I doubt that Giambattista Valli had Whitney Houston’s eighties hit “So Emotional” in mind when deciding on the look for today’s show, but the “tea-stained” eye makeup by Val Garland certainly brought the lyrics to mind. “She’s woken up from last night and she’s a bit brokenhearted,” explained the face painter of the designer’s muse.
To get the shadowy effect, she blended two colors from the MAC Spring ’14 Trend Forecast Eye Palette (March Mist and Cultivating Chic) to create a mushroom-rose hue and swept it across lids and underneath eyes—diffusing any harsh lines with a brush. A nude pencil was employed along the lower waterlines to cancel any redness the models have acquired at this point during fashion month. For seamless skin minus a heavy base, Garland broke down foundation with Care Blends Essential Oils and applied a bronze shade of Cream Colour Base in the hollows of the cheeks for subtle definition. The same oil was used to sheer out a pearly white highlighter before dabbing it on the tops of cheekbones, the inner corners, and just below the eyes. “There is always a shine detail somewhere at Valli—for Fall it was about a face stretching [sheen], this season it’s about a tear.” Lips, however, were “gloss negative,” with Mixing Medium Matte used to tone down the violet shade lightly patted onto models’ pouts.
Hair wasn’t a weepy affair for Orlando Pita: “She’s still very much a woman with personality and confidence that trusts in her natural beauty,” he said. To reflect this idea of empowerment, Pita made a French twist that was less “madame” and more deconstructed. “I’m always trying to achieve [a style] that appears as if a girl has done it herself,” he explained. To get that DIY feeling, he worked L’Oréal Professional Super or Texture Dust (depending on hair type) through the top section, then misted his hands with Elnett hair spray before scraping strands back with his fingers. Next, he rolled up the length and secured the twist on a diagonal with pins—keeping the sides tight but the crown area slightly loose, for an imperfect finish.
In the end, it seems that the Giambattista Valli girl doesn’t cry for long, or wait around for a man to bring her “forgive me” flowers—especially when she can buy them for herself, strewn across the shoulders of a well-tailored blazer (Look 27) or attention-grabbing mini (Look 29).
