Yep, she has it all, which is why I couldn’t wait to pick her brain. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about the beauty industry, has killer skin, is totally fit and rocks the most amazing jet-black optical frames. Ok so take notes, girls.  This is what I learned from Gucci Westman.

Her secret to perfect skin:

Gucci is a huge advocate of the SK-II Essence. She likes to spray it morning and night, with a spray or two of the Mid Day Essence in the afternoon for a little boost. Need a refresher about the value of an essence in a skincare routine? It’s essentially a hydrating liquid that stimulates the natural renewal process of the skin’s outer layer.

What she carries inside her bag on a daily basis:

Gucci’s bag is full of essentials all of us should have. Juice Press Black Juice, Tom Ford reading glasses, Dior Lip Plumper, Tata Harper Irritability Treatment, small individual sizes of almond butter and the SK-II Mid-Day Essence keep her going even on her busiest days.

How she preps models and actresses before a show or big event:

Because the girls are often a little nervous or overwhelmed, she likes to help them cool down with an SK-II Facial Treatment Mask: “[This gives] them some time to recompress and relax.” The sheet mask offers a boost of hydration and allows them to take a moment to breathe.

How to fix problematic skin on the spot:

She likes to use a dynamic duo solution: “[I] Use the SK-II Facial Treatment Mask for 20 minutes and, pat off the excess with a tissue. Then Liberally spray the SK-II Mid-day Essence. Lastly, sit for another 20-40 minutes under her at-home LED Light Illumask.” She uses this routine to prep her own skin before big events like, ahem, the Met Ball.

On how to brighten dark and dull dark circles under the eyes:

Gucci explained that simple is better when fixing dark spots on the skin: “Mix a little highlighter into your eye cream to create a potion.” This blend will give you coverage, as well as hydration.

Beauty trend she’s loving at the moment:

“I am really into clumpy lashes at the moment.” Um, YES. Let’s bring this back, girls. The 60’s mod look is just oh-so-chic.

After getting these unbelievable tips for getting dewy skin, I had to ask her more about the products – both makeup and skincare – that she swears by.

Favorite highlighter: Benefit Ooh La Lift Undereye Brightener and Burberry Beauty Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid

Favorite concealer: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Favorite facemask: SK-II Facial Treatment Mask

Favorite mascara: Gucci Opulent Volume Mascara

Best skincare life-changer: Her LED light at-home mask 

1. @lindsey_riddle (Onomie prize)

2. @necessarynothings (Vintner’s Daughter prize)

3. @organicbeautylover (Shiva Rose prize)

New York Fashion month has arrived. #boom!

From now until September 17, follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest (@shesintheglow), Snapchat (anabel_atkinson) anddddd Periscope (@shesintheglow) for the latest and up-to-the-minute backstage beauty and fashion, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, makeup, hair and nail tips, and, of course, interviews from the best artists and designers. Best of all, I will be giving away (yes, you heard me right) my favorite skincare and beauty products to help you gals achieve that flawless runway look. I’m partnering up with some of my favorite natural/organic beauty brands to offer my fellow beauty mavens the best of the best in the green beauty world.

If it’s time time for #nyfw then it’s time to bring out the big guns – aka my favorite beauty essentials for the perfect on-the-go glow. Below I have highlighted exactly what I will be carrying in my bag over the next few weeks. From the perfect pink gloss and ultimate matte red lipstick to my favorite concealer, highlighter and perfume, these are simply the best of the best. Seriously.

Shop the story below and don’t forget to share with your friends!

The always-daring Margiela aside, Fall 2015 Couture beauty seemed to be a little bit more accessible this year. Dewy, glowing skin reigned supreme, while hair was simply parted down the center, keeping things sleek and simple. A show that really stood out was Valentino. Soft, romantic, and fairytale-esque, models were sent down the runway with barely there makeup that glistened with just the right amount of shine. Even better was the hair. The girls had luscious, center-parted locks lightly curled and adorned with a gold headpiece inspired by the Roman Empire. The half-up half-down look only got more interesting in the back, as the ends were brilliantly done in a braid. Now this is something I can really get behind for summer soirees.

