I was shocked to learn something new backstage yesterday. I'm not implying that I know everything there is to know about beauty, but fashion week is a sea of monochromatic makeup and undone hair, so the artists aren't digging too deep into their repertoires.

At Tracy Reese, I talked with lead makeup artist Daniel Martin, working for NYX Cosmetics. "The look is radiant and pretty with structure," said Martin. Pretty, indeed, but it didn't seem much different from the looks I was seeing everywhere else. Then I noticed the liner. "We're banana lining the crease," he explained. "It's theatrical but not harsh."

Banana lining? I'd never heard the term before, and I guess he could tell based on the blank expression on my face. "We're using black liquid liner and following the natural crease," he explained. "It looks different on everyone based on the shape of the eye. Sometimes it's invisible and sometimes it's more dramatic." On most of the models, I could barely see the liner when their eyes were open, but I got a glimpse of something graphic every time they blinked.

The subtly cool makeup was accompanied by "undone ballerina" hair accented with headbands by Scünci and watercolor-ish nails using the next Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen polish collection. Overall, the look was a winner, and I'm excited to add a new term to my beauty vocabulary.

If yesterday taught me anything, it's that nail art is alive and well at New York Fashion Week. Instead of 3-D talons or entire solar systems like seasons past, the nail art that's trendy now is simple and graphic. And -- since these are the spring collections, after all -- there's a ton of white.

I came across my favorite white striped manicure yesterday afternoon backstage at Misha Nonoo (center image). (Note: If you don't know anything about designer Misha Nonoo, give her a Google. I didn't, either, and now I'm smitten.) Sally Hansen Nail Ambassador and celebrity manicurist Tracylee created the look using Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Let's Snow, Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat and lots of French manicure tape for a result that's surprisingly easy to DIY. She applied strips of tape down the center of each nail lengthwise before painting with the opaque white polish. Then, she removed the tape, exposing stripes of bare nail underneath (manicurists call this "negative space"), before finishing it off with the matte top coat. Simple yet so chic.

I spotted another white striped manicure backstage at Kate Spade. The nails were shiny, bright white with a super-thin, horizontal black line -- it was cool and understated at the same time. The third version was backstage at Wes Gordon, where nail artists used a striping brush to create a white grid pattern.

As they say, three is a trend! Which look do you want to try?

I could go on and on about ombré lips, which are still blowing up on Pinterest. I get the obsession -- it's a different way to wear lipstick and it's pretty. (Who doesn't love monochromatic colors blended together? I sure do.) Still, when ombré lips are too done they look kind of crazy. And when they're subtle, no one knows they're happening at all -- except the person who painstakingly applied her lipstick for 20 minutes.

So when I saw this ombré cheek (!) backstage at the Costello Tagliapietra fashion show yesterday, I knew I'd stumbled upon the next big Pinterest beauty craze -- sort of. If you're looking at the picture and thinking I've completely lost it, hear me out: This makeup is anything but bold. It's wearable, flattering and seriously pretty. Makeup artist Tina Turnbow (for Beauty.com) created the look using Jane Iredale In Touch Cream Blushes in Charisma and Clarity. She used the lighter color along the cheekbones and gradually blended it into the darker color on the apples of the cheeks. Alright, so it may not start a Pinterest revolution, but it's definitely how I'll be wearing my blush in spring.

Fall fashion week always sneaks up on me. It inevitably falls right after Labor Day while I'm still in an is-summer-really-over daze. Even though it feels like summer, many editors break out their new fall boots and jackets because, well, it's fashion week. I don't think I'll ever look chic if I'm sweating in leather.

When I'm covering the happenings backstage -- interviewing the key hair, makeup and nail artists at dozens of shows -- I dress for comfort. You can't go wrong with a cute LBD and a great pair of flats. (Fashion week means lots of walking -- most of the shows are spread out among Lincoln Center, Milk Studios downtown and art galleries in Chelsea.)

Because I spend the week rubbing elbows with artists and models, a great manicure is key. This season, I did some serious soul-searching (I joke ... but not really) and decided I wanted a look that was metallic and graphic -- both key trends for fall. I couldn't be happier with my fashion week nails. (That's my mani, pictured here.) And it's a much more wearable fashion statement than a pair of four-inch stiletto boots.