Fashion shows are a funny thing. The lights go on, the music blares, the models stomp out, and less than 10 minutes later, it's all over. But here's what you don't see: months of tireless work by the designer, set designer, publicists, and a bajillion interns — and more than three to four hours of intense beauty prep by some of the world's top makeup artists and hairstylists.To give you a peek at the crazy process, we snuck a GoPro backstage at some of our favorite shows this season. Ahead, check out what it's really like to be a part of the madness — and the gorgeous results of all that chaos.
Marc Jacobs
“I don’t care if you like it or don’t," makeup artist François Nars told a group of beauty editors backstage during Marc Jacobs' fall 2016 show. "Hopefully you like it, but if you don’t, that’s okay.” It's not necessarily the kind of welcome beauty editors are used to receiving, but once you take a look at the IDGAF makeup creations, the declaration will start to click.
There were six different looks total, with each model looking like she had stepped out of an underground New York City club (circa 1970s or 1980s). The mostly dark, intentionally smudged eye makeup was created using a combination of creamy black eyeshadow, liner, lip pencils, and black powder — all by NARS, of course. "It’s not a perfect smoky eye; it’s dramatic and goes down quite a lot underneath," says Nars. "You want the girl to look like those creatures that are very strange and mysterious. It almost looks like a couture show…very extreme."
The girls' eyebrows were bleached to allow the makeup to stand out more, Nars explains. "Eyebrows make you look normal. If you shave or get rid of them, right away the face becomes more strange," he says. "This gives us a better canvas to work with because everything is almost erased, so you just re-create any shape you want with eyes."
The perfect hairstyle to go with that goth-inspired makeup? '20s finger waves. (Even Gaga got in on the action.)
Nicole Miller
On a softer note, the Nordic-inspired makeup at Nicole Miller "brought to life [an] icy vibe with a spirit of coziness," explains lead makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes.
Hughes drew Butter London's Union Jack black eye pencil along the upper lids, creating a thick, winged look. She retraced the line with liquid liner to add shine, topping it all off with a couple coats of mascara. She finished by sweeping on some fleshy, pink lipstick and blush for a flushed, youthful vibe.
Winged eyeliner, soft lips, and a glossy blowout — Lauren Conrad, is that you?
Jeremy Scott
We can always count on Jeremy Scott for a good-time makeup look — and this season's "cowgirls in space" theme definitely didn't disappoint.
The main show was the teal eyeliner placed above the crease of the eyelid. "There are images of pinup girls on the clothes, so that’s where I kind of started from," makeup artist Kabuki says about the look. "I wanted to do a kind of sexy, burlesque eye but in a way that was really minimal and still felt very young."
The models also rocked MAC's Candy Yum-Yum bubble-pink lipstick, as well as star-shaped "beauty marks" on the cheeks.
The Priscilla Presley-esque hair was the icing on the very tall and teased cake.
Rodarte
The makeup at Rodarte's latest show played with the idea of "pretty and tough.""A girl wants to be pretty, but they don’t want to be a pushover," says makeup artist James Kaliardos. "We're mixing elements of fairy dust, moonlight, goth girl, and tough bitch — 'you better give me my money.'"
The skin was left minimal, with the exception of subtle highlighting, while the lips and eyebrows got the full treatment. The brows were darkened with black mascara, and the strong lips came courtesy of NARS' Train Bleu matte lip pencil. The key to pulling off such an intense matte shade, Kaliardos says, is to line your lips properly.
"When you do your lips dark, they tend to look smaller and shrunken," he says. "So you have to draw your lip out all the way to the border of your lip line...but don't overdraw them."
The end result: one of our favorite looks from this season.
Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page. Like us on Facebook — we'll see you there!
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
This Eyeshadow Trend Is About To Be Huge
How To Contour For Every Skin Tone
6 Makeup Tips That Will Seriously Improve Your Shopping Experience