While most of us don’t have a luxe golden hair accessory at our disposal (although these are pretty great), we can most certainly go for the rest of the look. Perfect to rock as you work the summer social circuit, the Valentino look can be your new signature style. Here’s how to make this oh-so-chic couture hair style your own:

Step 1: Protect and add shine

To achieve this look, you must properly prep. It’s all about moisture, heat protection, and long-lasting shine. After shampooing and conditioning, apply a cream before applying heat. I like Oribe Supershine Moisture Cream for added hydration and Philip B Oud Royal Thermal Protection Spray for heat protection. Part your hair down the middle and blow dry as usual.

Step 2: Make waves

Once your hair is fully dry, get out your curling iron or wand. Create un-done beachy curls by taking small sections of the hair and gently adding heat. Focus on making the hair framing the face super curly. This will help you properly create the half-up half-down look. Also make sure the ends are left a little straight. If you’re in need of a new styling tool, try out the ghd curve Classic Wave Wand.

Step 3: Creating the sultry, un-done look

To make sure things stay in place, you need the help of a few rock star products. First you’ll need some kind of texturizing spray to preserve the sexy messiness of the waves. Try a sea salt spray, like the one by O&M or Lavett & Chin, to keep things light and airy. To prevent your curls from falling throughout the day, spray a light hairspray on your locks. I like Bumble and bumble’s Spray de Mode, because it gives you the right amount of hold without over drying or creating a sticky and stiff texture.

Step 4: Twist and pull back

Once your hair is nice and curly and perfectly prepped, start to pull the hair back. On either side of the face, take a section of hair near the ears and gently twist. Join the two strands in the back, using bobby pins to secure the hair in a straight across bar-like formation. (See photos to get a better idea of how to execute this step.)

Step 5: Trying the optional braid

I skipped this, because my hair isn’t exactly Rapunzel status at the moment. But if your locks are long and you’re feeling adventurous, try going all out with a braid. Divide the ends of the hair into three even sections, braid, and secure with a clear hair tie. You can pick these up at any drugstore.

By Lexi Tollefsen

Julie Kandalec, Creative Director behind one of my fav nail salons here in NYC, Paintbox, who I have already interviewed before about the negative space craze, explains here how to get the look…and it’ soooo easy. This is the how-to so you can create this cute and super simple manicure, at home.

1. Apply ridge filling base coat to clean, filed nails. I love Nails Inc. Nail Kale Superfood Base Coat.

2. Next, apply one coat of Essie Matte About You to all nails.

3. Then, dip a skinny lip brush in Essie Good As Gold and draw a straight line down the center of the nail.

4. Using Essie Rock At The Top, dot specs of glitter over Good As Gold.

5. Finish by applying Nails Inc 45 Second Top Coat over the entire nail, for extra shine and to seal in the look.

Speaking of Burberry, you can’t talk English beauty without mentioning the brand’s innovative, runway-inspired beauty collection. All the products are lightweight and fun to play around with. The Wet and Dry Silk Rose Eyeshadow adds the perfect pop of color. I’m wearing the Pink Rose shade on my eyes all over.

To contour my face, I’m  using the Sheer Luminous Compact Foundation. It creates the most heavenly glow. It’s crafted with light-reflecting particles to create a beautifully luminous and radiant complexion. It’s your skin, but enhanced! It’s perfect if you prefer natural coverage that is still buildable.

To compliment my romantic beauty look, I can’t forget my nails. I kept my nails black for New York, so I’m in the mood for something a bit brighter for London. Nails Inc. is my latest go-to. This London-based brand is beyond cool, as it features a collection of polishes infused with kale and even caviar! Nails Inc. is also known for their amazing collabls with famous faces like Alexa Chung and Victoria Beckham.

