Chris Benz Backstage Access with Lancome and Redken

Known for his love of color, Chris Benz’s Spring 2010 show did not disappoint. His collection included bright pops of yellow, pink, purple and blue in shapes both feminine and strong. To compliment the clothes the teams from Lancome and Redken were on hand to create the makeup, hair and nail looks. Find out how it all came together and get a real life look at the next Lancome Pout-A-Porter lipstick after the jump!

Lancome Makeup Artist Daniel Martin created the doll-like face on the models. He likened it to Raggedy Ann minus the flaming red hair. He wanted to create a neutral palette to balance against Chris’s colorful collection. Pale, hydrated skin paired with pumped up lashes and a single pop of color on the lips are the essentials to this doll-face. The key products to creating the look are Shu Uemura Nobara Foundation, Lancome Ageless Minerale Translucent Powder, Lancome Pop ‘N Cheeks in Coral Flirt (launching Spring 2010), Lancome Hypnose Mascara and Lancome L’Absolu Rouge lipstick in Chris & Tell.

John Ruidant for Redken is a man that knows how to wield a curling iron and as a curl challenged girl, I LOVE that about him. John said that because Chris’s collection has a lot of texture and color, he played off that idea creating a very textured hairstyle. He began by spraying Fabricate 03 and power drying it into the hair. After creating a side part he curled the entire head with a 1 1/4 inch iron, spraying each section with Hot Sets 22 and slightly backcombing the piece to set in some roughness. John said it wasn’t about creating a perfect, smooth curl. That he wanted disheveled, haphazard sporadic waves with no brushes or combs involved. Finally, he mixed Outshine 01 & Glass 01 together and ran his fingers through the hair. On the girls wearing low-cut tops he added a side twist to show off the shape of the clothes. He noted that it’s a very user friendly style that we can all replicate at home.

On the nail front, Editorial Manicurist Sheril Bailey tended to the models tips and toes. She created a flattering round nail shape which follows the theory from her book, The Sheril Bailey Complete Manicuring and Nail Care Handbook, of mimicking the cuticle line. She feels that a rounded nail is more feminine than a flat square.

In terms of polish, instead of a matchy-matchy look, which I rarely do, she opted for a coordinated color combo with a lighter bright hue on the hands and a deeper, bold shade on the feet. The lacquers, launching this November, are called Bon Bon Strawberry (fingers) and Mademoiselle Grape (toes). They are part of a very special Lancome project that I can’t wait to tell you about.

The biggest beauty news of the day was the unveiling of Chris & Tell, the 5th lipstick in Lancome’s Pout-A-Porter series. Chris & Tell is a collaboration between Chris and Daniel that came about after many hours of brainstorming in Chris’s studio. Daniel told me, “we initially wanted to do something that was beige but being that we are both from Seattle, we wanted color. We were drawn to this orange, this coral and it just manifested itself.”

The year before, Chris designed Elettra Rossellini-Wiedemann’s dress for The Met’s “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” gala and Daniel custom mixed a lipstick for her that ended up becoming the springboard for Chris & Tell.

According to Daniel, even though the shade is bold, it has a pink undertone that makes it very wearable. And the L’Absolu Rouge formula allows you to wear it as a stain or a full color lipstick. I put my sample of Chris & Tell to the test the very next day and received many compliments. Here are my swatches of the shade.

FYI, the waiting list for Chris & Tell is now open so if you want a tube of this limited edition lipstick when it launches next Spring, I suggest you call the Lancome Boutique at (212) 362-4858.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the lipstick and the overall look. I’m definitely going to try to replicate the hair. I’m obsessed with how beautifully messy it is. What about you?