Cosmopolitan.com went backstage at Fashion Week and compiled the most surprising tips from experts making up models for the runway. Here are the 22 tips and tricks you need to know.
1. Give your bangs cool-looking texture.
Spritz a volume spray like Redken Guts 10 Volume Spray Foam onto your bangs, grab tiny sections, and scrunch them with your fingertips while blow-drying them to set the hairspray. (Tip via Brian Buenaventura for Cuter/Redken at Houghton.)
2. Easily create a straight part every time.
The trick to creating a super straight part is to zip the comb quickly from the hairline to the crown of your head. The slower you do it, the shakier your part will be. (Tip via Bob Recine for Phyto/Beauty.com at Milly.)
3. Tone down super-curly hair with a flatiron.
If you have curly hair and want to create softer waves, slightly break down the curl with a flat iron, bending your wrist forward and backward as you move down your strands. (Tip via Eugene Solomon at Tory Burch.)
4. Seamlessly switch up your part from side to middle in four simple steps.
If you have a severe center part and want to wear a side part (or vice versa), first wet down the hair at your original part. Next, create the new part and wet it down (water is key to manipulate and knock out the hold of your previous part). Finally, to lock in your new part, hit it with heat from a blow-dryer. (Tip via Harry Josh for John Frieda at Rachel Zoe.)
5. Create chic, cool-girl bends by holding your curling wand horizontally instead of vertically.
First, grab a small 1-inch section of hair. Then, starting at themid-shaft of your hair, twist and wrap it over the barrel while holding the iron horizontally. Hold the hair in place for a few seconds, and then release for a loose wave. If you want tighter, more spirally curls, hold the wand vertically while you wrap the hair around it. (Tip via Paul Hanlon for Oribe at Narciso Rodriguez.)
6. Fill an empty spray bottle with your favorite foaming mousse to de-aerate it, creating a product that's much easier to use.
Taking the air out of the mousse with a spray bottle makes the product into more of a liquid than a foam, while retaining the same volume-boosting properties. (Tip via Joseph DiMaggio for Davines at Timo Weiland.)
7. Pin two braids together to create the look of a much more intricate braid.
No need to spend a lot of time making a masterpiece. Instead, braid two low pigtails in the back of your head, secure them with hair ties, and then discreetly bobby pin them together. (Tip via Thomas Osborn for TIGI at Mara Hoffman.)
8. Create messy, slept-in waves by gripping your hair in chunks instead of raking your fingers through like a comb while styling your hair.
Spray your hair liberally from root to tip with a texturizing spray, and then fist your hands over it as if you're gripping a rope. This will create a piece-y yet sexy look. (Orlando Pita for Tresemmé at Rebecca Minkoff.)
9. Blend synthetic clip-in hair extensions to your hair by spraying them with dry shampoo first.
Most of the time, synthetic hair has an unrealistic sheen. To eliminate the sheen and make your hair piece look more natural, mattify them first. (Tip via Jeanie Syfu for Tresemmé.)
10. Prevent your low bun from loosening by tying your hair in two separate ponytails first.
Tie the pigtails as close together as possible in the middle of the back of your head, and then wrap the ends around each other, creating the bun. Secure with bobby pins. (Tip via Rodney Cutler at Alice + Olivia.)
11. For a no-makeup daytime look, opt for a matte lipstick that matches your lip color; for night, choose a glossy version.
(Tip via Charlotte Tilbury for MAC at Donna Karan.)
12. Create your own glitter liner with eyelash glue and loose glitter.
First, line your eyes with the eyelash glue, and then press loose glitter on top with a small brush. (Tip via Kabuki at Tadashi Shoji.)
13. Tint light eyelashes with a liquid liner for a no-makeup makeup look.
Using windshield wiper-like motions, hold the liner pen vertically and color your lashes from the roots to ends. (Tip via Charlie Riddle for Stila at Elizabeth and James.)
14. Make your cat-eye symmetrical every time by marking the ends with a dot before lining.
Once you've figured out where you want the dots, draw a small line from the dot inward to connect them to the liner at your lash line. No more having to guess what the angle should be or where the line should end! (Tip via Charlotte Tilbury at Rachel Zoe.)
15. Give yourself an effortless smoky eye.
First, line your eyes with a kohl liner. Next, gently rub your eyes with your fingertips to messily smudge the liner. Then, use a cotton swab coated in moisturizer, such as Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentrè, to clean up most of the black liner residue, add a subtle sheen, and finish off the rocker-girl look. (Tip via Diane Kendal at Tory Burch.)
16. If you're blonde, match your eyebrows to the color of your roots for a natural look.
If you go any darker than your roots, you run the risk of looking like Groucho Marx. (Tip via Dick Page for Shiseido at Narciso Rodriguez.)
17. Test how your makeup will look in different lighting by using the flashlight on your phone while looking in the mirror.
If you apply your makeup in a room with overhead lighting (which can cast shadows on your makeup job), it can look completely different under different lighting, so try this. (Tip via Romero Jennings for MAC at Timo Weiland.)
18. Use a salve to diffuse your eyeshadow for a more softer smoky eye.
After applying your eyeshadow of choice all over your eyelid, grab a cotton swab and a salve, such as Smith's Rosebud Salve, to blend the shadow at the crease, eliminating harsh lines. (Tip via James Boehmer for NARS at Naeem Khan.)
19. Lock in moisture on your skin with rose water spray.
Spritz this on after applying moisturizer to make your foundation go on flawlessly. (Tip via Diane Kendal for MAC at Proenza Schouler.)
20. Use a loose tinted powder instead of liquid foundation.
If you're having a good skin day, free of breakouts, and don't want to wear foundation, apply a light dusting of a tinted loose powder to cancel out any redness and give you a photo-ready finish. (Tip via Diane Kendal for NARS at Thakoon.)
21. For the perfect foundation application, start at the center of your face and spread the product outward to blend.
If you apply a lot of foundation around your jawline or hairline, you'll look like you're wearing a mask. If you start at the center, the product will fade out around the edges for a more natural look. (Tip via James Kaliardos for NARS at Rodarte.)
22. Instantly make yourself appear more youthful by creating fake freckles.
Use a taupe liner such as MAC lip pencil in "Hodgepodge" to draw freckles on top of your cheeks and over your nose, and then lightly pat the dots to diffuse the color for a believable effect. (Tip via Charlotte Tilbury at Rachel Zoe.)
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