2011 Fall London Fashion Week

It feels like a lifetime ago, but just a few weeks ago London played host to the Autumn/Winter '11 shows and I found five minutes to catch up with Saloni designer Saloni Lodha. She held a presentation during the fashion showcase which introduced her latest beautiful collection.

Saloni is a relatively new brand (just three years old), but it already has a celebrity following which includes Poppy Delevigne and Emma Watson.

What is your background?
I starting selling first and I used to do pop-up boutiques in Hong Kong. I'm Indian and moved to London 6 years ago to follow my now husband.

What has inspired you for Autumn/Winter 2011?
Inspiration for the collection came from a photographer who captured Northern Sky lights. From there, I started looking at Google Earth maps and got really into the textures of the prints. The clothes really catch the light and the earth. The makeup and hair on the girls are natural and organic but have an edge and a bit of a vintage feel

Why did you choose to do a presentation over a runway show?
I chose to do a presentation instead of a show because of all of the separates that I show and I didn't feel comfortable putting a t-shirt on a catwalk. Plus, this kind of atmosphere allows me to speak with journalists in a more intimate setting. Rosie Chan the pianist is here and I'm very excited to be collaborating with her.

To see images of her latest collection, just read more

I know that Millan Fashion Week is already over and now we're onto Paris already, but I am still catching my breath from all that I saw during London Fashion Week and wanted to make sure that I wrapped up my backstage beauty coverage with some of the trends I saw. Whilst tons of shows like Saloni, PPQ and Caroline Charles donned red lips down the catwalk, a typical trend for the Autumn and Winter seasons, three shows that all bore black lipstick were Maria Grachvogel, Felder Felder and Ashley Isham. All exciting fashion brands, they are now on my top list of ones to watch beauty-wise for next season too. Cheers to these risk-takers!

• Celebrities flocked to the front rows and parties for London Fashion Week
• Prince William and Kate Middleton has official engagements in Wales and Scotland
• And Nico Evers-Swindell and Camilla Luddington started filming as William and Kate
• Jennifer Aniston changed her hair during European promotion for Just Go With It
• Robert Pattison and Mackenzie Foy arrived in Vancouver to shoot Breaking Dawn
• Cheryl Cole met with Prince Charles to launch her Foundation then flew to LA
• Drew Barrymore stepped out with rumoured new boyfriend Will Kopelman
• Sienna Miller went out with a friend before FabUK spotter her with Tom Sturridge
• Ashton Kutcher told us about love in the digital age and shooting nude scenes
• Ashley Greene celebrated her birthday and lunched with Joe Jonas

The last show that I attended for London Fashion Week was the Taka-Naka presentation. Designed by twins (nicknamed Taka and Naka), the collection had two very distinct looks to it: prints inspired by comic books from the late 1950's and a clean, almost conservative Jackie O. feel. Naturally, the makeup look created by Alex Byrne for Benefit Cosmetics incorporated both of these styles which Alex describes as, "Classic Irving Penn glamour. Think Audrey Hepburn and a chic collision with the 50's bright colourful looks."

The focal point of the look was a deep sienna-coloured lipstick in a new shade called Saucy that was intensified with a brick eyeliner called Call Me Nutty. Skin was prepped with You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer and a bit of Hoola was shaded into the deep part of the cheeks for a sculpted, understated look. Georgia Peach or Sugar Bomb powder blushers were dusted onto the apples of the cheeks, and brows were "fat and fun" filled in using Brow-Zings in Medium. Bikini Line Cream Shadow was blended over the top of Tattle Tale Cream Shadow, and Eye Bright was used inside the water line of the eyes. Lastly, a bit of That Gal was masked around the eyes (think about the strip of skin where your glasses go) for brightening purposes, and Bad Gal Mascara in black coated the lashes.

Photos courtesy of Benefit Cosmetics

Paul Smith is one of Britain's iconic brands and I just love how he used clear glasses on the runway as an accessory to his bright separates with clean lines and fitted shapes, don't you? This simple yet polished "preppy chic" inspiration also transcended onto the beauty look created by lead makeup artist Petro Petrophilos for MAC Cosmetics.

Petro began by applying Face and Body Foundation all over the face and neck and then used some Mineralize Skinfinish on top. Pinch O Peach blush was used on the cheeks and Dark Brown Mascara with Ebony Pencil lightly lined the rims of the eyes. Brows were filled in with Velvetone Pencil and and Petro also used some Dark Brown Mascara to keep them in place. Lips were plain and simply coated with a bit of Lip Conditioner, something we've seen a lot of this season. What are your thoughts on preppy beauty? Do you think it's pretty or would you prefer to pass?

I'm still buzzing from all of the excitement from the Burberry Prorsum Show. Getting to go backstage was a dream, and the front row was celebrity packed. FabSugarUK and I walked around talking to familiar faces like Ellie Goulding and Daisy Lowe, however, one chit chat in particular that got me especially excited was with Julia Restoin-Roitfeld who dished about her new gig with Lancôme.

How did it evolve that you have become to be the new face of Lancôme? It just really happened out of nowhere, but I still can't believe it to be honest. It's like any girls' dream come true, and it's French like me, so I'm just flattered!

To find out what Julia's favourite makeup products are the the beauty look she donned at the Burberry show, just read more

Terry Barber, Director of Artistry for MAC Cosmetics took time out of his busy backstage schedule at the Jean-Pierre Braganza show to tell me how much he loves FabSugarUK! Thanks Terry, we love you too! He also told me that the inspiration for this outrageous makeup style was "not grunge rock and roll, but mannequin rock and roll. Think Thierry Mugler ... and Gerry Hall with red lips and red eyes to keep it modern. It's not a decadent look, but more reminiscent of the 80s and 90s. I love a show being a fantasy."

To create a fierce, sculpted, couture-style face, Terry used Colour Corrector Concealer and then pressed a new Electric Coral MAC Pro Pigment from next season into the eyes and cheekbones. Superslick Black Liquid Liner was used to draw a feline shape and #36 false lashes were cut in half and shaped into an angle. Lips were designed to look like a lacquered electric guitar so Cherry and Vino Lip Pencils were used along with Runaway Red AW '11 (a new lipstick) under Clear Lipglass.