The New Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Code

Backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, selfies are being shuttered on instant cameras, lip gloss is being reapplied and patted off, curls are being pinned to heads to set, and fresh juices are being sipped. The 47 models dressed in matching pink silk robes including Elsa Hosk, Lily Aldridge, Taylor Hill, Kendall Jenner, and Gigi Hadid are smiling, laughing, and comparing notes on their cell phones. It’s clear that they feel beautiful. And why shouldn’t they? As the industry’s best-known faces, they’re meant to look like the best versions of themselves.

Sure, their sculpted bodies are bronzed with a spray-tan mist, and their hair (plus a few extensions) is set into the signature Victoria’s Secret bombshell beach waves, but when it comes to makeup, a light hand proves to be the most effective. “I don’t see the point in getting together this room full of genetic anomalies and [trying to] change them,” laughs makeup artist Dick Page, who relied on a few universally flattering products to pump up each model’s natural assets, ditching anything that would appear on camera, or to the human eye, as artifice.

THE BOMBSHELL GLOW
“There’s no contouring, there’s no strobing, there are no fake eyelashes,” Page explains. Even bronzer has been stricken from the backstage repertoire for its powdery or pearlescent finish. The infamous Victoria’s Secret glow is instead invoked with a blood red blush buffed into the apples of the cheeks. “The color is called Jugendrot which means ‘Youth Red’  in German,” he says of Kryolan’s creamy shade, which is traditionally employed on actors playing young characters in the theater. “It’s this little healthy flush.”
 
THE WIDE-AWAKE GAZE
To draw focus to the eyes without the help of dramatic false lashes, Page reaches for a thin black liner, a swipe of mascara, and an iridescent highlighter applied at the inner corners of the eyes. “I never liked [false lashes] in the first place. I think it’s overdone.” In its place, the highlighter has “a gold and violet mix that just makes the eyes pop.” For darker complexions, he mixes in a bit of color-matched foundation to customize the light-catching effects. The product is also tapped onto the Cupid’s bow. “I want the skin to look dewy and healthy and fresh,” he says of their moisturized complexions—courtesy of oxygen facials with Mzia Shiman.

THE BETTER-THAN-NUDE LIP
“It’s not super glossy, just a little bit moist,” says Page of the base of Kryolan’s matte mauve rose tint layered with Victoria’s Secret tawny Color Shine Gloss in Charmed. The warm nude blend added “a little dimension” to the lips without overdoing it. “Just something very simple,” echoes Page of his ethos for the night, the sheer quality of each product allowing for universal flattery.

THE NEW VOLUME
When it comes to hair, what makes Victoria’s Secret take on beach waves the “sexiest hair,” is an inverse in volume, explains hairstylist Akki Shirakawa. With shine in spades, Shirakawa employs extensions and the curling iron only at the bottom of the hair, leaving the roots smooth and relatively untouched. “The triangular shape, with more volume on the bottom, emphasizes [your body’s] curves,” he says. And pinning the curls in place until you walk out the door will guarantee the sensual appeal for the rest of the night, whether you’re walking down the runway—or just out to dinner.

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