At Romeo Hunte’s FW17 presentation for New York Fashion Week, a bevy of models, male and female, posed in edgy streetwear. From the wardrobe styling to the makeup and hair, the aesthetic was bold but still entirely wearable.
Designer Romeo Hunte wanted the makeup look to be “strong” and “androgynous” to match his collection. He and key makeup artist Dana Arcidy of Metro Look decided on smoky, glossy eyes, nude lips, and bold brows, a look that was more fierce than girlishly pretty. Arcidy and her team used Face Atelier’s line of products on their models. “Usually, I start with skin makeup and move on to brows before I do eye makeup, but for a look like this I recommend doing things in a different order,” said Arcidy. “We did eyeshadow first, so that any fallout could be easily cleaned up without messing up the foundation. Then, we did brows. I tend to lift my models brow’s to smooth out the eyelid while doing eyeshadow, and since we were darkening the brows, doing them first would’ve made a mess. Makeup like this is really no harder than natural makeup, but it does require a bit more planning.”
The team blended black eyeshadow from the lashline up to the crease, fading it out as it got closer to the brow bone. On the inner third of the eyelid, a shimmery silver eyeshadow was applied. The same silver and black were smudged below the lashline, and the waterline was blackened with pencil eyeliner. The brows were darkened to a medium brown for light-haired models and to black for those with darker hair. They were then combed up and set into place with clear mascara, giving the models a tough, edgy look.
At this point, any (unwanted!) smudges were cleaned up and skin makeup was applied. Of Face Atelier’s Ultra Foundation, Arcidy said, “This foundation is perfect for literally everyone. We apply it to the male models and it has a natural, skin-like finish. But it’s so buildable that you can also create a less natural, more flawless finish if you like. And they have a color for everyone.” She explained that the line is unique in that it sells color adjusters, which the team used to customize foundations for the diverse cast of models, who ranged from milky skinned to deep skin tones. They also used the line’s “Heat” and “Blaze” adjusters to add more yellow or red tones to foundations as needed.
On metal palettes, the team mixed a drop of foundation in the models’ skintone with a small amount of Coral Reef lipstick to create a soft nude color. When the models were dressed and it was nearly show time, Arcidy and her team applied a clear gloss on top of the shadow on their models’ lids. Now the models were street chic and ready to impress the waiting crowd.
About Face Atelier
Face Atelier is a line of cosmetics founded in Canada by Debbie Bondar after she grew frustrated with never being able to find a perfect foundation match. She created a high quality line that is age and race neutral. Face Atelier is a makeup artist and celebrity favorite, boasting fans such as Billy B., Lady Gaga, and Kelly Clarkson.
About Metro Look
Metro Look was founded by makeup artists and hair stylists Dana Arcidy and T. Cooper. The two artists and their talented team collaborate on a variety of projects in the world of fashion and beyond.