Backstage Beauty Cards @ Burberry

Backstage @ Burberry SS 14/15

We’re sitting in Burberry HQ in London and it’s the day before their show. There’s five of us in total – a mix of digital media and beauty bloggers – all invited to experience an all access pass to discover the up-coming beauty look they would be unveiling the very next day by Wendy Rowe, the Artistic Consultant for Burberry Beauty.

Upon meeting Wendy the first thing I notice is how much she resembles the essence of the Burberry Woman. She has the perfect amount of tousle in her I-just-rolled-out-of-bed hair that girls spend hundreds of dollars on products to achieve, natural and radiant looking skin (I’m not even sure if she was in fact wearing any make-up at all) and is casually dressed in a flared high-waist jeans and sheer white lace tee ensemble for that put-together-with-minimal-effort look. Overall, she epitomises that effortless cool every British it-girl embodies.

When Wendy starts to explain Christopher Bailey’s notes for the Burberry woman’s beauty look, I joke with her ‘Have you realised he’s basically describing you?’, to which she replies ‘Well we always joke that I’m secretly his muse!’. Moments later Christopher himself walks through the doors, taking the time to politely greet everyone in the room whilst wearing his infamous smile. For someone who is showing his next collection to the likes of Anna, Kate and Cara (do they even need last names anymore?) all poised on the front row the next day, he seems completely at ease; the sign of a seasoned professional.

Fast forward 24 hours and we’re backstage before the Burberry show where it has the exact same calmness that eerily floats through the room. Models are seen with honey coloured, dewy skin that makes them ‘look like they’ve spent summer in the garden.’ as Wendy explained the day before, using Burberry’s ‘Fresh Glow in Golden Radiance’ and ‘Fresh Glow BB Cream’. The eyes are completely bare, with nothing but a hint of colour under and above the eyes using the same taupe toned blush they used to contour the cheekbones. There’s a hint of highlighter across the cheekbones and definition to the eyebrows using the eyebrow pencil and its gel-like formula; a product that has now replaced my usual brown eyeshadow to colour in my brows each morning. The lips are the only statement, seen in a deep, ruby rose red which makes me realise how easy this would be to recreate at home.

This is the first instalment of my ‘Backstage Beauty Cards’; a new concept that will become more regular during fashion week as I’m often backstage before shows but never really utilising the content. I also want to state that this is not an advertorial and I was not paid at all to create this. As many appreciate Christopher for this artistic vision for Burberry, it’s his forward-thinking approach for incorporating digital and social media into growing the Burberry empire I admire the most. To be able to meet and share my support for such an innovative digital king is a blessing, and one I am so grateful to be a part of.

I hope you enjoy this backstage beauty pass at Burberry!

Photography: Luke Shadbolt
Make-Up: Wendy Rowe