New York Fashion Week: Lela Rose, Spring 2010

The inspiration for the makeup at the Lela Rose New York Fashion Week Spring 2010 show was Venice Beach. "The Lela Rose girl has been on the beach all day," said Sarah Lucero, Key Makeup artist for Stila/Beauty.com. "At the end of the day, she grabs her towel and heads out for dinner. So she needs a look to play up her sun kissed tan."

To create the look, Sarah used evened out models’ complexions and gave them a "clean, healthy glow" with Stila Sheer Cover Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15. Stila Convertible Color in Camelia, Eye Shadow Duo in Fandango and Cobalt Smudge Pot were applied to eyes. Sarah gave cheeks a little color using Stila Pomegranate Crush Lip & Cheek Stain. Camelia Convertible Color did double duty on the lips. Finally, lashes were inked up with Major Lash Mascara in Black.

When I asked Sarah to recommend one Stila product that every woman should invest in, she quickly answered Stila’s soon-to-be-released One Step Makeup - which is primer, foundation and concealer (oh my!) all in one fantabulous formula.

Sarah touches up Lela's makeup.

Next, I stopped by Ted Gibson’s station to inquire about the hair, and was surprised at what I saw. Since I started covering New York Fashion Week four seasons ago, Ted has been the Head Stylist at Lela Rose - and their collaborations typically yield sophisticated, polished hair. Not this year. "This season, the hair is an interesting departure from what we usually do," Ted said. Inspired by the beachy theme, and the collection’s wave details, he created a slightly messy mane. First, he sprayed hair with Build It Blow Drying Agent. Then he twisted small sections of hair before blasting them with a blow dryer. After repeating this process all over the head, Ted gathered hair in a ponytail and secured with an elastic. The pony was then back-brushed to give it volume and set using Beautiful Hold Hairspray. "This look is easy to replicate and is very wearable," he said. "If you’re a little more adventurous, leave the hair down."

A beachy, soft, nude nail - courtesy of Deborah Lippmann - complimented Lela’s collection. Lippmann Long Wearing Nail Lacquer in Fashion, an opaque beige - is a "modern take on the old-school matchy match mani/pedi," Deborah explained. "The color extends the skin, and you can imagine that toenails adorned in this color would just disappear in the sand."

It’s not often that I have a tête-à-tête with a nail authority, so I took the opportunity to ask Deborah about emerging trends and nail don’ts. She officially pronounced French manicures and pedicures as DEAD, noting that they should have disappeared along with the Betamax. "The French manicure is dated and uninspired. Many women tell me that they like a French manicure because they’re looking for a natural look. Problem is that no one has a white, white tip. Opaque beiges and tans are the new way to wear a neutral nail. I also love that these opaque nudes can do what pale, sheer pinks can’t: they cover imperfections better, result in less streaks, and make fingers look longer and leaner."

#NYFW

Lela Rose Cosmetics Bag Filled with Goodies at Beauty.com

Beauty.com is at it again, bringing affordable luxury to customers with the best value offer to date. Celebrating a beautiful spring season, New York fashion and wedding gown designer Lela Rose created a new for 2009 limited edition beauty bag that comes filled with 15 deluxe and full-sized prestige beauty products.

The sophisticated cosmetic and toiletry bag, designed exclusively for Beauty.com, features wide stripes in fresh neutral shades from her current color palette with a convenient top zipper offering a pop of nautical navy. Ideal as a gift for Mother’s Day, hostesses, and summer bridal parties, the roomy bag has a collapsible shape, cotton canvas exterior and multiple interior pockets, making it a quintessential accessory for both daily use and travel.

Beauty.com has been a backstage partner to Lela Rose during New York Fashion Week for the past two years. “The Lela Rose and Beauty.com collaboration speaks not to only the Lela Rose customer, but to women everywhere,” says Lela Rose. “Women today are looking for value and quality when making purchases without having to sacrifice style and sophistication. I can’t think of a better pick-me-up than this gift with purchase to kick off the spring season.” Valued at $150, the classic cosmetic bag comes filled with 15 hair, makeup, and skin care samples, the most full-and sample-sized products ever to be included in a designer gift with purchase bag on Beauty.com. Customers will receive this gift for free with a $100 purchase on Beauty.com. The Lela Rose cosmetics case includes:

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara (Black)
Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Compact (Golden Apricot)
POP Beauty Eye Magnet Primer (No.1 Airbrushed)
It Cosmetics My Youthful Smile Duo (Signature Blue)
Nuxe Tonific Fermete Intensive Firming Cream
Bliss Best of Skintentions with SPF15
Borghese Piede Vitale Foot Crème
ARCONA Papaya Enzyme Gel (Rejuvenate PM)
BVLGARI Omnia Amethyste Body Lotion
Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Angel Wings Ultra-Light Styling Paste
Rene Furterer Fioravanti Shine Enhancing Detangling Cream Rinse
Jonathan Product Straightening Lotion
Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser (All/Sensitive Skin)
PHYTO Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Shampoo
Stila Eye Shadow Pan (Shore)

New York Fashion Week: Lela Rose, Fall 2009

For her Fall 2009 collection, Lela Rose drew inspiration from the rainforest - and the creepy crawlies that call it home. To help transform the models into chic, tropics-trekking entomologists, Lela enlisted the help of two of the biggest names in the beauty business.

