Beauty Banter: Backstage with M.A.C.

L.A. fashion week has officially begun! And we were backstage at the Kelly Nishimoto show, chatting it up with M.A.C. Cosmetic's very own, Gregory Arlt (left), Director of Makeup Artistry (such a snazzy title...)!

Here's what he had to say:

Inspiration for the look:

Nishimoto and Arlt discussed the idea of 1920's romantic, whimsical, and natural. "Like riding on the back of a horse or rolling around in the hay." Everything has this clean and soft feeling to it. From the hair (wind swept, romantic curls) to the skin (moist, flawless and glowing).

Creating the look:

Arlt chose to stain the lips, "like she was just eating a bowl of ripe berries or drinking a glass of red wine." He used Got Um (working title), a lipstick that he spread onto the top of his hand, mixed it with his finger to soften, then patted onto the lips, like blotting, to achieve the stain effect. Arlt projected that stained lips will definitely be a trend for Fall 2008. He suggested adding a clear gloss on top to really make your pucker pop! We like the stain cause it looks soooo natural... like we're not trying too hard but we really are!

For the eyes, Arlt wanted something soft... "I used a grey liner as opposed to black and lined the inner rim of the eye. I wanted to give the effect that it had been there for a few days." He mixed Naked Lunch and Fluff to accentuate the pink and burgundy colors in the clothing. He applied the shadow like a wash, from brow to lash line, even extending it to the cheek bone for highlighting. "I want these colors to pick up the light on the runway."

For the cheeks, Arlt mixed two blushcremes, Laid Back and Posey, creating a pinkish berry. He applied to the apples of the cheeks with a foundation brush, not a blush brush. And this really helped to blend the color into something a little more natural.

Spring M.A.C. Must-Haves:

The entire Fafi Collection! And although many of the colors in the line are bold, Arlt says to concentrate on the Spring hues: "peaches, golds and apricots" (we love us some apricot blush... click HERE to read our review of Fafi's fabulous Hipness). He also mentioned that gold shimmer on the eye lid is tres, tres Spring 2008 (we say that gold shimmer is ALWAYS in style)!

The One Must-Have M.A.C. Item:

The Viva Glam lipstick! It's always in style AND raises money for a great cause. Arlt especially loves the new Fergie campaign (for Viva Glam... VG VI) saying that there is a special edition pink lippy that is vital for everyone's makeup bag! "It's the perfect pink. Not too girly. Sophisticated." And just in time for Spring! Cannot WAIT to try it out!

Check out these pics of the Kelly Nishimoto Fashion Show, Fall, 2008!