For Carlos Campos’s SS18 show for New York Fashion Week: Men’s, the designer drew inspiration from the colorful, modern work of architect Luis Barragan. The collection consisted of strong but minimalistic styling with clean lines and vivid colors, which key makeup artist Dana Arcidy of Metro Look echoed in the makeup look she created for the models.
“The look is very wearable, because with such a strong collection, the focus needs to be on the clothing,” explains Arcidy. “But Carlos and I agreed that we needed to bring some color to the face this season in a simple way.” Her team used Catrice Cosmetics to execute two looks: one for the male models, and one for the female models.
For both looks, the skin was first perfected, a task made easier on the diverse cast of faces by using Catrice’s Make Up Transforming Drops in Lightening and Darkening. “These products are great for makeup artists and your everyday makeup lover,” says Arcidy. “Whether you bought the wrong shade of foundation or just got a little sun, you can alter the product to match your skin perfectly.” The Metro Look team kept the skin brighter in the center of the face and darker on the perimeters, to give skin dimension and a summery glow. They used their Contouring Duo Sticks to sculpt out the cheekbones in a nod to the strong lines of Barragan’s architecture. Then, on the high points of the cheekbones, they buffed on Highlighting Powder to add another layer of luminescence.
The models then had their brows lightly filled in and brushed up, using Eye Brow Stylist pencils that conveniently come with a spoolie on one end. The male models’ look was completed with a light dusting of Prime and Fine Mattifying Powder on the t-zone. For the female models, shades of brown from the Chocolate Nudes palette were feathered over their eyes and Gel Eyeliner was added to the upper lash line. Lashes were fattened up with Rock Couture Extreme Mascara.
The undeniable star of the look was the red lip. Arcidy and her team used Ultimate Stay in Behind the Red Curtain, a red that was flattering on every skin tone and reminiscent of the reds in Barragan’s work. With subtly emphasized eyes and strong, vibrant lips, the look was playful, wearable, and powerful, a perfect match for Campos’s new collection.
Lead Hairstylist, T. Cooper of Metro Look, and her team were sponsored by ECRU New York and Wahl Professional to create tight Afro textured looks for the Carlos Campos show at IMG’s Fashion Week partner venue, Skylight Clarkson Sq. Carlos Campos is a celebrated menswear designer from Honduras. In 2007, he launched his namesake brand, Carlos Campos New York. The brand’s modern take on “classic American style… with a Latin twist” immediately earned him the respect and accolades of the US and Latin American fashion communities.
Cooper called the hairstyle the “A-Line Afro” and it was created by using ECRU products Defining Styling Potion, Dry Wax, and Acai Protein Oil. “Upon discussing the inspiration with Carlos, he let me know that this collection was all about strong lines. A lot of the models had natural hair, and he wanted to keep the texture, but didn’t want a big, round Afro to take away from the shape of the clothes. We decided to keep the hair fuller on top and much tighter on the sides.” Cooper explained. After the cleaned up the hairline, sideburns, and facial hair with a Wahl Beret trimmer, the stylists saturated the models’ hair with Defining Styling Potion to eliminate frizz. The stylists then blow dried the models’ hair, while simultaneously rubbing it in a circular motion with their fingers to form tight coils. For models with longer hair on the sides, the stylists either brushed the sides and applied Dry Wax for hold, or pinned the hair back in a mohawk shape (depending on length). Finally, Acai Protein Oil was patted onto the Afros to add a hint of shine. “The diversity of the ECRU line, really allowed us to create texture on models with different curl patterns beautifully!” said Cooper.