“Makeup is the final accessory in creating a character,” makeup artist Diane Kendal told us backstage at the Marc Jacobs fall 2018 show, where everything about the look—from models’ precision geometric hair (cut by Guido Palau and dyed by British colourist Josh Wood to exactly match the colours of fabrics they were wearing) to the voluminous ’80s couture-inspired clothing—was intentional. 

Even the eyeliner was purposefully smudged, says Kendal, who used a gel formula to line the waterline then blended it with clean brush.

The dark, jewel-toned glitter eyeshadow, called See-Quins Glam Glitter, that models wore in an extended winged shape is from an upcoming Marc Jacobs Beauty palette that will be released as part of the brand’s holiday 2018 collection. Kendal used her fingers to apply the shadow—the colour of which was matched to the colour under the brim of each models’ hat—then went back over it with a brush. 

A classic Kendal technique, demonstrated in the video above, is to hold a tissue against the line she is creating for precision. In the case of eyeshadow, it also does double duty catching any falling pieces so they doesn’t smudge across the face. 

To let the eyeshadow carry the drama, the rest of the face was kept “fresh.”

A rich plum lipstick was used as blush, and tapped on the apples of the cheeks (“just for that winter flush,” says Kendal); foundation was applied to lips to tone down the natural colour. 

How many more days until the holidays, again?

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