Top 10 Beauty Moments at MBFWA

Nail-art geniuses Nail Rock paired up with the good people at ASOS to create custom designs for Ellery, Gary Bigeni and Romance Was Born. Best of all, they're available to buy in the ASOS store right now — and at just $13.26, they're a steal.

 

 

 

It was always going to be hard to match the crazy prints at Jenny Kee, but CND managed to do so with these incredible hand-marbled nails. Marbling is a messy process, but you can DIY (watch this video for instructions)! You'll need quite a few colours though — the base was Brilliant White and the marbling used Bicycle Yellow, Relay Red, Anchor Blue, Green Scene and Blackjack.

 

 

 

Who would've thought that bright orange mullets, clownish make-up, plastic eyebrows and nine (nine!) different nail designs could actually create a cohesive look? Somehow RWB made it work. The hair was by Alan White for ghd (and cleverly he used wigs, meaning all the work was done prior to the show). Natasha Severino (former Beauty Director here at Oyster) did the make-up using MAC, telling us that the concept was "modern superheroes, almost a bit Fifth Element slash Robert Palmer 'Simply Irresistible'." The graphic blue eyeliner is definitely something you could try at home (although it's probably not the most office-friendly look).

 

 

Renya Xydis paired twisted dreadlocks with headscarves to match the brief of "Romanian farm girl." Of the two looks, the up-do is the most wearable — although I can just imagine the horror in my hairdresser grandmother's eyes if I turned up to Sunday lunch looking like the model in the first picture ("why would you WANT to look like you have dreadlocks?").

 

 

 

Anthony Nader for KMS offset Gary's strong prints with a sophisticated ponytail at the nape, and it was so simple that it worked perfectly. Anthony said the hair, like the collection, was “sexy but quite masculine at the same time.” Although a deep side-part can take a bit of getting used to, it works well at night with a suit — or even with a massively OTT ball gown (hello Gwyneth Paltrow in pink at the 1999 Oscars).

Alan White from ghd also created this hairstyle, which he called "poolside sophistication" (although it could just as easily be "just had sex in the shower"). The hair is full of Smooth & Finish Serum, and by using a ghd iron to put S-bends in the hair beforehand, the hair stays defined despite being heavy with product. Nicole Thompson at MAC used Studio Fix+ spray and clear brow gel to create the dewy effect, adding Silver Dust Loose Powder just before the Fix+ to remove any hint of greasiness.

 

 

 

Napoleon Perdis (beloved of many in our office) was inspired by his childhood memories of Australia, as well as by Kym Ellery's "clean, fresh skin." He used Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Napoleon Complex Skin Renewal Serum and Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer, then lightly covered with Off Duty Tinted Moisturiser. Auto Pilot Lip Service with Ice Storm Loose Eye Dust Over was used as a highlighter. There was a last-minute change with the beauty direction at Ellery, and nails were kept simple by using a custom-made Nail Rock Nail Wrap in Pantone 7509HC. Special mention should also be made of the nail jewellery (top right) — I want!!! I caught up with Napoleon himself during the week:

 

Ariane Halls: Would you rather live without your phone or without make-up?
Napoleon Perdis: Without my phone. By far!
What's more important: perfect eyebrows, or perfect hair?
Perfect brows, because the brows frame and give character to the face. The brows also, for many cultures, are used for expression, but the hair — you can be with it, you can be without it, you can be bald… You can do whatever you want.
Have you ever thought about having your own TV show here in Australia? (Perdis has already had a reality show in the US, the highly entertaining Get Your Face On.)
Yeah… but they don't pay as much. I actually got nearly $2 million for my show in America, so… You should do it. I'm going to email you, we should talk.

 

 

Sharon Blain (for Goldwell) was inspired by Kate Moss' 1996 Face cover. She created a mohican with left-in rag curls (which are SO MUCH FUN to do — see here for instructions). The nails should also get a mention: OPI used Alpine Snow with the pearly Don't Touch My Tutu over the top, and props to them for making me want square nails for the first time in my life. Both nails and hair were the perfect mix of hard and soft, just like the collection itself.