WMCFW 2013 – A Cinderella experience …

This past March 21st, I was privileged to receive a day of fashion and beauty pampering at one of Canada’s most prestigious events of its kind, World MasterCard Fashion Week Toronto (WMCFW). This story began with a ~~coach~~ limo ride to the airport, a quick flight to the heart of Toronto, then another ~~coach~~ limo ride to the WMCFW tents – massive, heated & chandeliered structures. From the minute I arrived, I was treated like visiting royalty, being personally met & escorted at the door to be then whisked off towards the inner sanctum: backstage.

The heart and soul of these types of events, “backstage” is where the magic happens: hair, nails, makeup and finally, the shows – experiencing just a day of the chaos & madness that takes place before a show, gave me new-found respect for the incredible effort and teamwork I witnessed from all involved, most notably the various PR whose job it is to ensure that figurative fires are put out, all needs met, and that everything runs smoothly and on time. Hats off to you guys – seriously!

My first stop was at the Redken hair station (the official hair sponsor of WMCFW), where my usually straight hair was given beach-y waves – I totally loved it, and the style seemed to only get better as the day progressed. PS: Thank you Rose, Adam & Tracy; a picture I took of us seems to have gone AWOL …

I was then taken to the Essie station (the official nail sponsor of WMCFW) , where it was my personal thrill to meet Essie’s lead nail stylist, Rita Remark – talented, gracious, funny, eloquent and drop-dead gorgeous – who then proceeded to give ME a manicure, recreating one of the looks she developed for an earlier show. Oh. My God.

But it gets better; Rita then asked me to unveil the nail look she created for Rudsak, a show I was to attend later on. Honoured (and dying) to rip the paper off the nail board, was a “moment” – made me feel personally connected to it all. Thank you so much, Rita! ♥

Once my nails were done, it was off to makeup, where one of the Maybelline artists (the official makeup sponsor of WMCFW) added some dramatically thicker liner to my upper lids. Actually, she mentioned that she wasn’t sure if I needed anything done, as she thought I looked “perfect” — words a beauty lover such as myself, never gets tired of … lol!

Fangirl moment #2 came when I was given the opportunity to meet Grace Lee, Maybelline’s Lead Makeup Artist, and watch her in action as she gave a step-by-step demonstration of the look she created for the Rudsak show. An incredibly talented lady with a unique vision, and just so rocker-chic!

Time for the show …

How fitting is it that I, a beauty blogger from Montréal, attended a fashion show by a Montréal designer? Meant to be, right? Rudsak, the line created by Evik Asatoorian featured edgy outerwear that exemplified function, form, and beauty; suffice it to say that apart from the men’s pieces, I lusted after every single item I saw come down that runway.

Ending my day on a high note, I was then ushered into the private Sponsor’s Lounge for a celebratory glass of bubbly, accompanied by Carly (from NKPR) and Rita – and thus, my evening was complete.

A huge THANK YOU to Natasha Koifman’s team at NKPR – you guys totally rock! A special mention to Bunmi, who I did not get to meet (this time around) but has always been so incredibly supportive (and funny as hell), Katie – gorgeous, warm & so totally welcoming (we need to do lunch!), and Carly for not only “babysitting” me the entire time, but for being my show buddy! Thank you to Micah as well, for all your efforts in the planning stages.
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Also, my deepest gratitude goes out to ROI Relations, Redken, Maybelline, and of course, Essie for being a part of my Cinderella experience!

a coach for a modern-day Cinderella

Team Redken hard at work transforming my hair – loved the beach-y waves!

top 2 photos: rows upon rows of Maybelline cosmetics at the makeup stations

bottom left: a view of the hair stations, sponsored by Redken

bottom right: Essie lead nail stylist Rita Remark’s kit – be still my lacquer-beating heart!

I was so honoured to be asked by Rita to be the one to unveil the nail board, showing the look she created for the Rudsak show (in case you’re wondering: 2 layers of Essie’s Mink Muffs with a layer of Matte About You on top)

Having a total fangirl moment as Rita applied the look on my nails that she created for the Line Knitwear show: Essie’s Armed and Ready as a base which served to outline one coat of Penny Talk, with a layer of Matte About You to finish – so edgy and avant-garde!

PS: check out Rita’s jewelry – to die for!

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with Rita Remark

Holding court at her own personal station, Maybelline lead makeup artist Grace Lee explains the look she created for Rudsak upon on of the models for the upcoming show

Check out the nails the model is wearing in the bottom left photo – Rita’s creation!

Bottom middle photo: a soon-to-be released new dual-brush mascara by Maybelline

bottom right: the simple, clean & flawless finished look

with Grace Lee (unplanned motorcycle jacket twins …)

Getting all primped out, thanks to my makeup artist, Kat

top left photo showcases some brand new & some upcoming Maybelline releases

the Rudsak show

bottom left photo: Take a look at the hordes of media!

bottom right photo: media work stations – getting the word out ASAP!

Two of my fabulous “fairy Godmothers” – with Katie (left), and Carly (right) of NKPR

So totally could not resist my own moment against “the wall”!

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The Essie gift bag, filled with upcoming collections & amazing goodies, all in signature purple neon

The Maybelline gift bag

2 new ColorSensational Vivids from Maybelline: Vibrant Manadarin and Vivid Rose, as well as the new Master Smoky pencil (to be released in June)

Capping off the day with a glass of bubbly at the Sponsor’s Lounge

Some of the gorgeous gowns on display for the 4th annual ‘Dare to Wear Love Fashion Gala’ that closed Fashion Week – creations made from African fabric by 25 top Canadian designers, and modelled by influencers, celebrities and performers alike, in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help eradicate the AIDS pandemic in Africa

Goodbye, Toronto …

A tired, but so very happy beauty blogger!

Last word: What an adventure! It was totally amazing to watch how a fashion show comes together, and seeing firsthand how the various departments – hair, makeup & nails, all work in tandem to ensure that no detail is overlooked, was eye-opening, to say the least. My first time seeing a live fashion show (the ones I participated in as a model when I was younger, don’t count!) was an extraordinary sensory experience: music, clothing, beauty, flashbulbs! Before I knew it, I was on a plane headed back home and left wondering if I had dreamed it all – but I have the pictures to prove I didn’t. The only problem? I want to do this again!

Once again, thank you to everyone involved for making this happen – giant panda hugs!