FW SS11: Giorgio Armani Beauty @ Armani

“Giorgio Armani wanted a really intense look,” said Linda Cantello backstage. “This is obviously Armani so although we’re giving model’s a sandy, dirty look they need to be groomed and beautiful.”

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The look’s midnight blue shading was created using a new eye shadow called Contrast Velvet from Giorgio Armani. The navy shade was smudged liberally above and below eyes, whilst black lashes and dark brows added to its intensity and complemented the collection’s turban-style hats. “It’s a new way to create a smoky eye,” said Cantello.

A bare lip and matte face with swathes of ochre blush and Luminizing Giorgio Armani foundation complimented the look’s soulful eyes.

FW SS11: Revlon @ Oscar de la Renta

Working a “fab eye” into the royal coming-out party, makeup artist Gucci Westman put her own spin on this season’s bright shadow and liner trend with emerald lids inspired by the gown worn by Freja Beha Erichsen.

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Finger-blending the bright green shade from Revlon’s ColorStay 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Silver Fox with its Matte Eyeshadow in Venetian Blue, Westman added an unexpected twist to demure de la Renta beauty. One thing did hark back to the designer’s classic, ladylike aesthetic, though; a de la Renta princess is tattoo-free, which meant that inked-up catwalkers, like Erichsen, were touched up with Ben Nye’s Total Conceal All Wheel before they hit the runway.

FW SS11: Lancome @ L'Wren Scott

The third show that Lancome did during New York Fashion Week was the L'Wren Scott show. Aaron De Mey, artistic director for makeup, worked with hair stylist Odile Gilbert on the beauty look for the show.

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Lancôme creative director of makeup Aaron De Mey debuted something special for the occasion: 12 different matte texture pigment pots in shades like deep amethyst, midnight blue, sea green, teal, saffron, and red, which he meticulously brushed onto models’ lids and dragged underneath their lower lash lines. Lancôme’s Color Design Eye Shadow in It List, a matte black, held the loose pigment in place, and De Mey sculpted the crease of the lids with a “beachy” taupe shadow for dimension. “The more layers you have in the eye makeup, the more richness you get,” he said, lining girls’ inner rims with Lancôme’s Le Grand Kohl Eyeliner in Black Ebony and hand-painting lashes with its Hypnôse Drama mascara.

De Mey’s specialized pigments weren’t just confined to the eyes; hairstylist Odile Gilbert also brushed coordinating colors onto models’ scalps, where she had created a three-quarters part—not down the center or to the side, but somewhere in between—for beautiful brushed-out waves. In De Mey’s estimation, 60 percent of the shadows used already exist in Lancôme’s color coffers, but the brand hinted that it will likely be rolling out a capsule collection of them in collaboration with Scott after her first beauty range for the French company debuts next month.

The lip is a mix of Color Design lipstick in Oh My and Juicy Tubes in Touched by Light. Aaron also used the new Teint Miracle foundation.

L'Wren wanted two different nail polishes for the show. As one of the colors, she used the sparkly red from her upcoming holiday collection for Lancome. For the second shade, she asked Lancome to create a brilliant shimmery orange - saffron inspired by the Serengeti sunset.

FW SS11: Shiseido @ Issey Miyake

“Her face is simple but strong,” said Okubo, pointing to a model backstage at Issey Miyake.

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Makeup artist Noriko Okubo traced a black — or on occasion white — line under eyebrows to accentuate the otherwise natural beauty look. Okubo, who was representing Shiseido, used the brand’s Dual Balancing Foundation and its eyeliner pen.

FW SS11: Chanel @ Jil Sander

Peter Philips added a bright magenta lip to Raf Simons’ sea of floor-length peplum skirts paired with perfectly cut T-shirts.

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The pout in question added an element of “street” to very clean skin, which Philips created using Chanel Pro-Lumière Finish Makeup SPF 15 and a simple line of its Le Crayon Khôl in Clair on the inner rim of the lower lash line to open up the eyes. The lip color itself was a mix of fuchsia and white pigments made by Philips himself.

FW SS11: Covergirl @ Dior

“She’s a Technicolor Betty Page,” said makeup artist Pat McGrath, referring to a model backstage at Christian Dior. “She is very modern, with perfect skin. It’s all about bold colors and that beautiful Betty Page eyebrow and a bright bold lip - almost like a Pop Art screen print.”

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Electric colors from Cover Girl’s Eye Enhancers, such as Turquoise Tempest and Lime Alive, were applied to models’ eyelids, while their eyelashes were awash with the brand’s LashBlast Fusion Mascara. Meanwhile, number 752 Rouge Dior lipstick was used on mouths.

FW SS11: Chanel @ Dries van Noten

“Dries [Van Noten] wanted to do something slightly conceptual, but colorful at the same time,” said makeup artist Peter Philips backstage at Dries Van Noten.

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A shade of hand-mixed, minty-lime pigment was custom-blended for the show to evoke a sense of incipient spring. It was subtle—barely noticeable from afar, save for a lovely highlight that emanated from the brow bone, underneath which Philips had swiped the homespun shadow. Chanel’s Pro Lumière foundation was used for the base, and Poudre Universelle Libre was dusted on top. Toenails were painted with Chanel Holographic polish, whose effect was meant to echo that of bags and belts on Van Noten’s runway.