Parsons Behind the Scenes at NYFW with Maybelline

by Amanda Britto, Fashion Publishing
I was really happy with the invitation to cover NYFW for Maybelline Brazil for my blog. On our first day of events, I got the chance to go to Custo Barcelona’s backstage and show. But the most exciting moment of the day was interviewing Erin Wasson, the international face of Maybelline, and Charlotte Willer, the official make-up artist of the brand. It was really fun!

Amanda Britto and Erin Wasson backstage at Custo Barcelona.

Erin Wasson, international face of Maybelline
Amanda: You’ve been an international face of Maybelline since 2002. How do you feel about representing a big brand like Maybelline for such a long time?
Erin: It’s crazy! I look at the fashion industry and is this quickly and fast moving constantly changing industry where loyalty and fashion are not symbiotic with each other. Models tend to fell very disposable in this industry. To be going to my 12 year with Maybelline is f***ing awesome to me. It’s weird to think that they still believe in me, are still selling products with my face on it and it’s still working. They watched me turn into a young woman. I’ve clients that I’ve been working for 8 or 10 years, but is not like that. It is just cool that Maybelline believed in me while I was just an unknown girl and didn’t quite know what I was doing. I was figuring myself out into this industry. I was just a little girl from Texas. 

A: What are your inspirations and how is your creative process when designing for your brand, Low Luv, or for Zadig&Voltaire?
E: The creative process for anything is quite similar. Maybe you see something or you read about something. The last jewelry collection was really inspired by the guardians in Babylon and I get a lot of inspirations from architecture, gates, windows, doors and travels. When you travel your eyes are open to so many things. You can just see something on the corner of your eye and that could be an inspiration. It’s weird, because my process is very abstract. With clothing is a little different I think, because it is what it is. You are making a shirt, a pant or a jacket. With jewelry can be like forms and shapes and textures and metals… With clothing is like: “Oh, ok, how am I going to reinterpret a f***ing t-shirt?”. There’s so many ways you can do that. Colors, patterns, textiles… You take people that inspired you. How many times I’ve gone back and looked at pictures of Rod Stewart. He was so bad a**! He got the best style. Everybody were freaked about Mick Jagger and I was like: “No, Rod Stewart!”.

A: You are a fashion inspiration for a lot of girls. Do you follow trends? How do you define your personal style?
E: It’s up for interpretation. That’s the most narcissist thing in the world, for me to sit here and tell you what my fashion sense is and what my style can mean to the world, you know? I consider myself a very non self indulgent human being, so it is what you think it is. Is not for me to tell you what it is. You can take two people and put them in the same outfit and they will look different. They gonna walk different, talk different. I think authenticity is everything. You have to wear what is authentic to who you are. You see those girls wearing those crazy outfits and they look like Bozos. You wanna shake them and be like: “Find what you really like!”. Grow a personality and know yourself. The greatest thing you could ever do for you is to know who you are.

A: Since you are the face of Maybelline we want to know: What is your favorite Maybelline product?
E: The mascaras, definitely. 

Charlotte Willer, official make-up artist of Maybelline
Amanda: Could you please tell us some of the beauty trends for the next season?
Charlotte: It’s difficult to say because you have a little bit of everything. But I really like the eyeliners.
A: What is your favorite combo: bold lips with plain eyes, the other way around or accentuating both?
C: I like all of it! I think there’s no ruler what you can wear and cannot wear. There really isn’t. I know that we want to set trends, but you can do everything. We have so many option on the market today. Years ago, it was all about red, because it was the only color you could buy. There wasn’t anything else but red lipstick. Back in the 20s it was all about the eyebrows and they didn’t have lipsticks on the market. It has to do with technology today. Now we have the BB Cream, that is taken over from the foundation.
A: You have liberty to create the looks for Maybelline, specially for the calendar. How is to work with a brand that gives that creative space?
C: It’s fabulous, first of all! They trust me very much and it’s a real pleasure for me. I think that why I got hired it was because they wanted my “signature” and sometimes when someone ask: “Charlotte, what are you doing on this look?” I said: “I don’t know yet!”. And I really don’t. It’s inspiration. I stop when I see it. It’s very difficult to say how is my creative process, but I’m glad that Maybelline trusts me. 

A: If you could only choose 5 make-up products to use in your life, what would they be?
C: Lipstick, foundation, mascara, black gel eyeliner and a nice eyeshadow with a beige shimmer, maybe. You can make a lot of different looks with that.

A: What is your favorite Maybelline product?
C: The FIT foundation! It’s fantastic. Ever since they came out I couldn’t stop using it. It gives a very satin finish. Doesn’t look heavy made up and it has full coverage.”
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