Love Lucy,’” he warned), “keep something naive and real about it,” directed Kaliardos to his MAC team. “I don’t want it looking like an old Fifties Vogue cover.”

Narciso Rodriguez:

Narciso’s women always look impeccable and clean, but “this season he wanted to get away from being considered architectural and abstract,” said Dick Page. Breaking with the graphic makeup statements that he’s designed for the last few seasons, Page simply “looked at the real women who wear Narciso’s clothes: essentially well-groomed and casual. New York women out on the town these days aren’t getting gussied up like they’re at some red carpet event,” he said. So, along with loose hair (a first for the Narciso catwalk) came altogether simple, soft, taupey-gold lids, a little bronzer and sheer pink blush and a baby-mouth tinted lip balm. With clothes this downright divine, who needs try hard makeup?

See the looks from MAC Backstage Part I here.

Fashiontribes.com featured a great interview with Vincent Longo backstage at the Erin Fetherston show. He has some great tips for fall makeup. Check it out!