Fashion Week is controlled chaos, and the makeup chair is ground zero. Every look I create for the runway has to survive bright lights, sweat, movement, and hours under scrutiny, so prep is everything! 

I start days before the show speaking with the designer about their vision, studying the lighting setup, and each model’s look. I’m pulling inspiration from the collection itself. The fabrics, the colors, the mood. A delicate silk calls for a completely different makeup approach than structured leather. I’m also thinking about how makeup photographs versus how it looks in person. 

My assistant and I put together a mood board and share it with my team of artists, which is categorized by each designer, the models that’ll walk for them, and which makeup product(s) are needed and of course the overall look I curated or pulling from the designers vision. 

On show day, my timeline is tight. I arrive early to set up my station with everything organized by look. I’ve got my makeup team with me, graduates from the Bosso intensive makeup school in Los Angeles sporting their super comfy Bosso tees looking always polished and ready to werk!

Most of my grads fly in from their hometowns. Name a country or state.. they’ve trained under me from there. It’s awesome to see familiar faces after time passes and we dive into our work and always have the best time backstage. 

My team handles their stations the same way I taught them… like total pros. Everyone does their part. Watching them execute the protocol flawlessly under that kind of pressure is something I’m really proud  to watch. 

The skin prep is non-negotiable. I’m using primer strategically, not everywhere, just where I need longevity. Everything on the runway needs to hold for at least thirty minutes under hot lights and movement before the next makeup change. So I’m choosing formulas that set, using setting spray as a middle step, not just at the end. Waterproof makeup is also mandatory for specific looks. 

The final piece is speed. We might have 30 models and 2 hours prep! So to keep every artist organized and flowing takes precision. Assistants running around cleaning brushes saves so much time and keeps models in and out of the chair with ease. That’s the reality of Fashion Week makeup. It’s artistry plus engineering.

So this is just a snippet of what happens behind the curtain. If you’re ready to work at this level, if you want to be the artist backstage at Fashion Week instead of watching from the audience, Bosso Intensive Makeup School is where it starts. We teach you how to execute under pressure, not just how to apply makeup. Come learn the system.