Hey guys! Just finished Monique L'Huillier, a MAC-sponsored show keyed by the amazing Val Garland. I've seen her work in many editorials and have always wanted to watch her in action. Val's plan for the makeup was a bright golden eye with bronze tones along the lower lash lines.

First, we laid a golden cream base over the lids, just to the crease, then topped it off with a chunky golden pigment. A thick coating of a bronze pencil (we used MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge, topped with another chunky pigment, this time in bronze, and the eyes were almost finished. Heaps of black mascara was the last step for the eyes. A dewy, peachy blush swipe on the cheeks and lips and voila! Check out the finished look on my first model. This one is great for glam parties!

Now, I fancy myself pretty crafty when it comes to tips and tricks for applying makeup, but I am always ready to learn more. So one of my favorite things about working Fashion Week is that I get to work with loads of other extremely talented artists! Today I learned a few cool tricks from other artists that I'm stoked to share with you. Val had a wonderful idea for keeping eyeliner pencil tips firm, which helps make straight lines—she filled a cup with ice cubes then stuck the pencils (lid on, tip facing down) into the cup for a few seconds. It's genius!

Another cool thing Val did was to use a fan brush to paint the mascara onto the model's lashes. She swiped the fan brush over a loaded mascara wand, then brushed the product from roots to tips on upper and lower lashes. It made the model's fringe perfectly babydoll-ish. And I can tell you from experience that in a pinch, a flat liner brush will work just as well in case you don't have a fan brush.

Another artist friend from the show, Darci Louise, blew me away with her clever idea for condensing her kit. She uses empty CD cases and pops the product out of their individual packages and glues them inside to make a DIY palette. This tip will literally save me five pounds in my kit and I can't wait to try it at home! Thanks, Darci Louise!

OK, and one last trick of my own for you darlings with sensitive skin. After realizing that some of these models do five shows per day (!), I found out that makeup remover wipes are too abrasive to use on their irritated skin. Instead, to take old makeup off, I use a sponge dipped in Cetaphil to wipe it all away. It takes away the makeup, and leaves moisturized skin underneath.

So there you have it! I'm off to my next show. Stay tuned for more from Rebecca Taylor!