Metal Mouth

Lips were the big beauty story at the spring 2011 shows, with fuchsia, berry, and coral kissers making their way down the catwalks. One pout in particular stood out: the angelically pale-gold lips at Rodarte. Makeup maestro James Kaliardos achieved the matte look by first covering up the lips’ natural color with MAC Pro Lip Erase and then brushing MAC Pro Rose Gold Metal and Golden Lemon Pigment powder over them. “Kate and Laura [Mulleavy] wanted a gold-rush theme,” says Kaliardos. “We tried applying gold leaf but it wouldn’t stay on, so we used powder.” In the transition from runway to real world, the metallic-lip trend has taken a more wearable turn—think bronze (like Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Bronze Shimmer), sheer gilded gloss (Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Shine in Metallic Gold), and copper (Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick #17). Cautions Kaliardos, “Anything yellow can look green and brassy.” And one further caveat: Unless you want to look like the Tin Man, save the silver for your jewelry box.

Stephen Jones for Dior Haute Couture mask. Styled by Alex White. Hair by Sam McKnight; makeup by Gucci Westman for Revlon. Model: Frida Gustavsson at IMG. Photography assistants: Jimmy Mettier, Fred Bealet, and Gael Bouryneau. Fashion assistant: Kathy Lee.