J.Crew’s Signature Beauty Look Got A Major Winter Makeover

J.Crew was a breath of fresh, colorful air on the fall 2015 runway. While other brands seem to be in some sort of neo-goth, lots-of-black moment (Vera Wang, rag & bone, and even Tory Burch), the J.Crew girl is sticking with vibrant pops of yellow faux fur, pastel feather skirts, pom-pom scarves, and bright outerwear. She's the one who draws a smile from afar in the snowstorm — or, at least, that's what she did for us after we braved the flurries at 7:30 a.m. to get a peek of what was happening backstage.

The models were all smiles, chatting with one another and flipping through the current season's catalogue, pointing at their favorite items. "We didn't even stage that," a publicist promised as photographers snapped away the scene. There was no pandemonium, no ego — just fun, wearable clothes that everyone in the room coveted. Jenna Lyons chatted with the models in the lineup while they waited for their chances in front of the cameras. They looked happy, and about as comfortable as people can be in four-inch heels.  The beauty look was a huge part of the show. J.Crew is famous for a signature of sorts, which has been perfected and streamlined by Troi Ollivierre, the company's beauty guru (and owner of an eponymous brand sold at the retailer), who handles both hair and makeup for its runway shows and lookbook shoots. But, this time, things were a little different.

"We still wanted the girls to look fresh, but we were thinking of them coming back from skiing for this season," Ollivierre explains. (Don't you pop on a pair of heels après-ski, too?) "So, we kept a hint of color on the lips by applying my new lip stain in Tim. In order to make it more lived-in and natural, I applied it with a brush so it's sheer and light."  He perfected the skin with a mix of Laura Mercier primer and moisturizer, and then a sheer layer of foundation (a secret formula, according to the artist). After, he added the cult RMS Living Luminizer to the high planes of the face, corners of the eyes, and bridge of the nose for that J.Crew glow, enhancing the outer corners with a tiny bit of bronzer to add depth and warmth. As for the blush, he dabbed Stila's Convertible Color in Lillium low on the apples of the cheeks using his fingers in quick, tapping motions "for an after-skiing look that's very natural."  Then, he took a tiny bit of that same blush and popped it onto the nose to mimic that slightly windswept flush that's all-too-familiar for most of us. Los Angeles: You guys can keep your suntans! We'll go ahead and cop this hot-cocoa-at-the-lodge look instead.