Beauty Sponsored by: L'Oreal paris
Stage Beauty
Innocence Found
"That cute, innocent Emo girl style"—usually typified by short, choppy kindergarten-ish bangs and stubby ponytails—warrants equally sweet makeup to match, says New York makeup artist Kristin Gallegos, who has worked with Emo darlings from Le Tigre to CocoRosie. The hallmark of any Emo girl—that wide-eyed look of wonder—comes courtesy of curled lashes and layers of mascara, best achieved with a tried-and-true drugstore staple like L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Mascara ($7.35). And for that flirty flush of youth—no matter your age—Gallegos suggests forgoing powder, which can diminish luminosity, in favor of a few strategically placed, complexion-perfecting dabs of concealer. With Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer ($45), "a little goes a long way," she says. The finishing touch: a slick of baby-pink gloss, like Smith's Rosebud Salve ($5), a sweet smelling, culty, lo-fi favorite.
The Dark Arts
Black eye liner is as essential to rock 'n' roll as custom leather pants and a bad attitude. From icons like Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett to modern, makeup-minded legends-in-the-making like Pink, Green Day and Good Charlotte, a lined eye—smudged, smeared or precision-painted—says I mean business. But as with many things (Dom vs. Cristal, Escalade vs. Hummer… or Prius), in the end it all comes down to personal preference: At Manhattan's landmark rock boutique Trash and Vaudeville, streetwise punks have long been picking up Manic Panic's ebony eyeliner in Raven ($14), which also doubles as a creamy shadow. According to New York makeup artist William Murphy, who works with bands like the Rapture, Fresh's Eye Contour Duo in Chilean Hazelnut and Morel Noir ($22) delivers the most intense shade of black. Makeup artist Kabuki, who has lined the eyes of everyone from Nelly Furtado to Madonna, counts on M.A.C Fluidline in Blacktrack ($14.50). Its gel formula "stays on for the whole show," he says.
High Brow
Current Viktor & Rolf muse and troubadour Rufus Wainwright is known for his unmistakable vibrato—and his eyebrows. His impeccably shaped arches— elegant but not too exaggerated—are pure perfection, says makeup artist Tasleema Nigh, who has styled the singer/songwriter for editorial shoots. But there's a fine line between good grooming and high-maintenance preening: For men's brows, which tend to be thicker and longer, Nigh brushes the hair upwards and trims off any excess that extends beyond the top of the brow line. "Do this about three times to make sure you've gotten every long hair," she says. She finishes it all off with "a little bit of Origins Brow Fix" ($12), because it "keeps them in place and it's clear."
Shine On
Mally Roncal must know the old adage, "Work smart, not hard." While she often spends her evenings backstage at Beyoncé's shows, waiting for her to pop in for a costume change and a quick makeup touch up, her work is mostly done by the opening number. "I always start by filling in her lips with a nude lip pencil to make the gloss last longer," she says. She follows that step by dipping a Q-tip into translucent powder and using it to trace the perimeter of the lip-line. "This softens the liner and removes any excess oils so the gloss won't run," says Roncal. Lucky for her, one of Beyoncé's favorite nude glosses, L'Oréal Paris HIP Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Pixie ($9), is packed with such intense pigment, it could very well last through the encore.
