Legendary makeup artist Tom Pecheux unleashed a smoldering, rock chick fierceness at Balmain’s Fall 2017 runway show with intense copper, black smudged eyelids and nude lips. The graphic effect of a double, upper and lower cat eye wing was created using MAC Pro Cosmetics. He began by layering black eye pencil, a black gel liner, and two metallic copper and platinum pigments on the eyelid, along with a heavy dose of black eyeshadow. Like the collection itself, the makeup was also inspired by heavy metal. “At the hair and makeup test, we were talking about the girlfriend of a hard rock musician and Metallica’s name came up. So I thought it was important to have a metallic shadow on the eyes,” he said backstage. To start, Pecheux brushed MAC Fluidline Gel in Blacktrack all over the lids and underneath the eyes in a line stretching from the tear ducts to the outer corners. Next, he used a dampened brush to press MAC pigment in Copper all over the inner half of the lids then painted MAC pigment in platinum in a thin line along the outer half of the lower lashes. “There’s no mascara needed, the eye makeup’s already so black,” he said. The lips were left nude to put a focus on the metallic lip cuffs designed by creative director Olivier Rousteing. #BalmainArmy veteran members Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner rocked the gold lip armor, making it a focal point of the collection.
Hairstylist Sam McKnight braided the hair with tribal cornrows on the crown of the head and melded them into a low hanging ponytail at the nape of the neck. Each model sported between two and four braids running down the center of their head like a mohawk. After braiding the hair, McKnight used root touch up spray one shade darker than the models natural hair color to give the braids a matte finish and tint the surrounding skin. Natural hair extensions from Balmain’s Hair Couture line were used to give ponytails additional fullness and length. McKnight finished the look off with Modern Hairspray from his new signature hair line to emulate a natural-looking sheen.
Get the Look with Tom Pecheux’s Ultimate Smokey Eye Toolkit
Eyes:
M.A.C. Fluidline Gel in Blacktrack
Pecheux used the fluid black gel liner as a primer over the entire eyelid and extended it to create a dramatically winged eye.
M.A.C. Pigment Powder in Copper
A rich copper pigment was applied to the lids with a damp brush to ensure an opaque finish to the metallic powder on the inner lid.
M.A.C. Pigment Powder in Platinum
The eyes were finished off with a smooth line of platinum pigment on the outer corner of the eye.
Lips:
Nude Balm
Lips were left nude with a just a single application of sheer balm to accentuate the metal lip rings designed by Olivier Rousteing.
Hair:
Root Touch Up
Sam McKnight used powdery root touch up spray to add a matte finish to the french braiding that melded into one big ponytail on each model.
Modern Hairspray
Sam McKnight used a light hairspray from his own line to set each look before the models hit the catwalk.
