Get a private backstage tour of runway beauty at New York Fashion Week with celebrity makeup artist Sarah Lucero, Global Director of Education for Stila Cosmetics. Straight from Lincoln Center, Sarah gives us a firsthand glimpse at what’s coming down the runways at Betsey Johnson, Lela Rose and Whitney Eve.

This season we’re seeing lots of old school lipstick — not stains or glosses — delivering high impact, opaque salmon colors. Eyes pop with bolder colors like neon green used as eyeliner top and bottom, with just one color  being used on the eyes to make a statement.

Color is Back!

Betsey Johnson Spring/Summer Beauty

Backstage at Betsey Johnson, the makeup is all about optimistic, bold, fun colors. Who wouldn’t want to play and have fun with their makeup?

“The colors in the makeup were really inspired by my primary strong sport colors, which opened the show,” says designer Betsey Johnson. “Royal and orange and red and yellow and kelly green.”

All About Eyes & Lips

• On the runway the look of bright color was worn over the entire eye, in solid color blocking above the eye, applied in an acrylic paint style— creating a glossy creaminess that you can achieve by wetting your brush; you can rock the look for everyday by keeping the color intensity high, but scaling back on the amount of product used.
• Take a bold green like a kelly green or a lime green and use it as an eyeliner and then apply mascara — you don’t have to go all over.
• On cheek and lip, look for super hot pink.

Nude Makeup

Lela Rose Spring/Summer Beauty

At Lela Rose, Sarah helped them get their look with “look-at-me” doe eyes, a natural, face, and a strong lip.

Flawless Complexion

• Skin is flawless with a matte powder finish; there’s no blush on the cheek, except perhaps a touch of bronzer.

Luscious Eyelashes

• For the eyes, Sarah wanted the eyelashes to really pop and for eye color to stand out, and used fingertips to apply a new product called Prime Pot, which is a waterproof eyeshadow base and also eyelid corrector.
• Underneath the eye use a thick swipe of beige or light brown eye shadow to make the eyes look more wide, clean and crisp so that mascara really stands out.

Bright, Velvety Lips

Have fun on the lip and be creative: “I used a really matte orange — bright, bright, bright orange,” describes Sarah, “And then eyeshadow on lips — it’s fun, it’s different! It gave me that velvet, flat finish and that texture that you see on the runway.”

• The technique for velvety orange lip involved using Outrageous Longwear Lip Color from Stila, mixing in a little bit of red lip color with the orange and then powdering the lips with some orange eyeshadow.

Flush of Youth

Whitney Eve Spring/Summer Beauty

Designer Whitney Port was looking for a fresh, neutral glow for a really springy, pretty look; models wore either a minty green eyeshadow or purple lavender shadow around the eye. “This delivers an amazing look and bright, standout eyes,” Sarah explains. “Skin looks lit from within and really effortless.”

Green or Purple Around the Eyes

• If you’re going green, grab the Stila Eye Shadow Trio in Going Green using the bright neon lime green (one color only).
• For the lavender look, use Stila Eye Shadow Compact in Wisteria with a wet brush (applied as if it is a liner) on top and bottom lashes and then diffuse outward.

Dewy, Flushed Skin & Lips

• To get this light and dewy, fresh and clean complexion Sarah used Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, with built-in sunscreen SPF 20.
• Use  a pop of peach on the cheeks.
• Lips are very nude and matte, and offer a harmonious hint of color, using Stila Convertible Color, a cream blush used on cheek and lip; this delivers that flush of youth that everybody wants to have.
• Finish the look off with mascara; full lashes, top and bottom.

“This is a very easy look, and very attainable to recreate at home,” says Sarah, “The perfect way to look fresh.”