The final beauty look on the stunning Bette Franke | Images & Text by Janelle Okwodu

The word timeless gets thrown around a lot, but the beauty backstage at Ports 1961 certainly fits the bill. Pat McGrath (for Covergirl) Guido Palau (for Redken) are frequent collaborators and the looks they create together always impress. The Ports look was muted, to contrast with the glittering metallics and outright decadence of the collection itself: rich brown shades on the eyes, clear lipbalm on the lips and a casually refined ponytail tucked into the neckline of each ensemble. This is the kind of done yet undone look makeup minimalists live for.

Covergirl Eye-Enhancers in Mink & Brown Smolder were swept across the lids of models like the gorgeous Antonia Wesseloh.

Nimue Smit gets her brows touched up.

Alex Yuryeva gets a touch of lipbalm pre-show.

Karo Mrozkova shows off that undone hair look – created by blow drying hair with Satinwear Ultimate Blow-Dry lotion. , parting down the center and then twisting it into a knot.

Regardless of the season, the Derek Lam look is always about elegance with ease, and the Estee Lauder team – led by Tom Pecheux – always manages to capture that vibe, while creating a signature beauty statement. Fall was all about a girl who is twisted yet polished – the kind of off-kilter muse who looks like an angel but has a sinister side.

One of the most exciting things about Derek’s show are all the incredible new Estee Lauder launches used on the girls. This limited edition Pure Color Eyeshadow Palette is launching in August and the colors are just too good.

Team Phyto (led by Orlando Pita) gets Arizona Muse ready with a touch of Phyto Professional Workable Holding Spray.

A glimpse at all the Phyto goodies used to create the “eccentric intellectual” updos that featured on the runway.

Antonia Wesseloh gets a touch of Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer.

Estee face, Pop Magazine cover star and girl of the moment Joan Smalls sits down in the beauty chair to have her makeup done by Tom Pecheux.

Perhaps the coolest innovation on display was the new Sumptuous Two Tone Eye-Opening Mascara, black for top lashes and brown for the bottom. Pecheux explained that it added depth to the eyes and opened them up without creating a harsh shadow.

The Sumptuous Mascara at work on the lovely Kinga Rajzak.

Kati Nescher getting a touch up with a Beauty Blender.

The final smokey brown eye and look on Sojourner Morrell.

Miss Cara Delevingne in the stunning look at Thakoon | Photos and text Janelle Okwodu

Designer Thakoon Panichgul never fails to innovate on the runway and the same can be said about the beauty created by his team backstage. Led by Diane Kendal (for NARS) and Odile Gilbert (for Kérastase) the team created a look that echoed the sophistication of Audrey Hepburn, but with an 80s Upper East Side twist. To quote Thakoon, the look was “reminiscent of the past but still feels modern.” When I heard that the inspiration was Audrey, I was ecstatic, but when I saw the final bold brows, red lips and chic chignons I was blown away.

NARS’new Pure Radiance Tinted moisturizer was used on all the girls backstage to even skintone and provide a natural glow. The SPF 30 and sheer texture make it a must try in my book.

A glimpse at the hair and makeup boards backstage.

Team Kérastase gave all the girls, including Milou van Groesen sleek blowouts before pinning their hair up.

The true red lip on the luminous Othilia Simon comes courtesy of NARS’ matte Heatwave lipstick.

The baby bangs on the girls wear created by twisting the ends of their hair forward. Odile and co, secure Melissa Tammerijn’s platinum locks in place with a spritz of Kérastase Double Force hairspray.

Odile makes the final touches on Sojourner Morrell’s hair as Teen Vogue‘s Eva Chen takes a snapshot.

Nails were given a glossy coat of NARS’ Sheer Nail Polish in Edelweiss, then tipped with jet black.

Logic (and retail research) dictates that during the winter months people gravitate towards warm comforting aromas. When it is cold outside you’re supposed to want the comfort of vanilla, spice and other notes that conjure images of heat.

Normally I would adhere to this wisdom and bust out the Serge Lutens Chene, but this season all I want are refreshing, green with invigorating qualities. I’m not sure if its the hustle of fashion week that compels me towards these – a girl needs to be reinvigorated after those long, late nights – but these are the ones I’ve reached for of late.

ANNICK GOUTAL NINFEO MIO – Figs ripening in the most lush garden imaginable, a fragrant pick me up for those days when you need it most. Petitgrain and bitter orange give this one the final kick that keeps things tangy instead of sweet.

CHANEL No. 19 POUDRE – Who says the remix can never equal the original? No. 19 was Coco Chanel’s signature scent and one of the first green chypres to hit the market. The new version adds a hint of powdery softness to the mix and highlights those decadent iris notes.

BYREDO GREEN – Don’t you just love truth in advertising? Green is exactly that, a sage heavy burst of crispness that is distinctive and unisex. Ben Gorham based the scent on his memories of his father’s signature cologne from the 70s and there really is something appealingly retro about this one.

ANTONIA’S FLOWERS FLORET – Sweet pea, lily of the valley and the faintest hint of tuberose bring this one towards the floral side, but there is still something effervescent about the scent. Skip the EDT and head straight towards the heady EDP version.

CHLOE L’EAU DE CHLOE – The Chloé fragrances have always been able to capture a little magic and bottle it for mass consumption. Who doesn’t want to feel like Sigred Agren in those tan python prints as she makes her way down the Champs-Elysées, or Karmen Pedaru in the brand’s current ads? The latest L’Eau de Chloe is a sweet and tangy green / citrus / rose – a combination that is surprisingly perfect.