Celebrity makeup artist Tina Turnbow (for Beauty.com) used products from Stila Cosmetics to reinforce the rainforest theme. Tina prepped the skin with Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, Perfecting Concealer and Sheer Pressed Powder.

"The skin is fresh and dewy, not dead and matte," Tina explained. "I'm so excited to have the skin be healthy and shiny and glowing."

When I asked if dewy skin was an emerging trend for Fall, Tina confessed that she's ready to see the skin again. "I love the idea of sheen. I love seeing the skin, and powder usually takes that away. This morning, we're only applying powder to the t-zone."

Models' lids were painted with gold and green shadows from the Precious Pearl Palette and lined in Kajal Eye Liner (in Emerald and Pearl) along with Stila Smudge Pot in Jade - to mimic the the "iridescent, pearlescent shell of a beetle."

Cheeks were earthily flushed, using Convertible Color in Camellia and pouts glossed with Lip Glaze in Praline. Eyeshadow in Constellation and Venus (new shades) were brushed over brows and high on the cheekbones to give the face definition and impart a jungle-like wetness to the look.

I wasn't surprised to see mane magician Ted Gibson backstage, as he and Lela love to collaborate. For the past two seasons, I have chatted with Ted backstage at Lela Rose - and he always serves up something fierce.

Every fashion week, I am amazed by his conceptual (yet accessible) hairstyles...and this season's coiffure made me heart Ted all the more.

While Tina Turnbow was inspired by the beetle, Ted found his muse in Odonata - aka the dragonfly.

To create the insect-inspired do, Ted created a center part, then swept hair back into a "youthful ponytail." The voluminous crown was created using Build It. Tame It Shine Lotion smoothed the hair and calmed flyaways. The ponytail was coiled and blasted with heat from a hair dryer (air concentrator nozzle on), to give the hair texture.

Finally, the twisted tail was set with Beautiful Hold Hairspray, which smells so wondorous that you want to spray it on - whether or not your hair needs help staying put.

I Went Backstage With Lela Rose, Now You Can Too - Thanks to Stila and Beauty.com!

Last September, I went backstage at the Lela Rose Spring 2009 show - to get the skinny on hair and makeup. Ted Gibson fashioned roughed-up braids and cornrows to complement the collection’s African-inspired theme. And Beauty.com makeup artist Tina Turnbow used Stila products to transform each model into "a very adventurous, outdoorsy woman on safari."
Now, Stila and Beauty.com have teamed up to create a kit that allows real women to achieve Lela’s runway look.

Stila Backstage with Lela Rose and Beauty.com contains the key products used by every artist backstage at the Spring 2009 show. Stila Sun Shade 02 was used to bronze the models' cheekbones; this bronzer is known for its amazing buildable color, which makes it a makeup artist favorite - season after season. Cranberry Lip Glaze popped the models' pouts. For the eyes, Starlight Eye Shadow let the lids shimmer with a champagne glow, and a coating of Major Lash Mascara in Brown helped to create a balanced, feminine face.

Stila Backstage with Lela Rose and Beauty.com is a $77 value, but you can snap one up for only $34. Exclusively sold at Beauty.com.

Yes We Afri-Can: Lela Rose, Spring 2009

For Spring 2009, Lela Rose takes us on safari.

Backstage, I had the opportunity to chat with my mane man, Ted Gibson, about the inspiration for the collection and the hair.



"Lela found this book and it had portraits of African women and these really incredible outfits and hairdos. So we took the same idea and she adopted them into the clothes and I adopted them into the hair," he said. "And what I’m doing is a modern interpretation of what these looks were. So I’m doing braids and roughing up the braids. It’s a cornrow in the front. It’s African inspired, but I think what’s great about it is that any woman can really wear it."

Ted used Tame It - a professional, shine-boosting styling lotion - to control flyaways and frizzies. Hairsheet Styling Sheets added polish and shine, and Beautiful Hold Hairspray secured the style in place.



Beauty.com makeup artist Tina Turnbow used Stila products to transform each model into "a very adventurous, outdoorsy woman on safari." To create the perfect canvas, Tina applied Natural Finish Oil Free Makeup and Perfecting Concealer. To impart a pop of color, Convertible Color in Poppy was added to cheeks and Cranberry Lip Glaze was pressed onto lips.

Tina then swept Stila Sun across the tops of the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose and the forehead to mimic a "sunburned/windburned face."

