Hello AskMe Club – I’m Arden, AskMe’s contributing beauty editor. When I’m not writing trend stories or testing new products for our print publication, I’m often backstage during fashion month, bringing good news to AskMe HQ.
Club’s first-ever Backstage Beauty Diary, I’m telling you about some of my favorite shows from this season’s Paris Fashion Week. Together, we’ll take a look at some of the best beauty moments from backstage to frontstage—industry slang for “I got a spot in the show!” (You can expect lots of baggy denim, windswept hair, and Dior lip gloss.) So let’s get started!
Day 1:
I just arrived in Paris! During my flight and trip to the hotel, I wore an acupressure wristband that my friend Sarah Clausing gave me during New York Fashion Week. For those of you who can’t even look at your phone in a moving vehicle, these are designed to combat motion sickness – and they do!
My first stop was a Red Light Room treatment at the Dior Spa at the Hotel Plaza Athénée. It starts with a rose-scented glow, turns into a light-driven deep tissue massage (it feels like the whole room is glowing, though I had my eyes closed so it’s hard to tell!), and ends with a soothing fountain. It includes tea and snacks.
With a different energy in my step, I opened my travel beauty bag and prepared to meet her for dinner before the Dior show.
Next day:
Backstage interviews at Dior Beauty usually mean waking up early and eating lots of yummy snacks (a perk of BTS life!).
For the show, makeup artist Peter Philips created a “sports blush” and smudged eyeliner to capture the post-workout moment, applying Diorshow On Stage Crayon 099 Black to the waterline and tightly sealing it like it’s done with your eyes (his signature technique)! Hairstylist Guido Palau’s athletic yet stylish headband ponytail is a hit!
From backstage to the actual show, it’s always exciting to see everything come together. Besides the fashion and beauty, what’s the most exciting part of the show? Artist SAGG Naples opens the exhibition with a bow and arrow!
Day Three:
Breakfast at the Ritz, courtesy of IS Clinical and Manolo Blahnik (hello, Chris Appleton!), turned into a Fire & Ice facial with celebrity facialist Cynthia Rivas — what a dream!
Cynthia has created glowing skin for major Disneyland events in Copenhagen (not to mention working with clients like Paris Hilton, Eiza Gonzalez, and Demi Moore).
Balmain’s runway was full of stars in beautiful moments from head to toe: from lipstick-shaped pumps to perfume bottle bags and palette clutches. When Olivier Rousteing told me, “Fashion cannot exist without beauty, beauty cannot exist without fashion”, it’s true…
Day 4:
Wearing baggy JNCO clothes that match everything in Paris helps me get out of the house in record time. My Uber drops me off in front of Loewe, outside the Chateau de Vincennes. From there, I walked backstage with Ms. Pat McGrath to see the shimmering silver wings and golden crescent-shaped eyes she and her team created for the models — the latter eyes inspired by a 90s Escue cover.
Soon, all the screens showed stars like Ayo Adebiri and Josh O’Connor carpooling to the venue, and I ran to my computer to watch Project Runway!’s beautiful moment (including Pat’s new Luminous Legends Mega Eyeshadow Palette, which is available at Lowe’s that same day).
Day 5:
The morning at Hermès always begins with lots of horses. They are trained at the Garde Républicaine – where I was the first editor to be allowed to go backstage and see it all in real life.
Gregoris Pirpilis, creative director of Hermès Beauty, told me that I am now part of the brand’s history. I’m always interested to hear him discuss makeup from an artist’s perspective—he knows how important it is to let the light in.
Before the show, Gregoris gave me the Hermès grooming tools I needed for the cat eye I wear (almost) all the time. I love the Hermès eyelash curler (Gregoris uses it every morning)!
I also spoke to hairstylist Gary Gill about the bedheads of the artistic girls walking the runway. It captures those who stay up late and incorporate the spirit of the night into their day – a little “weirdness” is actually part of the secret.
That evening, we hosted a Condé Nast editorial toast at La Reserve. While there, I had the chance to meet GQ’s Sam Hines and then end the party with our own Sam Sussman!
Day Six:
My first Miu Miu backstage was just as exciting as I expected! The first look (the moment when a model walks down the catwalk, ready for photos, with makeup, hair and makeup) included models like actor Willem Dafoe and perennial It-girl Alexa Chung.
Oops! The security guard scolded me for taking photos! Technically, they’re not allowed – that’s why you can’t see them! However, Pat McGrath did allow me to pull images of the dreamy lights from her personal archives to create a “cosmic gesture” of a shimmering Cupid’s bow.
I met Mika (Harlem-born hairstylist Shamika Williams), who was part of the weave team at Guido’s backstage, and she told me that hair should have “a little bit of wind” in it—an attitude that gives me new inspiration to let loose.
Before I head home, I always pop over to the Matier Premiere offices to see what fragrance they are going to create next. My first smell of their new Crystal Saffron extract. This is the stop that makes checking your luggage on your way back to New York totally worthwhile!
Stunningly beautiful! Carefree hair! Divine skin! This was my favorite Paris Fashion Week experience so far.
You can learn more about my favorite Parisian style moments in this episode of The Run-Through with Eskum, hosted by Nicole Phelps, and on the new Eskum app. Come visit me!
