Backstage at a Libertine show is always a major production, with some of the most creative people in the behind-the-scenes world coming together to create a hair and beauty look that is as captivating as the collection itself. Fall 2016 was no exception with industry gurus TIGI Catwalk Creatives, lead by Thomas Osborn, and CND Nails lead by Jan Arnold and Heather Davis, all creating their own works of art to match the art created for the runway by Libertine designer Johnson Hartig.

To get the complete story on what was being done for the collection, Style Wylde headed to the hair room first to talk to TIGI.

"The Libertine girl is always casual." Thomas Osborn of TIGI Catwalk Creatives told Style Wylde backstage. "It's untroubled chic, it's irregular, a loose braid on one side, and a lot of natural texture on the other, we are working with what the models have, no severe flat ironing, or retexturing."

Osborn went on to explain that in order to get the look, the team used only a touch of TIGI Bodifying Spray at the crown to give soft volume , and a bit of TIGI Work it Hairspray to create hold for the look without any stickiness, or stiffness. "To tie the look back to the whimsical details in the collection." Osborn added "We added barrettes to the back of the head for an unexpected pop of color." When asked how they chose the exact barrettes to use, Osborn laughed "Johnson told us he had bought a ton of barrettes on Amazon, so we wanted to make sure we had enough, so we went to Amazon and bought a bunch too, and then when we met to discuss the look it turned out we had all picked the exact same barrettes."

Over on the beauty and nails side of the room, creative minds were also in synch as CND Co-Founder and Style Director Jan Arnold was explaining the elaborate process the CND Design Lab team, headed by Heather Davis, goes through to create each nail for the show. "To complement the beaded eye embellishments featured on the unique Libertine garments, the team hand-sculpted 180 eyes in various sizes using RETENTION+™ Liquid & Powder, then painted the eyes with SHELLAC™ Brand 14+ Day Nail Color and VINYLUX™ Weekly Polish in vibrant color combinations of red, green, blue, orange and pink, grounded in black and white accents. Finished with 60 LED-lit Swarovski crystal pupils, the eyes represented the quiet aloneness and centered spirituality achieved through meditation. An additional 180 pastel matte base nails were decked out with soft, fluffy adornments for a luxe organic finish."

“They are a dream team sent from heaven above!” Johnson Hartig added, before modeling a few of the nails in the show for Style Wylde. (pictured below) "They go above and beyond every season, and the show just wouldn’t be the same without them.”

Click on any image below to launch light box mode for best viewing.