New York Fashion Week Backstage Beauty: 5 Ways To Nail The Natural Look

There are two things to be learned from loitering backstage at New York Fashion Week: 1. Being subjected to Joan Smalls’ razor-sharp cheekbones and general serenity when you’re quite tired is not good for the self-esteem. 2. The just-rolled-of-bed, natural look is in for AW14.

Next season is all about looking fresh, dewy and youthful, which is exactly how Georgia May Jagger looked when she checked in for the Rag & Bone show before Revlon’s Global Artistic Director, make-up goddess and Mrs David Neville (one very hunky half of Rag & Bone), Gucci Westman got to work on her. Unfair.

For us mere mortals, who didn’t come from the very fortunate Jerry Hall/Mick Jagger gene pool, the ‘natural’ look takes a little bit more effort… But not much.

We picked up some low maintenance tips at the Rag & Bone and Prabal Gurung shows, where a totally wearable, neutral and fresh palette was key to the runway looks.

'Keep it simple,' says Gucci. 'Because who has the time to do 85 things these days?' Ahhh… A girl after my own heart.

1. The Blank Canvas 'Organic skin products make the skin look really fresh,' said Gucci, as she cleaned Georgia May’s (annoyingly perfect) skin with antioxidant-laden Éminance Coconut Milk Cleanser, following up with Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream for gentle hydration.

2. The Base Throw out your foundation and let your own skin do the talking. MAC make-up artist Regan Rabanal told us: 'The idea of having beautiful skin is not having make-up seen on top of it.' His secret? MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting SPF 30. 'To get fresh, beautiful skin, your steps and your products shouldn’t be over-complicated. So use something that’s going to treat your skin, like CC Cream. It’s colour-corrective, but it also hydrates.'

3. The Eyes Keep it simple. For catwalk definition Diane Kendal used a little MAC Accentuate Sculpting Cream pressed into the lids of the Prabal Gurung models, along with a white eye kohl (MAC ‘Fascinating’) on the inner lower lash line to really open up the eye. Speaking of lashes, do you dare to bare? Try forgoing mascara and just use eyelash curlers.

4. The Lips Gucci Westman used a little white liner on the Rag & Bone girls’ nude lips, 'to take out the red, but it’s super subtle.' At Prabal Gurung, Diane Kendal went for the same look, but used a little MAC foundation, 'to tone their natural colour'.

5. The Glow How can we put this in a PG-friendly way? The ‘post-coital’ glow is key to the fresh, dewy look. Diane saved the lipstick (MAC Cremesheen in ‘Party Line’) for the cheeks. 'Just a little bit on the apples of the cheeks, in the centre and blended out to give a bit of a youthful flush,' she told us. Gucci mixed Revlon’s PhotoReady Perfecting Primer with their PhotoReady Skinlights Face Illuminator for a natural-looking luster. As Regan told us, 'You want an illuminating sheen to the skin that looks like it’s coming from you, not something that’s sparkly or frosty.' He puts MAC’s Cream Color Base in Pearl, a gel-based product, on top of the cheekbones and the cupid’s bow for subtle highlights.