YEP, it;s that time of year and whether you are fully invested in the seasonal collections, shows and all that goes with it or you literally give zero f’s….you WILL be seeing a lot of fashion week exposure over the next couple of weeks and London Fashion Week us is upon us from tomorrow (Friday 15th Sept) through until Tuesday. We may be creeping into autumn and pilling on the chunky knits but designers will be showcasing all of their Spring Summer 2018 wears.
I work at fashion weeks, as a makeup artist on shows, and have done for over 15 (yikes!) seasons in both London and Paris working with some of the biggest makeup artists on some of the most fabulous shows. I love the backstage vibe, the craziness and the buzz of that post-show feel after 4 hours of absolute makeup-mayhem in getting the models top-to-toe ready for the runway. This year I am slowing the work side of things down a bit, and although I am doing a few shows, my schedule isn’t super manic and I’m taking time to also go to shows and enjoy all the things that attendees experience.
From my experiences, I’ve compiled a list of products with the help of the gorgeous peeps over at Fragrance Direct for things I will be doing to get me fashion-week-ready and *obviously* some amazing bits of beauty thrown in.
BEFORE
That’s now ; and the last couple of days. I’ve been getting my *show kit* ready. It has to be refined, small BUT with everything you may need. Occasionally you may get a preview of the look before you go to a show, but more often that not, you have no idea what the makeup look is until you arrive backstage and the look is demo-ed onto a model. It can be anything from glossy skin and curled lashes to face painting and art over the face and body so you need to have all the colours / bases / shades for all types of skin *but* it needs to be relatively compact so you aren’t taking up loads of space with your kit or breaking your back on the tube. Makeup brushes need to be whittled down from 200 to 40, hygiene needs to be re-filled and ready & your comfy black clothes need to be dusted off.
WE READY.
DURING
Some kit essentials for this year : the Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion has actually been a kit hit for me for many years. It’s perfect as a light base and skin prep for makeup, with no primer needed : great for both boys and girls and it’s a product I also have used for myself. To get the bodies looking glossy and gorgeous, a makeup artist favourite is the cult beauty product : the NUXE Huile Prodigeuse OR which not only hydrates and gives glow to the skin but it smells like a damn dream. Speedy makeup removal post-show is always needed as models tend to go straight to another show and/or don’t want a crazy makeup look on their face as they leave (some of the looks are ahem OUT THERE!). I always have a gentle micellar to hand to remove waterproof and everything easily but gently and the NUXE Micellar Water is SO good for this and my clients love it.
Some handbag essentials for myself : Getting around London on public transport, sometimes having to be AT a venue for 430am (yikes!), and more often that not finishing a show and rushing straight to another or having a few hours wait around and refresh til’ the next. I also like to have a few beauty bits in my bag to keep me feeling and looking fresh. Mints, deodorant, obvs the phone charger, powder and some scent. Perfume of the moment is always a win and I always am a fan of the fresh and zesty Tom Ford Neroli Portofino that not only smells glorious but is also upliting and reviving. I decant this into a small handbag spray so I’m not carrying around the bulky bottle. Dry, long-ass-day lips be gone! A good lip salve to see you through the day is a fashion week must-have and I am in love with the Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve at the moment so this is actually going into my fashion week kit and onto my own lips. It’s such a pretty soft pink hue and feels so comforting and soothing : can also be multi-used to sleek down brows and add gloss and slow to the cheeks.
AFTER
Anddddddddddddddddd breathe. The early morning’s, parties (I have *quite* the stories), and the late nights with a handful of stress thrown in = a tired and slightly miserable human being on a fashion week come down. I usually clear my diary for 2 days just to unwind and nurture if I have had a busy fashion week full of shows and events. The Cowshed Lazy Cow Bath & Body Oil is going straight into my evening bath by the bucket to give me all the soothing feels, and a good slather of the Decleor Aromessence Neroli Hydrating Night Balm is hopefully going to get my skin back into shape. My skin usually has a party after fashion week from a combination of stress, lack of sleep, bad and on-the-go-food, too much coffee (I’m 89% caffeine during shows) and perhaps some quick baby-wipe-makeup-removal-when-I-get-in-late : sorry Caroline.
I don’t know about you but I was quite surprised that all these gorgeous products are available from Fragrance Direct (YES I also thought they just did fragrance) but they do actually an amazing selection of fragrance, bath, body, makeup and skincare from some fabulous brands AND there is always some amazing discounts to be had!
Are you doing anything fashion-week related? Is it something you would like to be involved in?
*Contains PR Samples from Fragrance Direct
