The Beauty Buff Blog: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week-Victor de Souza

de Souza with actress Jessica Biel

As soon as I arrived at Case Le Femme in the West Village for the Victor dE Souza show I knew I was in for something special.

There were sparkling chandeliers and ornate fixtures that only added magic to the already warm lighting in the space. Plush red velvet couches were tucked away in intimate-looking coves that lined the room. A six-foot high limestone fireplace that looked like it was a secret door to Narnia. And, an enormous abstract fire pit in the sunken in center of the room that seemed to have erupted from the floor into a perfectly rounded cylindrical sculpture. The place was in no way subtle, which was fitting because the Victor dE Souza collection was anything but subtle. It was, however, dramatic, innovative, beautiful and filled with mouth-gaping pieces.

What's amazing about the designer besides being a true couturier (with hand stitching and artisan construction) is his ability to make his clothes look as modern as they do feminine and Holly Golightly –esque. The look of the show was alien chic, a look for a woman who is classic and chic yet able to "transcend their immediate surroundings… [and be of] an alternate universe". This was apparent in the mixture of futuristic clothing with regal, classic silhouettes and structures. The clothes were a mix of delicate and architecturally structured cuts and lines.

The look embraced captured the eerie beauty dE Souza wanted to convey. The NARS team headed by Lena Koro and Francois Nars, himself, transformed the models eyes using black contacts that covered the entire eye. My fellow 'True Blood' fans are quite familiar with the identical possessed "Mary-Ann has taken over your soul-savage glare" look from the show. The eyes instantly became filled with an entrancing lifeless stare. Amazing what a pair of contacts can do.

MAKEUP: All makeup was by NARS. The face was completely powdered Geisha-white using Loose Powder in Snow and all traces of eyebrow hair were covered. Eyeliner in Black Moon was winged out in and thickly traced in a reverse cat eye fashion. Koro said she wanted the black liner to look like it was part of the eye so that in addition to the black contacts the entire eye area was black creating mystery and drama. The lips provided the only hint of color with a slick of barely there-practically white-pink Triple X Lipgloss.

NAILS: The nails, done by Kristina Estabrooks for CND, looked like extra-terrestrial claws. Estabrooks fashioned pre-fabricated glowing white tips glazed in Copper Shimmer. The nails were placed above the nail bed for an extra alien-like effect. The stark white matched the bright white porcelain makeup to make it look extra subterranean.

HAIR: Phyto provided the hair products. Hairstylist Danilo called the look "Breakfast at Tiffany's on Mars". The hair had tons of dimension and volume. "The feel is very futuristic and modern yet elegant and feminine. Very alien-chic.", said Danilo. The stylist created an updated chignon. He took Phyto Wet Gel and Phyto Workable Holding Spray to build a clean, tight "Olympic ponytail". He then put the hair back and created a shape with a hairpiece that had bulk in the center but faded out on the sides. "This [style] accentuates the shape of a woman's face, so u really see a clear silhouette when [the models] walk; because his clothes really are all about silhouettes." said Danilo.

Check out all my behind the scenes pictures from the show. Including the shot of one of my absolute idols, Francois Nars. He was there to collaborate with the makeup team and oversee the entire look of the show. It was absolutely amazing to meet him in person!