Backstage beauty secrets you NEED to know

As fashion month drawers to a close for yet another season, and the hoards of makeup and skincare for models are packed away, we thought we’d share the backstage beauty secrets that help them look their best.

These weird and wonderful beauty secrets from people in the know will help you to look and feel your best.

Youthful beauty

One of the easiest ways to cheat a youthful look is to draw on freckles. Makeup artist, Lynsey Alexander says that Kate Moss always asks for a smattering of freckles. She explains that faking freckles gives the skin a youthful freshness and glow, the trick is to use your brow pencil and dot randomly before smudging it with your finger, so it looks like skin rather than makeup.

Taylor Hill Backstage at Herve Leger
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Bigger lips

To create an enviably full pout, Creative Makeup Director at Estée Lauder, Tom Pecheux, says to outline lips with a pale gloss, and then use a darker gloss to fill in. The colours will fade into each other, and your lips will look full and sensual.

Big, fluttery 60s lashes

Celebrity makeup artist Hannah Murray is the master of Twiggy lashes that are making a comeback. She recommends curling your lashes, following with waterproof mascara to hold the lashes better. Then use a normal black mascara for two or three coats, and wiggle the brush as you work it through the lash.

Hannah says that she prefers a mascara that has been dried out a little, so she'll leave the lid off a new mascara for a day to get the right texture. She says it makes all the difference.

Homemade facelift

A pain-free facelift? Yes, please! Niki Metz, Director of Artistry for Jouer says: "As a little girl, I would watch my mother apply egg whites to her face (especially around her eyes) about an hour or two before going out to a special event. She would take one egg, separate it, whisk it until it was frothy, and apply the egg white all over her face and leave it on for 20 minutes. After, she would wash it off with lukewarm water and immediately apply her makeup. The egg white tightens the skin and wrinkles to give you a temporary facelift."

Cara Delevinge eyebrows

Eyebrows are in for the foreseeable future. If you haven’t been blessed with Delevingne eyebrows, Terry de Gunzburg, founder of ByTerry says: "Apply a nourishing balm to your eyebrows before going to bed. This will guarantee extra strength and growth—thicker eyebrows in two weeks."

Cara Delevingne
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Banishing dark circles

We’re always looking for the latest remedy to get rid of the dark circles under our eyes. The Brazilian beauty, Victoria Brito, loves her home remedies: “For example, to get rid of dark circles, take a potato, cut it into slices like a pepperoni, and put one slice over each eye for about 15 to 20 minutes once a week. I swear, after doing it about five times, you’ll start to see a drastic reduction of dark circles. The potato literally starts to get dark and shrivel up while you use it—it’s crazy.”

Make your own flawless foundation

Matte foundations can settle on the skin and often exaggerate pores and wrinkles. Joanna Czech, Uma Thurman’s facialist, says: “Skin looks younger and fresher when you can see it through your foundation, unlike water-based versions, they won’t highlight enlarged pores and fine lines.”

Czech also says: “Make your own by mixing your favourite serum or facial oil in with your regular foundation.”

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Hydration hair masks from the fridge

Who knew that you could find a great conditioner tucked away in your fridge? Blake Lively told Brydie: “My mom taught me this really great beauty tip. She used to put oil or mayonnaise on the bottom half of her hair before she would shower. That way, when she would shampoo, the soap wouldn’t strip the bottom of the hair and dry it out making it brittle.”

Two-in-one glow from your lipstick

British icon, Kate Moss, always looks fresh-faced despite being a party girl, she says: “Dick Page taught me this: After applying your lipstick, blot your lips with your fingers and then pat the remaining colour on your cheeks for an instant glow.”

Homemade face masks

Skincare expert Michelle Peck, who has worked with Miranda Kerr, says she loves to use homemade masks to prep the skin. Some of her favourites to keep skin hydrated include an avocado and olive oil mask, and then a coconut cream mask for dehydrated skin.