If you're short on time, but want a perfectly smooth, sleek hairstyle, take larger sections of hair (normally smaller sections are preferred); apply smoothing lotion to each (try Ted Gibson Tame It Shine Lotion, $15.99) then smooth over the sections with your flat iron. The product will help create flatness in the hair and larger sections will make the process go much faster. -- Ted Gibson, owner of the Ted Gibson Salons, backstage at the Vena Cava show
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Embrace eyeliner mistakes
Eyeliner is one of the trickier makeup techniques to master, and if you attempt to apply it in a rush, you're likely to mess it up. "My technique is, if I do an eyeliner and the eyeliner is not perfect, I like to grab Q-Tips and I smudge the eyeliner and it becomes a smudgy eye," says makeup artist Tom Pecheux backstage at the Peter Som show. So if you're in a pinch, don't continue to try to perfect the liner, just rock a sultry effect.
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Create wavy hair on the fly
If you don't have a lot of time, but want to wear a casual, wavy texture, focus on curling just the top layer and front sections of your hair. Use a one to one-and-a-quarter-inch curling iron, and spray each section with hairspray before you curl. Finish by scrunching your hair and spritzing it with dry shampoo (try Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo, $3.49) for a more lived-in finish. -- hairstylist Mara Roszak at the Whitney Eve show
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Go for monochromatic cheeks and lips
If time is of the essence, "cheeks and lips are the easiest things because you don't have to fuss much with yourself," says makeup artist Dick Page while backstage at the United Bamboo show. "And, of course, a cheek and lip can be the same color, so you can use the same product, like a lipstick (try Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick in RD 603 (Red Triton), $25). "Just pat it into the cheek and apply it straight to the lip," he says.
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Try a messy knot when you don't have time for a trim
"Go with a messy knot if your hair isn't in great shape. Just put a bit of product in it, like a thickening lotion (try Redken Thickening Lotion 06, $17), then dry it quick and twist it up," says Guido Paulo while backstage at the Alexander Wang show where he was creating a much more avant garde look (it required clay and white pigment) than the one pictured here, which was taken at the Tadashi Shoji show. To add a little glamour to a simple updo, try some hair accessories, or to pull things out of the way, throw on a headband, he adds.
We just got back from New York Fashion Week where we got major hair and makeup scoop while backstage at fashion shows including: Timo Weiland, Kaelen, Vena Cava, Derek Lam, Peter Som, United Bamboo, Alexander Wang, Rebecca Taylor, Carolina Herrera, Tadashi Shoji, Carmen Marc Valvo and Tracy Reese (to name a few). Phew, what a whirlwind. It's tiring just writing it, but it was even more exhausting living it. Fashion week is truly a fashion and beauty marathon (we have plenty of blisters to prove it).
While backstage, we elbowed our way to the model's hair and makeup chairs to pick the brains of the many talented makeup artists and hairstylists who know (and likely create) all the trends we all end up following. And they also know how to make models look fantastic in a pinch (even at 6:30 am) because they sometimes literally have to get 'em runway-ready in minutes (and no, we're not exaggerating). And since we real women need to be out-the-house-ready in minutes too -- like everyday -- we got makeup artists: Napoleon Perdis, Tom Pecheux, Dick Page, Nadine Luke, Sarah Lucero, Luc Buchard, Mally Roncal and Romero Jennings; hairstylists Leonardo Manetti, Ted Gibson, Mara Roszak, Guido Paulo and Orlando Pita; and nail pros Jin Soon and Theresa Stanley to spill on their hair and makeup shortcuts.
Thanks to them, you'll learn timesaving beauty tips like:
� how to cut down on flat ironing time
� how to fix eyeliner mistakes quickly
� how to create a wavy texture in minutes
� how to make your nails presentable in a snap
� how to easily define your eyes
� how to create a perfect sleek hair style in a jiffy
� how to snaz up your look quick with colored eyeliner
� how to use bronzer to create a total makeup look
� how to create an updo in no time
