The glitzy Oscars may have been and gone but there’s no resting on your laurels in planet beauty - especially when you live in a city where you’re underdressed if you wear a scrunchie to the gym or dare to step in Spinneys without your lip gloss on.

Just as we’re getting to grips with spring’s fresh new launches and looks, the industry is premiering products of the future at London Fashion Week.

It’s not only clothes making their debut on the runways though, fashion shows become a launchpad for trying out the new make-up looks we’ll be adopting.

“Artists use this unique opportunity to test-drive product prototypes, sometimes years before they reach consumers,” explains Gordon Espinet, MAC’s vice president of global make-up artistry.

“We put these formulas through the paces at shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris then feedback on texture, colour and ease of application.”

Forget the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it catwalks, backstage is where the beauty action really unfolds with hours of preparation and last-minute styling before the first model parades past the front rows.

7DAYS goes behind the scenes at London Fashion Week to take a fast-forward peek into beauty’s upcoming looks...

Issa London
Model look: A high-maintenance woman with super-slick, sophisticated make-up punctuated by velvety matte dark red lips. (see main image).

Inspiration: The jet-set New York/Dubai woman.

The head scarves in the collection put Max Factor creative design director Pat McGrath in mind of Jackie Onassis, an “icon of modern sophistication”.

Style tip: Instead of just using lip liner on the outsides of your lips, colour in the full lip and use lipstick over the top to ensure
staying power.

Try Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Lip waterproof lipliner, from Sephora, as a base.

Vivienne Westwood
Red Label
Model look A dramatic dark look achieved by playing with the shadows and contours of the face.

Half of the 28 model line-up - which included Pixie Geldof - had shading on both sides of their face, seven of them featured shading solely on the left, and seven on the right, for a Westwood catwalk twist.

Inspiration: “Vivienne’s brief was for slightly boyish make-up that embraced the idea of shadows from light,” says MAC’s Gordon Espinet.

Style tip: Forget about the heavy eyes and pouty lips so regularly sported by Dubai’s glamour pusses - leave eyes and lips
natural as this look is all about smooth skin and defined cheeks.

Amanda Wakeley
Model look: Soft-focus look skin with a luminous dewy appearance and strong, curled eyelashes.

Inspiration: “She’s French, effortless, but not low maintenance,” says make-up artist Sharon Dowsett for Barbara Daly, who wanted to create a “beautiful glowing luxe nude look” to reference the super-chic Amanda Wakeley woman.

Style tip: Bag yourself some false eyelashes (from Paris Gallery or Sephora) and get a friend to help you apply them. It’s much easier when a friend places them over your lash line and it’ll save you getting in a sweat and screaming into the mirror when you try to do it singlehandedly and end up with a nicely lashed cheek.

Paul Costelloe
Model look: A focus on elongated dark smoky eyes, combined with a flawless base and ‘romance kissed’ nude lips.

Inspiration: “A really feminine look with a futuristic edge for a woman passionate about beauty but prepared to break the rules,” says make-up artist Attracta Courtney using Guerlain. “The result is both strong and fragile at the same time.”

Style tip: Beauty Bay at the Oasis Centre has just released a line of Betty Boop make-up with a fantastic ‘Show Girl’ silver eye pallete - perfect for creating smouldering and sexy smoky eyes.