The Glamazons: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Fabulous: New York Fashion Week Backstage Beauty Trend Report

Hey Glamazons! I think I can honestly say that I'm fully recovered from the madness of NY Fashion Week. I may have spent most of last weekend snoozing on the couch to catch up on some much needed sleep, but I'm starting to feel more like my old self again.

With that said, let me share with you some of my top beauty trends from the Fall 2010 collections that I saw backstage. I don't know about you, but I may just start rocking some of them right now!

Strong Brows

If you need no other incentive to keep your eyebrows neatly waxed, tweezed or threaded, it should be this: a strong brow can be the focus of your beauty look. If you've got clear, healthy looking skin this means that you can skip the foundation (alright, I can just hear the gasps from you guys, so you can still keep it if you really need to) lipstick, blush and bronzer.

Lead makeup artist Wendy Rowe (for Bobbi Brown) created the look at Yigal Azrouel and described the strong brow as a way to achieve a youthful, chic look.

"Brush the hairs of the eyebrow up and then put in liner," she said. "Then, brush the eyebrow hairs back down for a more natural look."

Also seen at: Narciso Rodriguez

Backstage at Yigal Azrouel

Backstage at Narciso Rodriguez

Glossy Eyes

I first noticed this idea of a glossy eyeshadow during the Spring 2010 collections from the MAC makeup artists. At first I was very skeptical about it (I mean, it just seemed like you were applying colored grease onto your eyes), but now that I've seen it again this time around, it's grown on me. So much so that I've deemed it cool. Although most of the eye glosses I noticed being used backstage by the MAC makeup artists don't even have names yet (yay for super new as-yet-to-be-named prototypes!), but a trick that you can do now is to dab a bit of Vaseline on top of your eyelids after applying eyeshadow and it gives you the same sheen.

Seen at: Alexander Wang, Twinkle by Wenlan

Backstage at Alexander Wang

Matte Textured Tresses

The grungy look of the early 90's is back! I noticed a lot of hairstylists citing Kate Moss (circa late 80's, early 90's) as the inspiration for their looks; which, in turn, meant that hair was sometimes given a ruffled up, messy look. From the kind of extreme (ie Catherine Malandrino) to the slightly polished (ie Tracy Reese) don't be afraid to let your hair get a little bit messy this upcoming season. Lead hairstylist Eugene Solemne (for Wella Professionals) literally described the hairstyle he was creating backstage at Isaac Mizrahi as just "a mess."

"We're literally messing up the hair like they've been rolling around a little," he said. "We wanted to make the hair sexy and it doesn't go with the clothes at all. It's more tangible, more raw, less ladylike and cool." However, Solemne warns not to let the look get what he calls "skanky."

"This looks like its not dirty and it's just been roughed up; it's more like something that floats," he said.

Also seen at: Herve Leger, Michael Kors

Backstage at Catherine Malandrino

Backstage at Issac Mizrahi

Backstage at Herve Leger

Backstage at Michael Kors

Backstage at Michael Kors

Smudgy Smoke

We all know that the smokey eye is always a returning trend (for this season, it's all about a pastel smokey eye) but come fall, the black smoke shall return. This time it will have a smudged up new twist: it's the smokey eye that you wore last night and it didn't quite wash away; what Stephane Marais (head makeup artist for MAC at Zac Posen) described as "trashy but with dignity." Although I don't advise you to walk around wearing last week's black smokey eye, I do think that the idea of an imperfect smudge here and there is an uber cool idea.

Also seen at: DVF

Backstage at Diane Von Furstenberg

Backstage at Diane Von Furstenberg

Dark Lips

It's not quite goth and not quite ladylike; it's somewhere in between. But, where ever it lies, I can honestly say that it's a lip look that I love to see on other women. Tom Pechaux (lead makeup artist at Peter Som for MAC) used a very violet powder on the lips and a burgundy violet lip pencil to give definition to the lips. He added a creamy texture by adding in a bit of burgundy lipstick.

"When Peter showed me his collection, he said the look was basically like a woman from the upper East Side going to Woodstock," Som said. "I think it's no longer I want to be a punk; I want to be gothic; I want to be romantic; I want to be proper. People like to mix the beautiful engagement right with an amazing plastic creation."

Also seen at: Luca Luca, L.A.M.B.

Backstage at Peter Som

Backstage at Peter Som

Backstage at Luca Luca

Backstage at Luca Luca

Twisted Polished Updo's

Some designers (such as Christian Siriano) opted to keep the hair look a bit classier and opted instead for ladylike updo's. At Nanette Lepore, head hairstylist Esther Langham (for Moroccan Oil) said the designer was inspired by the Renaissance. "When I went in to see Nanette, she had this gorgeous Renaissance painting and we just knew that was it," she said. "But, at the same time, it's a Nanette girl. She wants her to feel easy, like you could do it yourself; which you honestly could."

Also seen at: Custo Barcelona

Backstage at Christian Siriano

Backstage at Custo Barcelona

Funky Nails

I can't wait to start rockin' the cool nail looks that I saw backstage at Catherine Malandrino and Tracy Reese. (The latter opted for a pretty lace overlay on the nails, which I actually had done to my nails a couple of months ago thanks to Barielle. Who knew that I was ahead of the trends?! haha) Backstage at Malandrino, Jane Arnold (co-founder and style director for Creative Nail Design) layered on nail polish and then tapped a round makeup pad on the nail to make it look like aged leather. The best part? You can get the makeup pads at your local drugstore! (Just be sure to avoid the ones made out of the cotton material as you don't want to have fuzzies all over your nails.)

Also seen at: LaQuan