Rachel Goodwin Makeup

I’m back from my trip to NY for the Met Ball and finally able to sit down and write a proper post! This year the Gala was all about the American woman and I was doing January Jones’—who was muse for the night of Stefano Pilati, designer and creative director of Yves Saint Laurent. What an incredible fashion house to inherit, what a legacy! Stefano’s vision was very much about the woman of tomorrow and January being so well known for playing Betty Draper, the quintessential American ’60s housewife, was thrilled.

Style.com got it!

So did Illamasqua (one of my favorite make up lines)

The dress was quite avant garde but this was fashion’s big night, right? Not the Emmy’s for God’s sake! Stefano wanted a tough, futuristic edge to her make up and hair, and January being totally fearless when it comes to fashion was all to happy to oblige. The result was somewhere between David Bowie and Pris from Blade Runner with a little bit of Victor and Rolf’s Spring 2010 runway thrown in for good measure.

What a brave, unconventional choice and I love her for taking it! I kept the make up from going too ’80s new wave by using one singular color shade, a gunmetal grey. Instead of shading, I kept the same intensity across the entire eye and up toward the hairline. The modernity came from using barely any other make up on the face with the exception of a little contouring and a nude lipstick.

My inspiration was clearly more runway for this look, which I have to say, was so refreshing. Experimentation is all to rare in these times of the ubiquitous Hollywood red carpet. What would happen today if Cher showed up to the Oscars in her barely there Bob Mackie head dress and all, and nobody could attack her on the interwebs? Isn’t Fashion meant to be radical, creative and oh yeah, fun? Isn’t it really just an adult version of dress up? Have the tabloid terrorists really taken all the fun out of it?

Who knows what people will be wearing 10 or 20 years from now? Suffice to say we’d all be shocked if we had a time machine. So many of the looks from the Spring runways felt like dreams of what’s to come. Who knows,  all I can say is that my version of the future looks bright.

Well kids, Spring has officially sprung! Over the last few weeks I’ve found myself in full-on nesting mode, more than once contemplating whether or not I actually like the new Liberty print dresses at Target or, rather, just the idea of them, ordering the Korobuta ham for our annual Easter fete and coming to the realization that the Costume Institute Gala—or as it’s become commonly known, “The Met Ball”—is right around the corner.

There are a few things I love about The Met Ball. I love that the red carpet is the actual steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; talk about a dramatic entrance! I love that you are meant to reflect the theme of the exhibition in your dress choice. I love that designers get to dress their current muses and go as their dates for the night. I love that even though the event is considered the East coast Oscars, unlike the Oscars the stylish attendees are free to take fashion risks. Especially because this is something we rarely, if ever, see anymore due to relentless tabloid scrutiny and those pathetic so-called “style correspondents.” That’s right, I’m talking to you, Cojo.

Here are a few of my favorite Met Ball moments from the last few years, including a photo I absolutely adore from last year of January Jones (whose make up I did that evening) and model Angela Lindvall smoking in the girls room.

It was my second trip to Las Vegas in a week and I seriously couldn’t be happier to be home. I’ll admit to being guilty of occasionally romanticizing the Vegas of yesteryear with campy visuals of old blue eyes crooning away surrounded by statuesque feather laden showgirls, but in reality the Las Vegas of 2010 always just leaves me flat.

Fortunately for me, I was there to work with the breathtaking Amanda Seyfried, who received the “Breakthrough Star Of The Year” award yesterday at Showest. Her pale blue Valentino dress was ultra feminine and inspired me to do really romantic make up.

On her eyes I layered a matte pastel blue cream shadow from one of my professional palettes. Then I blended it with Elizabeth Arden smokey eyes pencil in gunmetal. On her lips is a new fav Chanel Rouge Coco in “Secret” and on her cheeks is my current blush obsession Francois Nars powder blush in “Madly”. To me she looked like spring incarnate, a total angel among us.

What can I say about the ridiculously gorgeous Julianna Marguiles that people don’t already know? She’s radiant, smart, just won a Golden Globe and a SAG award, but funny? Who knew? I had the greatest time working with her and especially loved her sense of humor.

In her new movie “City Island” she plays a mother from the Bronx (her transformation is astonishing) and the movie starring Andy Garcia and Emily Mortimer looks like really good fun. I’m a sucker for any movie about a dysfunctional N.Y. family, hmmmmm…I wonder why?

For the premiere Julianna was New York chic in an anything-but-basic black Narcico Rodriguez dress and the most beautiful drool worthy Rene Caovilla shoes.

The sweet and talented Andy LeComte gave her what she coined “Breck Girl” hair and I have to agree, it was major! I kept her make up simple, just a berry stained lip a la Dolce & Gabbana’s Dahlia and rimmed her eyes with warm brown shadows by Make Up For Ever and two coats of Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir Obscur.