Your pressing beauty questions answered by some of fashion’s finest talents.

DUFFY (Tim Howard Managment), the man behind Tilda Swinton’s effortless buzz cut, plus countless editorial and runway hair moments gives reader Gretchen a few pointers on how to combat frizz.

Q: What is the best treatment for frizzy and unruly hair? – Gretchen

Duffy’s Answer: “Moroccan Oil Treatment Light is the best thing I’ve found. It’s versatile for all hair types, you can use a small amount on damp hair as a smoothing agent before drying, or if you have coarse, unruly hair it’s great as both a styling and finishing product.”

Send an email to janelle@sansartifice.com to get your beauty question answered by an expert.

Karlina Caune gets a little face time backstage | Photos & Text – Janelle Okwodu

As a CFDA winner and man about town, Joseph Altuzarra is one of fashion’s current kings. The look at his show is always going to be original and influential, especially when it comes to beauty. This season was all about getting the maximum effect from a minimal look: fresh skin, a swipe of bold eyeliner, paired with unfussy hair and little else. As someone who believes in less is more, it is a look I appreciate wholeheartedly.

Fresh skin – like Aymeline Valade’s was a prerequisite for the Altuzarra look, Pecheux and team perfected it with moisturizer and a hint of concealer where needed.

Tom hard at work on Karmen Pedaru.

A luminous Kati Nescher shows off the vision for hair, tousled and undone meant to channel the look of real girls on the street. Paul Hanlon used Fekkai Coiff Oceanique Tousled Wave Spray & Coiff Nonchalant Piecing and Forming Wax to create the look.

Muji Q-tips, a whole lot of Bioderma Sensibio H20 and tons of MAC were used backstage. Can you spot the Rodin Olio Lusso oil that was used in place of foundation?

The flawless Liu Wen shows off the graphic eye that defined the show’s beauty look.

The those perfect straight lines were created with MAC Chromaline in Black Black, applied with an angled brush like the MAC 208.

The final effect in all its glory on Josephine Skriver.

Zuzanna Bijoch gets prepped backstage at Wu | Photos by Janelle Okwodu

A smoky eye and a sleek ponytail are beauty standards, but the team at Jason Wu provided their own spin on both looks with an unexpectedly sexy combo. Backstage is always exciting, but the Wu team kicked things up with a slew of playful touches based around the idea of warrior women – the Wu girl this season is downright deadly. Odile Gilbert (for Kérastase) worked a little S&M into the mix via glossy latex wrapped around lengthy extensions. Odile says she finds her latex at the local bondage store (you gotta love the French) but I was curious about exactly where she picked up her blinged out flatiron. Meanwhile, Diane Kendal mixed together MAC Tealo powerpoint and Kelly green pigment to create a teal eye with a pop.

More MAC goodies than you can shake a stick at – Pink Swoon and Cubic blushes were used to contour and highlight.

It took two hairstylists to adjust the miles of extensions on Ginta Lapina – imagine if your day to day ponytail took that much work!

The end result is beyond sleek – note the shine coming off that latex.

The flatiron of my dreams!

Shanina Shaik the show’s opener gets her makeup done by Diane Kendal.

The final look on the flawless Emily Baker

The lovely Bette Franke gives a glimpse of the nails – OPI San Tan-Tonio for all the polish junkies.

The words “expensive” and “quality” tend to go hand-in-hand in beauty marketing. The idea that you have to shell out big bucks for a good product is so prevalent these days that there are some who won’t even look at anything that costs less than twenty bucks. I’m not against a fair bit of snobbery – this is fashion after all – but there are plenty of things worth seeking out at the local drugstore. They may not have the fancy packaging or elaborate copywriting that their luxury peers have, but they’re damn good products.

Which brings me to Maybelline’s Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadows: an appealingly priced lineup of cream shadows that last hours and boast intense pigmentation. What you see in the pot is what you get on your eyes – and there are plenty of lines jumping on the cream shadow bandwagon, but only a few are worth running out and trying. At a fraction of the price of similar products from luxe brands (Maybelline’s are around 6.99, whereas MAC paint pots are 17.50) , the Color Tattoos a great value. Skip the basic beige shades and head straight for the electric colors like Edgy Emerald and Painted Purple – both great choices for creating a bright and modern look.

By now you’ve survived the full media onslaught of Versace for H&M, even if you didn’t stand in line to fight for fringe skirts and neon leopard print, you surely heard about it on blogs / television / magazines, etc. While there was no shortage of coverage, I can’t help but look at an overcrowded blog-o-sphere and shout “Me too!” As such take one last glimpse at the goings on backstage, particularly the glimmering smoky eyes that transformed each model into vixens worthy of the Versace name. Gianni would be proud.

The man behind the entire look, Estee Lauder’s Tom Pecheaux works on Abbey Lee.

One thing I’m always amazed by is how no matter how many products are being used during a show, there are certain things that always turn up. See if you can spot the Guerlain terracotta bronzer on this crowded table. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a show where there wasn’t one laying around.

Orlando Pita put the models in leather bandanas – the inspiration was supposedly bikers, but to me they looked very Snoop Dogg.

Jolen cream bleach, the culprit behind every single bleached brow editorial ever.

One of the faces of the campaign, Daphne Groeneveld.

Brush porn – who wouldn’t want a kit that looked like this! The MAC 187 (aka the skunk brush) is front and center.

A makeup artist admires her handiwork on Josephine Skriver.

The final look on Lindsey Wixson.