Fashion week is famed for speeding by in a frenzy of whirring hairdryers and clouds of hairspray, but if you pay close attention you can pick up some incredible beauty tips from the pro. You see, it’s where the experts do some of their most creative work and watching them is quite possibly the best beauty tutorial you’ll ever see.
These ten tips are some of the best tricks we’ve learnt while watching the best of the best, and they’re guaranteed to revolutionise your look…
1. Fashion week is famed for taking its toll on models’ skin, but their hair takes the hit too. Celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson has a genius trick for undoing the damage that excessive styling and product build-up can cause. ‘To remove product build-up from your hair, mix a tablespoon of vinegar with your shampoo and use as normal. Concentrate on applying from the ends upward – and leave it for three to five minutes – for clean hair with an amazing shine.’
2. Sleek ponytails are a style go-to, but flyaways and frizz can stop them being on fleek. Jenny Balding, Redken Styling and Grooming Expert, has a solution; ‘After you’ve set your ponytail, squeeze a little gel on a hard toothbrush and comb it along the hairline in the same direction that the hair is pulled in to keep the hairline looking clean.’
3. Contouring is a brilliant and effective beauty trick, but don’t reach for your bronzer to recreate Kim Kardashian’s favourite look. Bronzer adds warmth and definition to the complexion, which is why it’s best avoided if you want to contour says make-up artist Yadim, who instead uses a taupe eyeshadow. ‘Bronzer tends to be too orange-y and warm. You want a nice even-toned brownish grey’.
4. While it always smells of hairspray backstage, there’s also a whiff of rose behind the catwalk. Why? On account of rose water being a make-up artists’ secret weapon for beautifying the skin. Make-up artist Diane Kendal swears by it: ‘It acts like a toner. It closes the pores, which in the end makes it easier to achieve that very fresh, even skin tone.’
5. Applying skincare in an upward motion is encouraged because it boosts circulation and gives skin that fresh, healthy glow. It’s a different matter with make-up and backstage you’ll always see artists applying foundation and powder in downward strokes. Why? Because it seals and smoothes down those ‘peach fuzz’ hairs giving skin an instantly smoother finish.
6. You don’t need fake tan or a two-week holiday to get that sunkissed glow, reveals Olivier Echaudemaison, makeup design director for Guerlain. His trick? ‘Take a bronzer that’s one shade darker than your natural skin tone (never any darker) and draw the number ‘3’ on both sides of your face – starting with the forehead, then cheeks and finally the chin.’
7. Colouring in lips with a lip pencil is the key to a longer lasting pou,t reveals Estee Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux. ‘Even if the shine of the gloss disappears over the hours, you’ll still have the colour of it.’
8. You don’t need an endless palette of eyeshadows. Backstage, makeup artists will make their kit versatile by dipping their brushes into water to intensify pigment – which comes in especially handy at 5 o’clock when post-work drinks require a makeup touch-up pronto.
9. Bold brows might be having a moment – albeit an extended one – but perfect looking brows aren’t the same colour throughout. To emphasise the arch and for a natural looking bold brow, keep them darker in the middle and light at either end. It’s a subtle but effective way of achieving next level brows.
10. Bold bronzer mistakes be gone! Tom Pecheux mixes loose powder into bronzer to soften the finish. ‘I find if you put bronzer directly onto the skin, it creates patches. But when you put a little powder into the bronzer, it sheers it out so it doesn’t go patchy.’
Imagery – Sam McKnight Instagram, James Pecis Instagram
