The Inspiration: French designer Catherine Malandrino was thinking less Parisian, more '80s American when working on the look for her fall 2012 collection. Hair, makeup, and nails were all influenced by her point of inspiration: The 1982 version of Cat People, an erotic horror film. The flick's cover image (a VHS sleeve, if you can remember those) showed a wet looking woman who looked fresh out of the pool. "She was animalistic, feline, and ferocious," said Sephora Pro makeup artist Gilbert Soliz.

Makeup: Rather than sticking to a predictable smoky eye, the Sephora team used turquoise liner (or fuchsia for darker skin tones), a black kohl pencil, and plenty of creamy Make Up For Ever eye shadows in Intense Blue, Turquoise, and Snow for highlighting. The focus was totally on the eye, and the rest of the look was kept very simple.

Hair: Moroccanoil's Artistic Director, Antonio Corral Calero, spoke of "sensuality, and a graphic look with dark side to it." He applied Moroccanoil's Treatment oil from the middle to end of strands, blow-dried, and straightened. The brand's new Volumizing Mousse (not available yet) was used to create the wet look on top; it was combed in from hairline to crown and lightly dried. "When a woman's hair gets dirty, she usually does a ponytail. We wanted to create something equally effortless," said Corral Calero. "Catherine came into this with a strong belief about what she wanted. The '80s was all about hair gel, and sleek, and shiny. When she told me what she wanted, I said 'Amen, girl!'"

Nails: The CND whiz team mixed a custom deep plum shade that's not on shelves, but can be recreated with a coat of the brand's Plumville color and another thin layer of Dark Ruby on top. We couldn't pass up the chance to ask the manicure pro her tips for an easy at-home polish. "Use the flat brush technique! Hold the brush almost parallel to the nail, not vertical or angled, and just glide it gently."

More from Real Beauty:

Runway Trend: Winged Eyeliner

Monique Lhuillier Gets Glam

Rag & Bone's Downtown Girl Goes to India

Fall 2012 Accessories We Can’t Wait For!

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