Nude fashion show

The season-defining message from the New York, Milan and Paris catwalks? Clean and fresh with a sensuous dash of pure retro. Beauty director Mikki Taylor opens her backstage diary and shares the scoop on how to gel the looks that ruled

in the nude

While fashion ran the gamut from vibrant color to black and white, the prevailing look in makeup was nude, giving us the most sublime neutrals yet. Here at Milan's Krizia Top, the look is buffed to perfection with hints of shimmer and shine on the face and a stained lip. Best bets: a well-groomed brow, true black mascara and hip gleamers like I-IMAN Makeup's I-Luminous and MAC's Gloss to place here, there and everywhere!

crimson tide

The thrill of a red lip on an otherwise clean face stole the show from New York (at Rosa Cha) to Paris. Snag this bit of effortless chic right now with MAC's lipstick in Vinyl, a true cherry, or Cargo's lipstick in Tokyo, a provocative crimson, far right. Don't even think about pulling it off, however, without a deep-red lip liner as an anchor!

bronzed

The burnished glow of jet-setters on endless vacation lit up the runways on both continents. Essential to the mix: a bronzing powder like Chanel's Perfecting Bronze Powder in Deep Bronze or a radiant blush like L'Oreal's Translucide Gel Blush in Bronze Glow, above. Set it off with a sheer lip in orange or peach and a hint of gold riding high on the cheeks.

spin curls

Texture plays were huge at the shows, especially those rendered by roller sets or pin curls. This sexy take, inspired by the sultry divas who strolled out at Vivienne Westwood in Paris, was created by hairstylist Derrick Scurry, who pin-curled the hair, tweaked it with a medium iron and fingered it into place by randomly spinning the curls in different directions.

sun-kissed

Backstage visits proved most anything can be blush these days, from liquid foundation like Shiseido's Cream Foundation below center, to Tarte's gel Cheek Color, left, to Stila's Color Push-ups, right, an allover face color.

What's key is going for a sun-kissed effect that subtly warms, not colors, the cheek--anything more looks too artificial.

straight up

Be it the long, sleek eighties update that stormed the catwalk at YSL in Paris (the look inspired us to step into the studio with stylist Kiyah Wright to create our own version) or a remake of the sixties bob Vidal Sassoon made famous (at Gucci), straight looks with blunt or jagged edges rocked. We love them as much for their wrap appeal as for their ability to turn heads.

colorful vibes

Luminous eye color ranged from iridescent teal (at Oscar de la Renta and Randolph Duke in New York) to sheer lavender (at Calvin Klein and at Emanuel Ungaro in Paris). We loved the effect of fully rimming the eyes close to the root of the lashes with a light cream shadow, as created here by makeup artist Carmon Springs. Best bets: a creamy pencil or shadow like Pretty Pretty's Smolder in Endora, left, or Calvin Klein's Eye Color Wash in Violet, below.

sleek

Legs are the new erogenous zone, as evidenced by the number of minis and short-shorts on the runways and by the repeated run of glistening gams. Get the look by defuzzing and turning on the shine factor as they did at Dolce & Gabbana in Italy, right, and Michael Kors in New York, where they blended Dr. Haushcka's Lemon Body Oil with BeneFit's Showoffs in Suga.

naked finish

Strappy sandals and mules sizzled on the catwalk, especially coupled with nude toes. MAC Cosmetics, which created a range of truly naked shades just in time for the shows, has made playing the skin game a breeze. The hit parade worth stepping out for, shown below, ranges from Barest to Chocolate. Bet you can't take just one!

plait on

Braids were alive and well--and not just for us sisters--as designers like Stella McCartney for Chloe and Alexander McQueen for Givenchy demonstrated in the City of Lights. However, the look that said, "This one's for you" came from New York's Africa Designs, above, where stylists worked elegant sweeps of cornrows with long ropy locks that couldn't be topped!

high brow

In a direct nod to the fifties, brows resurfaced for spring thicker, darker and with an easier shape. For those in-between stages while they're growing back, look to brow powders or soft pencils for a fill-in and keep it simple with gentle strokes that follow your natural line.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group