I’ve decided to try the NailKale Superfood Base Coat (which looks green and adheres to the nails perfectly), the Kensington Caviar Top Coat (because who doesn’t love Caviar?) and the newest of them all, the Gel Effect polish in Kensington Passage, which is the prettiest pop of pink! My final step before heading out each morning? A few spritzes of Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne. It’s like a quick escape to the relaxing English countryside. It’s totally unisex too, so you can even share it with your hubby! For the full story, visit Saks POV, but in the meantime, you can checkout my She’s in the Glow approved beauty look and shop my essentials here! If you’re still looking for more inspiration, check out my beauty essentials from last season, which I’m still so into here.

This season, my good friend Aimee (of The Formula Blog) and I partnered up with Saks POV to share my Jet Set New York beauty essentials. These are the products that help define my minimalist New York inspired look: perfect skin, a nice glow, concealed features, strong brows, black liner and glossy lips. (Check out my beauty essentials from last season, which still ring true, here!)

For the full story, visit Saks POV, but in the meantime, you can checkout my She’s in the Glow approved beauty look and shop my essentials here!

Backstage I spoke with makeup artist Alice Lane, who explained in detail how to get the look and taught me about why lipstick makes the best blush.

“The lip came from an error. I tried an orange shade (Maybelline Electric Orange 880), and of course, with everything, it became too orange. So we took it off, and the stain that it left behind was perfect. Cream based lipstick is very forgiving…you apply it with varying levels of pressure, and then if you get too much, you wipe it away and you have this stain. I am keeping it very matte, because I thought about Georgia in her garden in New Mexico, and it’s dry there, and everything else is very moist. So I wanted a matte mouth.

I used a lipstick on the cheeks (Maybelline Red Revival 645), because of its creamy nature. It looks like the color and texture comes from within. You just apply the color and it sticks. Cream lipsticks are better for the cheeks as opposed to sheers and shinier ones that would slide off, especially in the heat. But it’s got to go on skin with very minimal base. I don’t mind looking like a doll, but for this look, it’s about clean skin. But I think base is becoming so wonderful. I personally use Koh Gen Do [so do I!!!], you use the tiniest amount and it perfect. It almost feels skincarey.

The skin is done with Dream Pure BB Cream, which is actually amazing. At first I was like, ‘where are the shades?’ But for some reason it just knows. Maybe someone can explain it to me, but these 3 shades work perfectly on all the girls.”

Lipstick was used quite unexpectedly over at Peter Som. A sixties “acid orange” winged-eye was achieved by painting a brushstroke of Maybelline’s Color Sensational Lipstick in Vibrant Mandarin on the low lash line, starting at the inner corners.

Now, if this doesn’t make you want to run off to the nearest drug store to stock up on Maybelline than I don’t know what will.

“The inspiration behind the look at TOME is a combination of strong Indian influences throughout the collection as well as the intricacy and detail in the pleating of some of the key looks. We wanted to mimic that and create a look reminiscent of traditional Indian hair, while also keeping it in line with the chic, effortless and slightly unexpected finishes of TOME. With a fine balance between polished and effortless flyaway, we have created a look that is a sophisticated compliment to the collection while still being wearable to the consumer,” explained Lauren McCowan, Hair Director. Used used Evo Haircare backstage, a line that I am very much looking forward to getting to know.

Interested in getting the look? I thought so…

Step 1: Spray hair down with any blow-out spray designed to add fullness and texture. Backstage at Tome, stylists used Evo Mister Fantastic Blowout Spray. I personally love Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray. Dry into hair with a Mason Pearson type brush for polish and texture. It’s really the best brush.

Step 2: Using a tail comb, create a sleek center part and mist roots with a medium weight hairspray, like Alterna “Caviar Anti-Aging” Working Hair Spray or Evo Helmut Light, to set part.

