Beaufille backstage beauty: The ’90s chola girl is reinvented with monochromatic makeup for Fall 2014

If you describe the beauty look of a ’90s chola girl—that is, dark-lined lips and pencil-thin brows—it doesn’t exactly match up with what’s on-trend for 2014. Right now, the bushier the brow the better, and lip statements are more ombré than tattooed on. But with girl gangs as the official inspiration for Beaufille’s Fall 2014 look, Maybelline New York lead makeup artist, Grace Lee, couldn’t help but reference chola style in the makeup. “Really, when I think of girl gangs I think of cholas. I’m gonna say it: We are going chola chic.”

Lee started the look by blocking out models’ brows with Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Concealer + Treatment—“ we don’t want them to look alien-like!”—and then focused on contouring around the eyes. Chola chic is, as it turns out, a very monochromatic look. Maybelline New York SuperStay 14HR Lipstick in “Beige for Good” was applied with a soft bristle brush to the crease and under the eye, the formula providing a dewy finish worthy of any cream eyeshadow. Cheeks were also dabbed with the lipstick, and then contoured with a second colour, Maybelline New York FaceStudio Master Glaze Blush Stick in “Warm Nude.”

However, it was the Beaufille lip that pulled the whole chola chic style together. Lee used Maybelline New York Color Show Kohl Liner in “Chocolate” to line the lips, but avoided a precise line. Next, Maybelline New York ColorSensational The Buffs Lipstick in “Bare All’” and “Blushing Beige” were blended together on the lip, applied with an ombré effect in mind. For that final push of chola style, Lee went back in with a neutral lip liner and slightly defined the darker outer edge “to give it that ’90s Linda Evangelista spice lip” look.

While the hair could have been equally as chola-inspired, with slicked-back, tight ponytails, it was a much more relaxed affair. Redken artist Jorge Joao said the look was intended to be “model off duty” with hair having day two, lived-in style. After prepping with Redken Pillow Proof spray, he added movement to random sections with the flatiron. Redken Fashion Waves sea salt spray provided a final blast of texture and models were good to go.