Backstage Pass

Can you believe that makeup artist Dick Page for Shiseido created this look without mascara? Just goes to show that you can indeed live without it if it gets left at home. But when you leave out one tool, sometimes it helps to add another. Dick blended a little bit of Benefiance Full Correction Lip Treatment onto the edges of the eyes for a glossy, wet look.

Hairstylist Odile Gilbert for Aveda says you can adapt this style for real life by pulling hair into a sleek ponytail and twisting it into a bun at the nape of the neck, with the ends of the hair fanning up the back of the head. Then just clip in a bright metallic barrette.

There were a lot of very neutral lips this week (even concealer was used as color at some shows). At Alexander Wang, makeup artist Diane Kendal used MAC Pro Dim Lip Erase to take down even the natural color of models' lips. But you can use the trick if your red lipstick is just a little too bright for the office.

That black accessory around the necks of the models at the show actually doubled as a hair bow with long pieces hanging down the back. We love anything that does double duty, especially an item as simple as a black silk ribbon.

Makeup artist Diane Kendal for MAC described this lip as surprisingly bizarre. And I can't say I disagree, though I think it's also quite wearable. The secret: MAC Pro Pigments in Silver Metal, Rose Gold Metal and Melon applied over the entire lip for a robotic highlight.

Sure, this look, created by Odile Gilbert for Aveda is more complex than most of us would do in the morning. But she told me the natural style is easy to recreate without so much as a brush. It's all about scrunching the hair with a styling foam and rubbing sections between two of your fingers.

I've been putting on my blush the same way for years — on the apples of my cheeks. But François Nars has me rethinking things after the Marc Jacobs show, where he drew the blush down the face in a way that's a bit more unusual. He likened it to a Renaissance painting.

Maybelline makeup artist Charlotte Willer says that a subtle lash calls for well-defined brows. She filled in models' brows and then added volume with a brush so that they appeared more natural. They were my favorites of the week!

I love this lower lash liner created by Dick Page for Shiseido. When I asked him the best way to soften liner like this, he suggested diffusing it with a damp base sponge to make a smudgy finish.