South African designer David Tlale‘s Spring 2015 collection is about “giving women back their power and equipping them with a strong and confident sense of allure, without losing their essence and femininity,” according to the designer. In keeping with this, his beauty look, inspired by his African heritage, was conceived to be “modern, edgy, authentic and chic,” said Motions Celebrity Stylist Ursula Stephen. The focal point of the hair was a thin braid, which ties into a running beauty trend thus far this season. From Tome and Suno to Peter Som and Marissa Webb — braids have gotten bold makeovers on countless runways. Here, the braid was worked into a textured faux bob.
To get the look, start with dry hair, create a defined center part and begin braiding at the hairline, carefully continuing a thin, definitive braid down the center part using a “cornrow” technique. Motions Shine Enhancing Pomade was used on the stylists’ fingertips while braiding to smooth hair. Next, section the top portion of the hair into a horseshoe shape and secure it with clips. Using a medium-sized curling barrel, the remaining hair should then be curled using a light hold spray to set the curls. Once all the hair is curled, brush out the curls and tease it into sections from roots to end. Using a flat brush, smooth the surface of the teased hair and section it into two halves, securing each with a clear elastic. Carefully roll each section under, secure tightly with pins and shape the hair into a “faux bob.” Remove the horseshoe section of the hair from clips, and use a crimping iron to create texture. Once crimps are set, gently brush out and carefully place hair over the faux bob foundation, tucking hair under the pins.
While the hair look may be a bit dramatic, the beauty look is easier to pull off. The focal point was a bright orange lip, a color which was picked to tie into the collection. The makeup team was led by MAC’s Louise Zizzo, who said that the look was for a “strong, confident woman.” She also noted that Tlale wanted a strong pop of color for his models’ lips, so she created a three-toned effect using orange lipstick, a currant lip pencil and a pinkish bronze powder pigment to finish the lips. Skin was kept fresh and clean to keep the focus on the lips, and not overpower the clothes.
