As if Cosmopolitan hasn't given all of us enough uses for water-based lube, the Hood By Air SS17 fashion show gave us a whole new one: As a beauty product.
At the HBA show on Sunday morning, models walked down the runway literally covered in lube. Their hair, faces, and nails were completely slicked in clear gel that looked like they had just stepped off of a porn shoot. The show also happened to be sponsored by PornHub, which made the whole thing very, shall we say, NSFW.
Now, now, everyone — get your heads out of the gutter. Contrary to what it seemed, the inspiration for the pretty out-there beauty look was actually not what you would look like if you forget to take a shower after trying to make an extra lubricated porno. According to the hair, makeup and nail artists, it was "mischievous children" getting into their parents vaseline and other beauty products, rubbing it all over themselves and making a mess.
The idea, according to makeup artist Igne Gronar is that Shayne Oliver (the designer of Hood By Air) is the "mischievous child" of the whole fashion world, and the collection its complimenting beauty looks were meant to show just how different and "mischievous" he truly is when compared to everyone else in the industry.
Here's a breakdown of all of the lube-based beauty that came down the runway. Don't worry, none of it was actually lube.
The Hair
The hair in the show was greasy and wet, and looked like the models tried to pull off not washing their hair for a month. On models with short hair, hairstylist Amy Farid used actual Vaseline (which she admits was a nightmare to wash out) to create a slick style with varying texture. Models with longer hair were lubed up with Bumble and Bumble Gel Oil. This product is actually technically meant for curls (I actually use it on my own hair in every day life for this purpose), but when applied to straight hair from roots to ends it creates a slick look that doesn't dry crunchy.
After testing the Bumble and Bumble Gel Oil during rehearsal, Farid also found that after the oil was washed out, the models' hair was extra soft, so apparently the product can double (or even triple) as a deep conditioner.
The Skin
Not only did the models have their entire heads covered in goop (I really do wonder if the HBA team let them shower before they made them go outside?!) they also had their entire faces slicked. Makeup artist Inge Gorgnard lathered the models in a goopy, transparent stage makeup called "Ultra Ice." It goes on thicker than Vaseline (or lube) and helped create a more textured look. The only other makeup the models wore was concealer over their pimples, which seemed pretty unnecessary given that their faces were covered in an inch and a half of gel. Those poor, poor pores.
The Nails
French manicures have been all over the runways this fashion week, but of course "mischievous child" Shayne Oliver had to take it to a whole other level. Manicurist Mar y Sol Inzerillo called the look a "half manicure:" Half of each nail was painted with a perfectly manicured french tip with polish from eco-friendly brand Duri, while the other half was left completely rough and unfiled. She literally did a full manicure on half of each nail (cuticle cutting included) and left the rest of it completely alone. The whole thing was then, of course, dipped in lube (ok, Vaseline). If you want to achieve this look at home, get your nails done as usual, bite off half of the polish and then lather your fingers in goop.
I can't help but wonder if the "lube look" will be hitting the street-style scene any time soon (fashion bloggers are willing to do some crazy stuff to get their picture taken). One thing is for sure though — I will definitely be saving up for one of those "Porn Hub" tank tops, Pamela Anderson be damned.
Images: Zoe Weiner (2,4)
