This post made possible by the wonderful people at MSL group- #beautyunited!

My blog is mostly beauty oriented but occasionally I’ll venture into the fashion world.  I was absolutely delighted to learn that I had won tickets to the first night of the shOws in Toronto on October 9th.  This show was held at Andrew Richards designs and I have to say that this was the BEST use of this space that I have ever seen!   In case you didn’t know (and I know I didn’t),  here’s a little blurb from the website:

“Our aim is to put the spotlight on Canadian Designers, Hair and Makeup Artists and Models and build a property that benefits not only our designers, artists and retailers but also our supportive sponsors, by showcasing the very best of Canadian talent at home and abroad to our media, buyers and stylists.

The purpose of The ShOws is to bring together our most talented and creative Canadian designers each season and allow them to present their collections here in Toronto to the fashion industry without incurring any production costs themselves. We want to support them here at home and give them every possible opportunity to continue to build their brands.”

I was selected to participate in backstage interviews….and I’m sure you have seen it before, but in case you have not, it can be described as ‘beautiful chaos.’  Here’s my point of view:

I was also delighted to attend the Bellavance and Calla fashion shows…..every seat was a good one, and I can now truly appreciate the work that goes into the behind the scenes setup.  I also realized that when I attend future fashion shows, I will be bringing my SLR camera in order to capture the models, as well as my digital recorder (although I prefer a notebook and pen! That’s my generation X speaking).

So let’s get to the important stuff-the photos!

The looks:

Bellavance:

Hair& Makeup-Bellavance:

-Justin created a ‘shaved head’ appearance by pulling the hair to one side, and braiding it underneath (see photo above) to keep the hair in place.  I remember when a ton of my classmates did that for REALS in the 90’s.  This look is fresh!

-Amelie used Cover Girl flamed out pencils in a thicker line underneath the eye to “open it up.”  The Cover Girl clean whipped makeup foundation was used to keep the face fresh. I’m loving the ‘modern matte’ finish of this particular foundation.  Cover Girl Smoochies were used on the lips.

Calla:

Hair & Makeup-Calla:

-Braids, braids, braids everywhere!  The string/fabric was woven in-slightly boho-chic!

-Makeup was clean and uncomplicated, but complimenting the hair and clothing.

*Yes these runway looks were achieved using Cover Girl and Pantene products!*

And now, the runway-and I point out (again) this is the main reason for my upcoming shift to a higher grade camera/recording device!

It was a fantastic evening, that’s for sure-I am so grateful to Jennifer, Alyssa and the lovely people at MSL group for giving me the opportunity to attend.  Also, huge shout outs to all the designer talent, as well as Justin and Emelie!  It was a night to remember!