Tina used Dune Eye Shadow, conservatively, on the lids - to keep the look bare. Finally, Brow Set was applied with #18 Dual Ended Brow Brush to create what Tina called an "indulgent eyebrow, Audrey Hepburn style."

Before escaping the hustle and bustle backstage, I had the opportunity to chat up Stila celebrity makeup artist Sarah Lucero. I asked her to name her favorite products that real women can use to achieve runway looks.

"For Lela Rose, it’s all about the skin and healthy, flushed cheeks…so Convertible Color and the Tinted Moisturizer creates a really good sheer wash of color," she replied. "It has SPF, hydration and pigment. So what it’s going to do is even out your skin with pigment versus heavy weight. It’s great for everyday women and it’s what we use on the runway. It’s so versatile and you can feel like a pro makeup artist everyday in your bathroom."

Beauty.com Collaborates With Lela Rose: Gift With Purchase!

Beauty.com has collaborated with New York fashion designer Lela Rose* to offer customers a limited edition beauty valise filled with prestige beauty products. The exclusive Lela Rose Travel Bag comes just in time for the busy vacation season and is available to customers with a purchase of $100 or more on Beauty.com.

“Beauty.com has a sophisticated customer who is both feminine and fashionable,” says Lela Rose. “She inspired me to want to design an accessory, not just a make-up case…one that looked just as cute as the handbag holding it.”

The limited-edition Lela Rose Travel Bag features Lela’s signature dot print for 2008 with vintage luggage trim and feminine detailing. The travel bag is perfect for toting beauty essentials, with useful built-in features such as brush holders and zippered plastic compartments for more delicate items.

The case, with products valued at more than $120, contains both deluxe and full-sized favorites, including:

* ARCONA Cranberry Toner
* Alterna Caviar Moisture Shampoo with Seasilk
* Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
* L’OCCITANE Verbena Harvest Shower Gel
* L’OCCITANE Verbena Harvest Body Lotion
* Vincent Longo La Dolce Vita Lashes
* Vincent Longo The Curl Mascara
* Freeze 24/7 IceShield Facial Cleanser with Sunscreen SPF 15
* Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash
* Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy

Get yours now while supplies last.

* Remember when I met Lela backstage at her Fall 2008 show during NY Fashion Week? You don't? Extra, extra! Click here to read all about it.

Fashion Week: Backstage At Lela Rose

On the third day of Fashion Week, I woke up early and headed over to the tents. Outside, it may have been a sleepy Sunday morning, but backstage at Lela Rose, it was bustling.

I wasn’t originally scheduled to cover the Lela Rose show, but after being rebuffed at Alexandre Herchcovitch, Julia let me take her place (merci, Julia!) while she caught up on some beauty sleep. So imagine my surprise/excitement when I see the Ted Gibson – not one of his senior stylists – styling the models hair. I couldn’t believe my luck. Standing there in the presence of greatness, I couldn’t form words. So I snapped some amateur-ish photos and psyched myself up to talk to him. Ted must have sensed my nervousness, so he asked, “Do you wanna talk to me?”


Ted Gibson blowdries model's hair


Ted curls model's hair with medium barrel curling iron


Lela Rose and Ted Gibson

I slowly approached him while wildly fumbling in my bag for my notepad and pen, but was quickly put at ease by his friendly charm. It turns out that Ted, besides being a hair styling genius, is unbelievably down-to-earth and welcoming. He even told me I looked familiar, which warmed my heart – since he spends most of his time surrounded by models and celebs.

I quizzed him about the inspiration for the collection, to which he replied, “it’s Jerry Hall meets Park Avenue.” He continued on, adding that the hair concept was actually Lela’s. “It’s so nice to work with a designer who has such a clear sense of direction,” he said. “Lela really knows who her customer is, and her collection reflects that.”

To achieve the look - which Ted described as “sporty rather than contrived” – hair was blown out with Build It Blow Drying Agent, which imparts body, bold movement and intense shine to the hair. Next hair was curled with a medium-barrel curling iron, then he back-combed the roots “to create volume and texture at the scalp.” To set the style, Ted spritzed hair with Beautiful Hold, his gardenia-scented hairspray.

Finally, locks were smoothed with a paddle brush, styled into a half up/half down style, and finished off with a few swipes of Hair Sheet Treatment – to “rebuild and revitalize.” Before concluding the interview, I asked Ted about his celebrity hair muses – to which he replied: Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway (whose hair he styled for the Miss Sixty show), Joy Bryant, Gabrielle Union, and Debra Messing.


Beauty.com celebrity makeup artist Tina Turnbow created the sporty socialite look with products from NARS.

Models wore:

Eyes: Kaliste Eyeliner Pencil (teal) and Paris Eyeshadow Duo (silver shimmer and matte gray)
Cheeks: Dolce Vita Blush* (dusty rose)
Lips: Misbehave Lip Gloss** (sheer cherry red with gold shimmer) and Greek Holiday Lip Gloss (shimmering pink sand)

*new for Fall 2008
**new for Summer 2008