Backstage Fashion Week Beauty Secrets

Photographed by Amelia Alpaugh

Yes, the final beauty looks that go stomping down the runways are gorgeous — but here in the R29 beauty department, we're just as mesmerized by the tips and tricks that make the looks as we are by the end results. To give you a taste of the behind-the-scenes action, we rounded up the coolest beauty pro hacks that we've seen so far — read on for our #NYFW cheat sheet!

Under-Control Glittery Eyes

"Backstage at Jason Wu, models were getting the rose-gold glitter treatment on their eyelids. Diane Kendal's makeup concept was stunning, but what about the inevitable sparkly fallout on the face? Easy solution: makeup artists gently pressed masking tape under models' eyes, fully removing the errant glitter in a matter of seconds." — Annie Tomlin, beauty director

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A Lit-From-Within-Glow

"Backstage at Tanya Taylor, NARS' Uzo shared this brilliant tip with me: Apply a shimmery NARS The Multiple along your cheekbone, on bare skin, blending it in with your finger, then apply your foundation over top. According to Uzo, this gives skin a polished, fresh, luminous appearance that doesn't look quite so dewy or overtly shimmery. Says Uzo, "It's breathable, touchable skin." — Megan McIntyre, senior beauty editor

French-Girl Gorgeousness Shortcuts

"At Peter Som's show, the final beauty look was super-simple — but the process that makeup artist Tom Pecheux used to create the rosey-nude makeup was pretty groundbreaking. The two tips I can't wait to try? Applying a dusty rose powder blush with my fingers to create a contour in the hollows of my cheeks, and filling in my eyebrows with brown mascara on a mini fan brush. Genius!" — Tara Rasmus, assistant beauty editor

Wearable White Eyeshadow

"I was gaga for the gorgeous, icy-mint eye showcased at Creatures of The Wind, but I've always had issues with frosty shadows — they made me look a little too '80s for my liking. According to NARS director of global artistry James Boehmer, the key to wearing any white-based eyeshadow is to blend that bad boy out. He advises applying your color of choice with a brush, packing the color on, then using your finger to rub it off. This helps sheer it out, but still leaves the remnants of the color." — M.M.

A Perfectly Sharp French Manicure

"At Kate Spade's presentation, nail super-pro Deborah Lippmann explained the secret to concentrating color on the tips of the nails, which she did to create the show's super-modern silver and white French manicure. Put your finger on the table in front of you, parallel to the table's edge, and roll your finger towards you. Place the nail polish brush at the tip of your nail, and rotate your finger until it's facing away from you — this will create the perfect clean tip." — T.R.

Check back in later this week, as we'll definitely pick up a few more genius hacks as Fashion Week Comes to its glorious, fabulous end!