This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of ELLE.
It's easy to look at the couture collections' next-level-luxe dresses (with their sometimes six-figure price tags) and think: So, what's in this for me? According to the beauty pros backstage, a lot.
MIDAS TOUCH
How to make makeup feel as riche as a lavishly spangled Alberta Ferretti dress? Go for gold
From lids to manes to limbs, everything beauty pros touched backstage turned to gold. At J. Mendel, where the collection's geometric patterns and metallic motif looked Gustav Klimt–inspired, Romy Soleimani strobed lids with "spontaneous" strokes of a mixture of gilded pigment and ultrashiny clear lip gloss, then sprinkled the streaks with glitter. "Gilles [Mendel] treated some of the furs in the collection with real gold," the makeup artist says. "I wanted to continue the theme." Seeking a subtler effect? Take your cue from Tom Pecheux, who gave classic black cat-eyes a "lift" at Elie Saab with flicks of glinty gel liner. Or from hairstylist Guido Palau, who secured center-parted strands at Dior with a supersize gold snap clip.
PRO TIP: Applying a light wash of richly pigmented shadow is pleasingly bold, yet a notch softer than an opaque layer.
SUPERNATURAL SKIN
Couture complexions didn't just glow—they gleamed. "To make every girl look as if she's got radiant, natural skin is not easy—it's work," says McGrath, who used her sold-out Skin Fetish 003 highlighter to create Vermeer-esque canvases at Valentino. (Try the McGrath-approved CoverGirl TruBlend Contour kit.) At J. Mendel, Soleimani dabbed a light-catching cocktail—RMS Beauty Eye Polish in Lunar plus Lucas Papaw Ointment—from upper cheekbone to temple to create a "flash of highlight" that looked just as brilliant and dewy in profile as it did straight on. "When you've got a couture gown that's everything, you want to pare back [the makeup]," says makeup artist Val Garland of the contrasting bare-but-luminescent skin (try luster-bestowing Maybelline New York Facestudio Master Strobing Stick Illuminating Highlighter) at Giambattista Valli. "That's what makes it look modern."
PRO TIP:
To further boost shine, Garland says she "adds a little moisturizer on top of highlighter."
RED ALERT
During the makeup test at Chinese designer (and RiRi favorite) Guo Pei, "it was apparent that there was an element of magic missing," says lead makeup artist Debbie Finnegan of the pretty but straightforward red lip. "Something was needed to give an extra 'wow' factor." Enter M.A.C Lipglass, which was layered over M.A.C Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour at the "last minute" to lend a spotlight-catching vinyl finish. Pat McGrath took the concept to the next level at Atelier Versace, dusting blood-red lips with matching sparkles from her Lust 004 Kit (inspired by a 2015 ELLE UK shoot) for an effect that easily rivaled Dorothy's ruby slippers.
PRO TIP:
To whisk away fallout, use "cloudy" Scotch tape to pick up any rogue particles. "Just don't get the transparent kind—it's too sticky," McGrath says.
PRO TIP
To keep glitter from migrating, dab it at just the center of lips.
BOLD STROKES
Intrepid dashes of color give eyes a wake-up call
"I couldn't believe how fresh everyone looked in that blue," McGrath says of the icy azure wings she painted onto models' eyes at Atelier Versace. "The color had a slightly vintage feel, but it felt modern because of the shape." Elsewhere, emerald, garnet, topaz, and aquamarine shadows proved equally enlivening. Makeup master Sam Bryant played up both eyes and lips at Jean Paul Gaultier, using matching colored mascara to amp up rust and sage-green lids. It took five different terra-cotta shadows for Dick Page to achieve the desired orangey hue at Schiaparelli, but the pro advises DIY-ers to start with a coral blush (such as Page-designed Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color in Starfish): "Sometimes powder blushes are easier for richer, brighter colors because the degree of pigment tends to be less intense than in eye shadow." That said, for deeper skin tones, Page suggests trying a redder chestnut hue to keep the color from reading "dusty" or "chalky." Peach- or yellow- based shades flatter fairer complexions; for anyone seeking just a hint of warmth, he says, accent go-to beigey brown with a sheer wash of apricot: "It gives a pop without committing to a full-color eye."
PRO TIP
Applying a light wash of richly pigmented shadow is pleasingly bold, yet a notch softerthan an opaque layer.
LET'S BOUNCE
Boisterous texture—and a halo of we-meant-to-do-that frizz—is making big hair great again
Beauty lesson learned: Frizz needn't always be tamed. At Chanel, hairstylist Sam McKnight sculpted a "fluffy cloud" of curls high and tight on models' heads, intentionally frizzing ringlets by unraveling them with his fingers to "soften the edges." To complete Fendi's fairy-tale extravaganza held at Rome's majestic Trevi Fountain, Mc- Knight wrapped small sections of hair vertically around the barrel of a half-inch BaByliss curling iron, then back-brushed Scarlett O'Hara– inspired spirals for an airy, almost fuzzy finish.
PRO TIP
For beautifully imperfect coils, eschew styling products that offer hold—the goal here isn't to preserve the perfect spiral of a curl—in favor of moisturizing leave-in conditioners.
BUNS, HON
Yes, buns were an obvious choice to accompany the tutus Karl Lagerfeld designed for Paris's Opéra Bastille for a July ballet production, but the ballerina look also popped up with hair guru Palau's knots at Atelier Versace, where he worked in a shot of Redken Wind Blown 05 Dry Finishing hair spray for grip. For J. Mendel's breezy chignons, hairstylist James Pecis elegantly twisted strands off models' necks, applying shimmer-laced gold pomade "for a lived-in feel" and to tamp down flyaways: "It's the perfect way to give an effortless look a bit of magic."
PUT A BOW ON IT
Cascades of curls were capped off with bows at both Chanel and Fendi, making ribbon the most unexpected—and affordable—accessory of the season. The black bands wrapped around models' heads at Chanel were lined with velvet to create friction and prevent slippage. Should your satin wrap threaten to come undone, add a few bobby pins for extra insurance, or stitch a comb to the back of your bow and simply slide it into place. The night's second most visually stunning detail: the extravagant runway "stage" at Chanel, where Lagerfeld transported the atelier's entire staff, along with their sewing machines and reams of fabric, to the Grand Palais.
ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE
When it came to their couture show tool kits, both hair and makeup pros thought well outside the box. Inspired by the 1965 classic film Doctor Zhivago, Garland swathed cheekbones, brows, and lashes with a light dusting of "snow" in lieu of highlighter to accompany the opulently multitiered dresses at Ulyana Sergeenko. A thin layer of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream applied with a fan brush held the white flakes (sourced from a theatrical beauty boutique in Paris) in place without allowing them to clump. At Valentino, Palau bound small sections of hair with flexible golden wire found at a craft shop. For the finale at Jean Paul Gaultier, the bride (played by Soo Joo Park) wore striking scarlet "petal lips"—a bouquet of Sweet William blossoms procured from a local florist was rushed backstage especially for the occasion. And at Maison Margiela, mane master Eugene Souleiman upcycled everything from kitchen foil to balloons to feathers to create "hair art," which he giddily captioned on Instagram: "Can't believe @johngalliano let me do [this]!"
PRO TIP
For an alternate take on the Valentino look, stack a set of five or more bobby pins around the front of the face to perk up loose-hanging hair.
