TFW backstage beauty: Pink Tartan embraces the Rooney Mara effect

Date March 16, 2012

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While beatnik style was the official inspiration for beauty at Pink Tartan’s Fall 2012 show, there was a definite Rooney Mara vibe happening backstage. The makeup was almost entirely focused on a deep “ox blood” red lip—Maybelline Super Stay 14Hr lipstick in “Wine and Forever”—a colour that Mara’s known for and that has been trending on runways all season long. (Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, for instance.)

Grace Lee, lead makeup artist for Maybelline New York Canada, kept emphasis on the lip through use of minimal colour elsewhere on the face, and by building up shiny, dewy skin along the cheeks and across the eyes. Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm once again helped achieve this effect, with Lee mixing a tiny amount of of Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24Hr Cream Gel Shadow in “Bold Gold” to achieve a glossy golden shimmer on the eye. Cheeks were sculpted using Dream Bouncy Blush in “Coffee Cake,” applied via stippling with a brush along the hollow of the cheekbone.

On the nails, Essie’s burgundy shade “Wicked” was given depth and richness thanks to two base coats of “Mink Muffs.” Done by Melissa Forrest from Tips Nail Bar, the grey base provided extra depth—and a tinge of pearly warmth—to the otherwise moody colour.

And finally, keeping with true beatnik values, the hair was all about letting its natural texture and movement show—while still looking sleek and shiny. Parted in the centre, this classic style was chosen to accentuate and draw attention to the clothes. However, Redken artist Jorge Joao used Redken Fabricate 03, a texturing spray, to keep the hair from looking too smooth. “You want a bit of grit in it,” he explained. “So it’ll move and play like the fabric of the clothes.”