Zimmermann

Hairstylist Sophie Roberts and makeup artist Linda Jeffeyres are pretty much the dream team. And match them with Zimmermann’s ever-gorgeous dresses, well how can you go wrong. The inspiration for the collection was The Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, with its whimsical lyrics about “tangerine trees and marmalade skies”, “girls with kaleidoscope eyes” and “cellophane flowers of yellow and green.” Yes a little bit trippy, but beautiful all the same. As was the show, with its floral and sunshiny printed dresses that look like they should be running through daisy fields.

Linda (working with M.A.C) and Sophie (for ghd) both took their beauty cues from the late 1960s. Over in makeup, Linda channelled Sharon Tate with contoured lids, lashes galore and a pale pink lip – as seen here on the divine Pania Rose (sorry I know it’s a teeny shot). And Sophie was inspired by that ultimate hair icon Brigitte Bardot when creating the textured voluminous styles. She started by working mousse through models’ hair and blasting it dry (not always easy when the models had run late from the previous show with gel-slicked dos). She next back-combed sections with a Mason Pearson brush, then used her ghds to smooth and tame the hair back down a little and to give the ends some flicky swing. It all made for a kind of floaty and airy and slightly static effect, which was actually a lot prettier than that description makes it sound.

Main pic: Sydney Morning Herald

Life with Bird

“Messy up-all-night Kate Moss” was how Darren Borthwick, working for Redken, summed up his hair inspiration. Unfortunately, emulating Ms Moss’s style is not as easy as going on a head-banging bender. This one takes work. It’s a little tricky to explain but here goes … Darren alternated between two curling techniques. On one tier of hair, which was separated into about six sections, he used medium-barrel tongs to clamp kinks along the hair, in effect creating an s-bend type wave. On the next tier, hair was curled in ringlets, by looping it around a vertically held tong. And so on. Until the final effect was a random looking mix of curls and waves. The finishing touch: a dusting of M.A.C gold pigment over the crown, to work back to the models’ gild-edged smoky eyes.

PS – Winners of last week’s Terax competition are Michelle Warwick, Debbie Jenkins, Belinda Yaxley and Katherine Stark. Congratulations! Goodies are on their way.

Not necessarily – just look at model Maryna Linchuk here. Some wavy hair actually lends itself really well to a long, blunt fringe (tip: ask the hairdresser to cut it dry so it doesn’t bounce up too high when dry), and to a look that is quite carefree and low-maintenance. It really depends on the kind of wave you have. If it’s quite pronounced, or uneven and almost cowlicky, keep in mind that you’ll have to be prepared for daily upkeep. Wash your fringe every day (as it can get oily more quickly than the rest of your hair). And to style your fringe into submission, blow-dry it using a small round bristle brush, pulling hair taut as you dry and directing the hairdryer nozzle from above your head.

Hotel Bondi

Model Co was a sponsor of the new swimwear label from the old Kitten designer duo. A perfect match really, with the models all being Model-Co-tanned up the night before the show. On the day, they were doused with more tan – a preview of an upcoming Model Co release that’s a bronzing mousse, body shimmer, gradual tanner and anti-cellulite treatment (um, not that these girls needed that particular property) all in one. The makeup director Sam Correy and her team set to work on creating a look that was originally inspired by a 1960s Mia Farrow, but somewhere along the way became more “California Girl meets sexy flapper”, as were Sam’s words.

The California Girl bit: the tan, natch, along with Model Co Glow Summer Bronze powder and Lip Lights in Coral. The flapper part: the batty eyelashes and the arty brows. Sam loaded up the lashes with Model Co Fat Lash, then used a sharp dark pencil to actually etch pretend lashes underneath the eyes, and to then draw a strong line along the top arch of the brow, continuing it down almost to eyeline. While back in the ’20s, the rest of the brows would have been plucked to oblivion, Sam left the rest of the brows thick and natural, save for a light dusting of brow powder. Sounds all a bit extreme, but the point was really that big brows are back.

Lee Mathews

Hair director Barney Martin was particularly excited backstage. Delirium often sets for the key players in during fashion week due to a combination of no sleep, lots of stress and hairspray fumes. But this was more about the actual hairspray itself – namely L’Oréal Elnett. You would have seen Elnett. Perhaps in overseas mags, or perhaps in your past - in the ‘70s or ‘80s, when you watched your mum shroud her big pouffy hair in the stuff. These days Elnett is a cult buy among hair industry insiders, and not just for the fabulous retro packaging, but also for the way it can be evenly applied, and easily brushed out, making it perfect for backstage use.

Anyway, back to the reason Barney was so excited. It’s because Elnett hasn’t been available in Australia for a good ten years, meaning hairdressers have had to lug back suitcases full of it after every holiday. But – ta da – it’s just about to be re-released here. Which was one of the reasons Barney was using so much of it at Lee Matthews show.

To create the dishevelled braided look, Barney and co teased models’ hair all over, hairsprayed it all over, then pulled it back into a low pony, securing it then plaiting it into three chunky and deliberately uneven sections. The few strands of hair that had been left at the front were then tonged and haphazardly pinned up onto the back of the crown, followed by, you guessed it, more hairspray, which kept the falling-apart look from actually falling apart

Well the theoretical answer is no, because your particular rate of hair growth is genetically predetermined … but my trusty trichologist friend, Megan Yabsley from De Lorenzo, points out that there are reasons that hair may not be growing at its optimal rate. Some are medical reasons – for instance, a hormonal imbalance, which would need to be treated by a doctor. But likelihood is that slow hair growth is caused by an imbalance of the nutritional kind. “Twenty per cent of protein we eat goes into the production of hair and skin,” says Megan. So it’s worth examining your diet, and even checking in with a nutritionist for proper guidance. My own nutritionist, Cherie Lyden (of Lyden Vitality), reiterates the importance of protein. “It’s essential for hair growth and health. Make sure to eat plenty of protein rich foods like lean meat, fish, tofu and nuts and seeds.” (more…)