A Night at Bazaar's Icons Party
Photography: Martin Romero (top left, bottom left, bottom right), and John Nacion (middle left, top right)
On September 7 of this year, at the latter leg of New York Fashion Week, Harper’s Bazaar US held the #BazaarIcons party at the iconic Plaza Hotel. I attended with my stylist Kat Cruz-Villanueva, and we were treated to a night of fantastic music, high-fashion looks, and all around fabulous fun! I managed to snap a few photos from that super packed night, so here I am sharing it with you guys today!
My Outfit
Photography: Martin Romero
Since the party was a celebration of the “First Families of Music,” I wanted to wear something that was a little on the edgy, sexy, and glamorous side - a rockstar-inspired look of sorts. I went to Mark Bumgarner who made me a couple of designs and we decided on a black, one-shoulder, high-slit number with a bedazzled bustier. Mark, as usual, was such a breeze to work with. He’s such a perfectionist that he had me fit the dress more than thrice, and just made sure everything - every stitch and every gemstone - was perfect. I topped my look off with super strappy Louboutins and a bejewelled Farrah Abu clutch.
My Hair and Makeup
Photography: John Nacion
A lot of people were actually surprised when they found out I did my own makeup for this night (and for the whole New York Fashion Week trip). The thing is, I actually do know how to do my own makeup because I grew up in showbiz where we were trained to do so as teenagers. I just needed a bit of a refresher course from my makeup artist, Albert Kurniawan. He came over to my house to teach me, and we actually decided to film it for my YouTube channel too!
Albert and I both decided that it was best to go for a natural, almost no-makeup makeup look because the gown I was wearing was already extravagant in and of itself. I went for a glowing base with Ponds BB Cream, a little blush with Nars, soft brown eyeshadow tones with the Huda Beauty Dessert Dusk palette, and natural brows with a Dior brow pencil. I finished with a nude lip with lipstick by Tom Ford and a cream tint by Sephora. I applied the same easy approach for my hair, doing very soft and loose waves. I actually think being in New York - being exposed to the more effortless vibe of the city - influenced my hair and makeup choices. Having a relaxed beauty look was a cool contrast to my ultra-glammed up outfit.
My Night
Photography (middle): Martin Romero
After getting ready, Kat and I headed to the party. The first stop was the red carpet, which was a wild media frenzy! I don’t think I’ve seen that much photographers since my husband’s political campaign a few years back. It was absolutely crazy! Then, we headed inside the venue. It’s quite difficult to describe how dazzling the whole place was. The ballroom was decorated with bouquets of red roses, the guests were dressed to the glittering nines, and champagne was flowing left and right. It was glam, glam, and more glam! And of course, being that it was a celebration of music, the live performances were top-notch. We partied to songs by the Weeknd and Christina Aguilera.
The night ended at around 12 midnight, and we made our way home, not without a little stroll around New York of course. There’s something magical about walking around the empty New York streets in a gown at midnight - the perfect end to a wondrous night.