Step 3: Set a flat iron, like Amika Glam Styling Tool, to 150 degrees and straighten large horizontal sections of the hair to create a smooth texture. Put a slight bevel on the ends but not a curl.

Step 4: Using your Mason Pearson, brush hair into the palm of the hands at the nape of the neck. Tuck hair behind the ear.

Step 5: Begin a fishtail braid and be sure to keep braid tight at the nape of the neck.

Step 6: Continue down the length of the hair, keeping fishtail braid tight and flat. Secure at ends with a thin elastic band and wrap a small piece of hair around the elastic to hide and secure. Set band of hair with Alterna “Caviar Anti-Aging” Working Hair Spray for finish.

The final result should be a polished braid with soft flyaway pieces that looks effortless and modern.

At Suno, Alice Lane said, “The less makeup the better. The more you apply, it just ages you. It’s very important to keep things fresh and moist. Because of all the technology now in products, less people are smoking, people are just healthier. It’s about moisture and skincare. The skin is done with Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream, which is actually amazing. At first I was like, ‘where are the shades?’ But for some reason it just knows. Maybe someone can explain it to me, but these 5 shades work perfectly on all the girls.”

Lane even spilled about her favorite moisturizer: “It’s by Christine Chen. It makes my skin really glowy and it doesn’t give you pimples. I love it. So this is what I used on the girls. I am obsessed with skincare. I am actually more obsessed with it than makeup.” Me too, Alice, me too.

Backstage at Rag & Bone, Gucci Westman created another radiant look, explaining that she is “big into skin prep.” Like the girls at Opening Ceremony, her models were treated with Dr. Jart Water Fuse Hydrogel Face Masks before their makeup was applied. Wearing a mask before makeup works wonders and you will look and feel so make prettier.

To achieve the “super fresh” look, she started with the NARS Luminous Moisture Cream all over the face. She used the Radiant Cream Compact Foundation and Creamy Concealer [my favorite!], which she described as “lovely,” to cover any imperfections on the face, topped with a little All Day Luminous Powder Foundation (New for Fall 2014; for now try Power Foundation). The face makeup was only used “as needed.” On the cheeks she used Copacabana Illuminator and the Copacabana Multiple to catch the light. On the lips, she combined two matte lip pencils, Bahama Velvet Matte Lip Pencil and Never Say Never Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.

The brows were “groomed and brushed up, so they felt expensive.” On the lid she again used the Copacabana Illuminator and the Copacabana Multiple with a little Triple X Lipgloss added on top. “It’s all about the shine. The runway is white, so I wanted the beauty to really tie everything together. It’s all about reality. These girls are so pretty, they don’t really need anything.” Oh, and by the way, this is not the first time we have seen lipstick used in an unexpected and untraditional way! It seems to be popping up everywhere this season, from Suno to Mara Hoffman.

At Thakoon, Diane Kendal used a combo of NARS South Beach Multiple on the apples of the cheeks topped with Illuminator in Orgasm. She even added a NARS Triple X Lipgloss – like Gucci did at Rag & Bone – over the lids and up onto the brows to facilitate a “just out of the water” look. “He wanted the girls to look as if they’d just come out of a swimming pool,” she explained after I asked about the inspo behind the designer’s vision. “What’s quite nice is that it emphasizes any natural discoloration underneath, so it almost looks as if you’re wearing a bit of shadow,” she noted.

Francelle Daly achieved the “intimate, just woke up in a sun-filled loft” idea at 3.1 Phillip Lim by layering shimmering shades of NARS peach and pink pigments – Reckless Blush (New for Spring 2015; for now try New Order Blush) and right side of Jubilation Dual-Intensity Blush (New for Spring 2015; for now try NARS South Beach Multiple) – on temples, cheekbones, and eyelids. On the lips, he used Guyane Lip Gloss (New for Spring 2015; for now try Born This Way Lip Gloss).