Beauty Break: 3D lip service

Backstage at Antonio Berardi S/S 2012, this model is ready for her close-up with high-octane lips by Val Garland.

 The third dimension is having a moment—from Hollywood blockbusters to magazine covers to fashion shows, 3D is on-trend and about to be on … your face! While cheekbone sculpting and adding depth with smoky eye shadows are perennial tricks of the trade, this season saw the 3D trend move to lips, which brings us to our first post in a series of Beauty Break updates!

Now: how to get your pout ready for its IMAX debut—or at least its spring awakening. Conditioning is essential over the blustery winter months—whatever your preferred moisture method, by all means, pucker up. Nobody wants to see flakes of skin in 3D (or any dimension, for that matter), so only a smooth smoocher will suffice!

Lips were in full-bloom backstage at Prabal Gurung's Spring/Summer 2012 show in New York.

Once your lips are supple and silky, it’s time to get dimensional. One of our favorite Spring/Summer 2012 beauty moments arrived compliments of Charlotte Tilbury and the beauty team backstage at Prabal Gurung. The New York designer’s spring runway was inspired by artist Nobuyoshi Araki’s “Sensual Flowers” series, and the lippy makeup was likewise in full-bloom. Tilbury got literal with the flowery look: “We’re creating this orchid-like effect on the lip,” she explained to Videofashion backstage at New York Fashion Week. Tilbury used a trio of hues in an ombre effect to create her orchid, starting at the center of the mouth with black pigment, moving outward with purple, and ending with magenta on the outermost edge of the lips. “Kind of like a flower coming out of the mouth,” Tilbury added. The finished look is definitely dimensional; while black lipstick can ordinarily be a bit, mhhh … morbid (no?), this look is more “Kiss me now!” than kiss of death. Watch Gurung’s models on Videofashion to witness the flower power in motion!

Hot rod--make that, hot RED--lips put the petal to the metal at Antonio Berardi.

3D kissers were also on the agenda across the pond. For Antonio Berardi’s spring show, makeup artist Val Garland aimed to give lips a “high-vinyl reflex.” Just like Tilbury’s orchid creations, Garland used three colors to produce her three-dimensional pouts (see how that works?). “We’re mixing a color called Sin with a coral pigment, so we’ve got a blue-based red with an orange powder,” the beauty guru told Videofashion backstage in London. After blending the hues, Garland topped it off with a slick of gloss, and voila! Garland compared her “smashing red” look to a “metallic car hood”—which could be the best analogy ever. While a freshly waxed roadster may not sound like ideal spring beauty inspiration, the final look is definitely va-va-vrooom! These 3D lips were a seriously sexy compliment to the ruby crystal-accented exits in Berardi’s spring show.

At Jason Wu, matte was far from flat. Diane Kendal added depth with powder pigment.

If you’re not quite ready for Tilbury’s orchid lips or Garland’s full-throttle shellac, perhaps the slightly subtler beauty look at Jason Wu’s S/S 2012 show is your 3D lip style. Back in New York, makeup artist Diane Kendal bucked the tri-color trend and used just two products—scarlet lipstick topped off with neon orange powder—to create the soft-focus crimson kissers. The matte finish doesn’t mean loss of volume—just watch the way those pouts pop on Wu’s pop-art inspired runway! The dressed-up red lips were the perfect match for Wu’s sporty-couture collection.

There you have it—three powerful pouts taken into the third dimension for spring. By playing with pigment and layering hues, you can create lips that jump off the face and trick the eye—without wearing those weird glasses!

Do you have a favorite lip look from the Spring/Summer 2012 shows? Would you try any of these looks? Tell us what you think, stay tuned to our Videofashion YouTube channel for new S/S 2012 videos, and keep checking our Twitter and blog for more Beauty Breaks!

3D goes pop on Jason Wu's spring runway.

Skip school, eat carbs, and makeover your room with Kate Spade Spring/Summer 2012

Stylist Brad Goreski and Kate Spade Creative Director, Deborah Lloyd, with the Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

When Kate Spade Creative Director, Deborah Lloyd, finalized a partnership with Australia’s Florence Broadhurst prints, she couldn’t have known the collaboration would uncover a secret childhood addiction: wallpaper.

“I’ve started wallpapering my house, which I said I’d never do—but I’m on my third room now!” Lloyd confessed to Videofashion Tuesday evening at the Kate Spade Spring/Summer 2012 presentation. But Florence Broadhurst-covered interiors are an upgrade from the walls of yesteryear. “As a child, I wallpapered my bedroom purple—this is a little more sophisticated,” she added with a smile.

A longtime fan of the late artist’s exquisite hand-painted designs, Lloyd knew Broadhurst’s nature-inspired graphic prints would harmonize perfectly with Kate Spade’s signature whimsy. After hands-on archival research at the Florence Broadhurst Aussie headquarters—Lloyd’s first trip to the Land Down Under!—she was ready to roll out the bold patterns on more than just the walls of her Brooklyn townhouse. “We’ve used the prints on everything—from Vespas to stilettos to suitcases to dinnerware to cocktail dresses to hats!” Lloyd explained.

Biker chick? Biker chic! A Kate Spade Vespa is your ticket to ride.

She wasn’t kidding. The Chelsea presentation space itself had been transformed floor-to-ceiling into a virtual printed paradise, and attendees enjoyed posing with that vivid Vespa—sure to vrrrooom! right on to a few holiday wish lists! (including ours—a girl can dream …) While guests found comfy seats on Florence Broadhurst-upholstered couches, glossy models  paraded out in the cheerful, cheeky new collection. By presentation’s end, the packed room was longing to skip the next five months and get on to temperatures warm enough to don any number of the punchy separates and sweet printed frocks. Nautical stripes also made waves with the crowd—which included actress Alexis Bledel—while polka dots gave an extra pop of optimism to our favorite little white dress. Ready-to-wear notwithstanding, it wouldn’t be Kate Spade without an it-bag, and this season’s juicy-hued clutches caught our eye.

Skirt the rules--Kate said it's ok! Stripes are extra spirited when paired with a witty shirt and fun accessories.

Joining forces with Lloyd for a second season, the always dapper Brad Goreski styled the perfectly-polished presentation, and gushed post-show about the gig. “Kate Spade is so much a brand I identify with. I guess there’s Jack Spade, but I’m still very much a Kate Spade girl at heart!” Goreski told Videofashion. Donning a Florence Broadhurst bowtie (love), the reality star and budding author characterized Kate’s spring gal. “It’s a girl who likes to make a bold statement, but also [stays] refined and chic,” said Goreski, “But there’s definitely a sense of humor.”

That sense of humor plays out this season via a series of t-shirts and totes. Embellished with sassy slogans like “Play hooky,” and “Eat cake for breakfast,” (why not do both?!) the tees and bags are the brand’s nod of whimsy which Goreski and Lloyd both adore. “It’s something that’s very us, and a nice way to dress things down a bit,” said Lloyd, “You’re not always going to a cocktail party or wedding—it’s fun to mix the high and the low.”

You’ll have to wait a bit longer to pick up the new Kate Spade collection, but here’s an idea to tide you over: make the most of your snowed-in time this winter (come on—you know it’s coming …) deciding which bleak room needs a little Kate Spade makeover. You’ll be in good company. “The prints are so chic,” said Goreski. “I need to wallpaper an entire room.”

Have your cake and tote it, too! It's a sugar rush from Kate Spade Spring/Summer 2012, and this dotted frock is a Videofashion favorite.