We are huge fans of New Zealand bag and accessory label Deadly Ponies, so were in seventh heaven to be invited backstage with Redken and MAC to hear from the hair director and key makeup artist abut the looks especially created for their show at Merecedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2018…
HAIR
In the words of Ben Martin, Redken Hair Director: “The look is a really earthy, really natural and ‘90s-inspired. They took inspiration from Picnic at Hanging Rock. It’s really gender-neutral – the same looks for both male and female models.
“The hair is just beautiful and airy and billowing, so when the models are moving you’ve got a lot of movement and a lot of fluff.
“We used the Redken 1 United and what it allowed us to do is create shine and control the hair but really activate the natural texture of the hair without using too much product. We’re still getting that beautiful sealed look on our ends, beautiful shine in the light, but not that weight of using other product. To do it at home: apply small amounts of product, and use a blowdryer on a lower heat to dry the product into the hair, activating its natural texture.” – Julie Roulston.
MAKEUP
Nicole Thompson AKA Pinky led the MAC team backstage at Deadly Ponies. I am a huge fan of Nicole and it was a delight to hear about the look from her.
“We are creating a shiny, happy hippy cult!” Nicole said. “We are creating a character rather than an overly-glamorous makeup look.”
The makeup is more of a ‘creative feeling’; not over the top. The models’ natural state is left showing, in keeping with the inspiration of a group of people in a happy hippy collective without lots of artifice.
Artists used MAC Softening Lotion on faces so they don’t look shiny; not too glam. MAC Face And Body was applied to faces, and “if they don’t need foundation they don’t get any”.
Freckles were applied for a sunkissed look, were they would occur naturally where the sun hits; across the forehead, using with MAC Lip Pencils in shades Stone and Cork; tapping them on and working really fast.
Brows look like they’ve never been plucked. It was really about feathering brows using the brand new MAC brow pens, SHAPE AND SHADE BROW TINT, which have one end a sponge tip and the other end a pen, for applying feathery strokes. The colour is sheer so it’s easy to do at home for a really nice light feathery natural look.
Lips have an ochre tone using MAC Siss Lipstick so it’s “not too girly”.
“It’s not a dark and dreary cult; it’s youthful and positive. So we wanted a highlight in the centre of the face, with lighter concealer applied in the inner corner of eye as though it’s a light source; like a flash of light – like a flash flare of a photo – from eye inner corner.
Bronzer on cheeks appears like flushed skin from running, with peachy-toned skin, using MAC Desert Rose Bronzer.
Below: Our backstage photos from Deady Ponies at MBFWA 2018…
Julie Roulston and Megan Robinson
16th May 2018