55 Secret Street

NYFW SS 2013 Backstage Beauty: Chado Ralph Rucci with MAC, Bumble and bumble and Essie nails

Backstage, during the preparation for Chado Ralph Rucci's SS2013 show, key artist Tom Pecheux lead the MAC Pro team to create a look that consisted of smokey eyes, dewy skin and nude lips. Pecheux mentioned he wanted to do a black eye for the show but wanted to bring a twist, something not so classic. He showed Ralph Rucci the pink liner he loved it.

On the eyes Carboneyeshadow was used along with Smolder Eye Kohl and Azalea Blushwas used for the bright liner acrosss the lid.

Haute & Naughty - Too Black Lash Mascara was used on the lashes.

 

On the face a light sweep of sculting powder, Studio Sculpt SPF 15 foundation and concealer and finished with 'Prep + Prime' Transparent Finishing Powder . Luxe Natural Moisture Lipgloss was pressed into the lips.

 

 

 Brows were brushed up filled in with Fling (a medium brown) eyebrow pencil.

 

Hair

Okay, so lets talk about the hair. Backstage, the hair was preped for a sleek look.

The Bumble and bumble team  kept the hair back and tucked away in a low chignon.

To achieve the look the hair was slicked back into a low ponytail.

The ends of the ponytail was braided and then rolled under.

After rolling the hair under, it was secured with pins on both sides and set with Bumble and bumble Spray de Mode. Then hair material was wrapped around the neck, across the bun they tied at the top of the head. The material was only used to hold the hair in place. It wa s removed prior to show time.

 

 Nails:

The Essie team kept the nails in nude shades like Mademoiselle (pictured below) and Fed Up.

All photos taken by Nicole La Mons 

It Works For Me: @MixedChicks Leave-In Conditioner

  Me, test-driving Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner just before the Leave-In Conditioner.

Ironically enough, I tried Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner. a few years ago and was underwhelmed. To be fair, my hair was half-texturized, half-natural and wholly confused. Nothing I tried really worked then because I didn't really know what I was doing as I transitioned to natural hair. Today, I am much savvier about what works for me so, after meeting Wendi Levy and Kim Etheridge, the founders of Mixed Chicks at a recent beauty brunch they hosted in Manhattan, I decided to give their brand a second shot. 

This time, the leave-in worked much better for me.  I was impressed that it left my hair pretty soft (I hate that bone-dry feeling that makes me over-use moisturizing cream) and I was happy with the definition and shine it provided.  I also had good results with the deep conditionerand shampoo but to my surprise, the leave-in is my favorite.  I recently renewed my gym membership and I am already planning to pack the leave-in in my gym bag. I know myself well enough to know that there will be days when I will want to wash my hair after my workout (especially in the summer) and the leave-in works well enough to provide the mositurizer and softness I'll need post-workout to either go straight home or meet a few friends for dinner like I did tonight.

Up next:  Mixed Chicks Hair Silk for added shine when I decide to pull out my T3 SinglePass Compact Flat Iron and straighten my hair. You know, before it gets too hot... 

Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner (10 oz) 16.99.

You Want This: The Fly Cut

My pal, novelist and beauty editor/blogger extraordinaire Tia Williams and her sisters Devon, an entertainment attorney and Lauren, Deputy Editor of The Root (and *sniff* the late, great Stereohyped), are getting into the matchmaking business.  Hair salon matchmaking that is.  

It's called The Fly Cut, but you can call it "Groupon for hair" if you must when you're trying to get your friends to sign up with you (it's free!)  Tell them The Fly Cut is a website that offers daily discounted vouchers (50% to 80% off) for select (as in carefully vetted) hair salons that specialize in African-American and ethnic hair.  Whether your fly cut is naturally curly, kinky, bone-straight or enhanced with a weave, there is a quality salon waiting for you.  The Fly Cut will debut in New York in late April 2012 and expand to other major cities throughout the year, but you can sign up right now and be ready for action when the site premieres with the ever popular Miss Jessie's Soho.

Oh, and bonus! Tia has returned with her juicy, critically-acclaimed and much-need beauty blog, Shake Your Beauty!  Now, if we can just get The Accidental Diva on Kindle, that would be really fly...

55 Beauty Bag: Andre Walker's Shampoo, Conditioner & Q-Oil

  
I never miss Oprah's Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes on OWN and teared up when I saw Andre Walker weep as Oprah surprised him with his new line being one of her final "favorite things". As I teared up, I was reminded about an press release I received awhile back about Andre and, after a quick check of my inbox, Andre's Keratin Shampoo, Conditioner and Quench-Essential Q-oil were on its way.

My hair is kinky/curly/4A natural (by the way, as far as I know, Andre is the one who came up with 3c, 4a, 4b...)  I tend to skip traditional shampoos in favor of conditioner to avoid harsh ingredients like Sodium Laurel Sulfate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate unless I have a lot of product in my hair and I want to rinse it out.  I absolutely confess to only trying Andre's conditioner because I like him and I was really curious about his line.  Since I usually don't bother with a conditioner that doesn't have the word "moisturizing" on the label, I wasn't too surprised that I wasn't thrilled with Andre's Keratin Conditioner.  It wasn't completely horrible for me (my hair did not feel stripped and dry) but it was weirdly "squeaky clean" - the way hair often is after a shampoo. That gave me the idea to use the rest of his conditioner as my "clarifying" cleanser - to rinse out any product junkie build-up.  Works like a charm.

As for the much talked about (Quench-Essential) Q-oil, it was just... okay.  It didn't really do that much for my hair, damp or dry.  It may, like the Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner, work better on other hair types, especially relaxed hair.

Andre Walker Hair Keratin Shampoo $23.00.  Keratin Conditioner $23.00.  Quench-Essential Q-Oil $35.00.