All About Nars Week

All about Nars week begins today at Blogdorf Goodman.

From The New York Times Magazine May 28 2006 by Mary Tannen via the site Jedroot.

Ayako, a makeup artist for Nars Cosmetics, took on the first model, Tatiana Lyadockrina. Eighteen years a makeup artist, the gum-chewing Ayako was dressed in jeans cut off at the knee and black high-heeled boots, a black satin jacket and a necklace of ceramic skulls. She regarded Tatiana's small head and stalklike neck, big green eyes and china-doll skin. What to do with such perfection?

Ayako was in fact concerned that too much prettiness might push the models' tender youth over the edge into sweetness. There had to be some contrast, a "twist," as she put it, but nothing so extreme that you came away remembering the makeup and forgetting the dress. As if to steel herself for the challenge, Ayako came equipped with false eyelashes that she and her team had given five coats of black mascara with applications of powder in between. "Tempura," Ayako said, joking about the clotted coating. There would be no ladylike attempt to separate lashes here. They looked as if they were out partying all night and then slept in. "These are Brigitte Bardot lashes, a little messy and 70's," Ayako said, applying the glue and tamping the lashes carefully onto one of Tatiana's lids. Miraculously, on Tatiana this clumpy concoction looked good. It brought out the somewhat Tartarish shape of her eye. It took a pretty face and made it stunning.
But Ayako was not finished yet. To cover the glue, she added the appropriately named Angel Heart black liquid eyeliner (all makeup was from Nars, of course) and so many more coats of mascara that her thumb was completely black. Flashbulbs from backstage paparazzi went off in Tatiana's already besieged eye, but she bore up uncomplainingly. Perhaps her mind was far away in the Urals. Ayako painted on a thin layer of Starlight Cream Eyeshadow, set it with Bombshell Single Eyeshadow — "more Starlight than Bombshell" — to get a pewter effect, which she applied just up to the crease, so there would be a pop of silver whenever Tatiana blinked that heavy lash. The brow was brushed and slightly erased with a mascaralike wand that Ayako brought from Japan. "Shiseido," she said mischievously.

The rest of the face was relatively minimal. "I always focus on one thing and leave the rest clean," Ayako said. There was an almost-nude lipstick, called Belle de Jour, with an overlay of Stolen Kisses Lip Gloss ("Both named for French movies"). Some concealer was dabbed on with a brush under the eye, and Iceberg, a white pencil, was used to line the lower rim. No blush. Foundation was the last thing applied, and as "all the girls have beautiful skin," there wasn't much of that, just dabs under the eyes and the side of the nose. Loose powder gave a matte finish.

Photo: Style.com
Rodarte Fall 2006 show
model: Tatiana Lyadokrina