Hair the past few seasons at the shows has been all about individuality—Ruth Bell's got a buzz cut, Mica's got her short curls, Lineisy has her natural texture, and stylists are game to work with it all, not against it. But what about on the face, I wonder? Seems hard to believe that makeup artists would do the same skincare on every single model pre-look...

Believe it or not, some models get *gasp * pimples. (In all honesty, most of them are easy enough to blur out in Photoshop and it seems like common courtesy given the kind of stress everyone is under this week—no one wants their zits slapped up on a beauty website, even if they believe in journalistic integrity.) That said, the skin at Adam Selman was particularly good. Like, noticeably different even in a sea of shows where good skin is the only beauty look. It all came down to a tip from Emi Kaneko, the makeup key artist this year. I had asked her a sort of odd question: If I were an 18 year-old Dutch next-big-thing model, with bone structure like Julia Fleming BUT with my skin (sensitive, red, prone to breakouts), could she make it work? Yes, she said without hesitating. She then suggested some products—including one that we haven't already covered to death on ITG (oh boy!). Read closely:

'I always start with Bioderma Créaline to remove any excess oil, dirt, makeup, or residue. You always want to start with a clean palette. Then I use the SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion—it's the absolute best for oily or acne-prone skin. It purifies and gently exfoliates without drying. Most toners for oily skin contain alcohol which makes the skin dry which then causes the skin to produce more oil throughout the day, leading to more breakouts. Not good. After that, my favorite product is Nelsons Pure and Clear Acne Treatment Gel. It's homeopathic and has arnica, calendula, and tea tree oil to instantly relieve any inflammation and redness without the dryness. Once it sets, it almost creates a kind of seal so that you can safely use products on top. I like it for makeup because you don’t have to do half the work with covering with foundation. I’m all about using skincare to make it work. And Nelsons is especially great under makeup because it won’t pill once it sets. Also a little trick I use is Homeoplasmine for those super dry blemishes with excess skin that won’t go away. I slab on some all over and let it sit for about five minutes, apply a bit of Nelsons and voila…smooth and ready to go.”

And there you have it.

—Tom Newton

Photographed by the author.

More artist tips and good-looking models can be found in ITG's Fashion Week roundup, right this way.