Backstage at Toronto LG Fashion Week!

Would it surprise you to know that up to last week, I was a fashion show virgin?  Being the beauty side of Beauty Crazed, I don't attend them - but Christelle was out of town so I got pressed into duty!  My show pick was BASCH by Brandon, I liked him on Project Runway Canada so I figured if nothing else, it would be entertaining. From the opening beat of Rhianna's S&M and the first model who came strutting down the runway in a sheer black dress complete with lime green underwear it was quite the kinky ride! There were a lot of dresses, most of them black, some of them very tight and almost all of them really short!  I'll be posting the collection soon, I actually really like it, but for the sake of the show, they really sexed the hell out of it!

The real reason that I agreed to fill in though, was I was given the opportunity to go backstage and see the hair and makeup people in action, which was too good to resist!

I was expecting it to be a bit of a crazy circus, but it was actually pretty calm and civilized.  No screaming, no freak-outs and no half naked models running around (sorry Erin).  Just a lot of very focused people turning ordinary looking models into catwalk goddesses!

Eddie Malter, Artistic Director for LG Fashion Week and Official Makeup Artist for L'Oréal Paris welcomed me backstage and let me watch him and his assistant Vivi get model Marla runway ready for the Lundström show and very patiently put up with my peppering him with questions. It's amazing how much work goes into a deceptively simple looking smokey eye and pale lip! Eddie was very generous in letting me get in close to see his technique and I have already been able to create his look at home!  I was hoping for some brush secrets but he uses a french brand that are discontinued so no luck there!  What I was really wowed by was the mascara he used.  I was told it was super secret but I'm a bad secret keeper -L'Oréal Architect 4D - only in Europe right now but coming to Canada at some point - Eddie is a fan because it gives the lashes a super matte look - I would have sworn that Marla was wearing false lashes under the mascara, but she assured me she wasn't - I can't wait for this mascara to make it's way here!

Eddie and Marla - don't those eyes look amazing?!

After makeup, I was passed over to Eric Del Monco, Lead Hair Artist for LG Fashion Week and Official Hair Artist and Colourist for L'Oréal Paris. He was busy supervising the hair for the Lundström show but he took some time to give me a rundown on what was going on.  He had just finished the hair for the Cydelic show seen above.  That's designer Choryin Choi in the background, you can tell he also thinks the hair is a feat of gravity!

The Lundstrom hair had a very sleek, shiny look and Eric let me in on the secret - L'Oréal Elnett UV Protect Hairspray - the more you spray, the shiner it looks - unlike other hairsprays that just make the hair stiff and sticky, Elnett still lets the hair move and makes it shine like crazy!  He also filled me in on some other fall trends heading our way including feathered hair, updos and loose twists as well as the hot haircolour for fall which is black!

Eric and his model -it's hard to appreciate just how much work goes into the hair until you get back there and see it for yourself! 

Thanks again to Eddie, Eric and to everyone backstage for letting me come hang out! Same time next year?

- Lisamarie -