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Sitting here remembering when I was a mini-diva, and first allowed to play with makeup, brings back fond memories. Mixing colors, pretending to put feathers on my face, and creating a glitz and glamour world of my own was just for play back then -- but today, it's considered to be haute couture. Yes, even I couldn't imagine walking around town with feathers glued in place of my eyebrows, but this creative look is dominating runways around the world.
What Haute Couture Consists Of
Haute couture makeup doesn't consist of your average makeup products. Makeup by Heather A artist Heather Adessa says that haute couture makeup can be very intricate. Haute couture looks that many have seen include making the face look like a geisha, or extremely overdone high eyebrows and cat-eye looks. "The eye makeup is overexaggerated onto the face, either up over the brows or almost to the hairline," she says. "Sometimes, feathers, sequins or jewels may be used to create a makeup application so exquisite, you would wonder what the women could do with it other than be in a photo shoot or runway show."
Who Wears Haute Couture
Ladies, put your bedazzler down and step away from the sequins. Haute couture is definitely not an everyday look -- heck, it isn't even a dress-up look. Adessa says that although haute couture is all about personal expression, there really isn't a time or place for the average fabulous woman to rock the look. She says that many designers use haute couture makeup to create a finishing touch to a look, to bring it all together. "The best part of it is that there are no limitations; therefore, the ending result is left up to the artist's imagination," says Adessa.
Recreating Haute Couture
Some women just go absolutely nuts for haute couture makeup. Don't fret, creative ladies, you can create similar yet suitable looks for your girls' night out. Adessa says for a day-to-day haute couture-inspired look, go with an extreme cat-eye with a bold color, or try thick and luxurious false lashes. She says that these looks could work without looking too out of the ordinary. It basically depends on how bold you are and how creative you can get, without crossing the fine line, of course.
Haute Couture on Runways
In the spring 2011 runway season, haute couture makeup looks were seen all over. On the Chanel runway, rather than applying thick diagonal strips going out on the eyes, makeup artists applied them going up. Lips were a big makeup statement as well, with designers going for bold choices like purple hues. Cat-eyes were taken to extreme levels; some designers opted for the shadow and liners to go well into the temples, rather than simply stopping at the edge of the eyes.
