How Models Detox, Prep, and Care For Their Skin During Fashion Week

Brazilian model Simone Carvalho does a couple things to make sure her skin looks great for Fashion Week. First, she sticks to a strict cleansing regimen by always taking her makeup off every night before bed. After cleansing, she applies a gentle, alcohol-free toner and then follows up with a light moisturizer.

“Another way I detox my skin is to eat no sugar and no dairy for at least a week before Fashion Week,” she told us backstage at Pamella Rolland. “It really helps make my skin feel fresh.”

“In addition to drinking a ton of water, I’ll hydrate my skin with virgin coconut oil,” says Alicia Burke, who walked in the Tibi show. “I will apply it all over my face and even my body.”

She adds that she applies a thin layer on freshly cleansed skin, then lets it absorb all day long to moisturize and soften.

“I drink a lot of water and I always eat really healthily," says Silke Hajunga, who walked for Christian Siriano. "I especially like to eat avocado and carrots, which seem to be really good for my skin."

For Lululeika Liep, consistency in her regimen is key to having enviable skin. Before Fashion Week, she’ll go one step further by detoxing with an oxygenating face mask. These are the masks that bubble and foam once applied to your skin. Dr. Brandt’s Oxygen Facial Flash Recovery Mask ($70) is a good one to try, and so is Miss Spa’s Recover and Refine Oxygenating Bubble Mask ($4).

“I love using exfoliator wipes, especially during the Winter to remove dead and dry skin,” says Abby Hendershot, a model at Tibi. “I prefer the wipes over exfoliating cleansers because they don’t dry out my skin as badly, and they don’t make my face look red and splotchy after I’m done using them. I also like to apply Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer ($13) because it has a SPF and doesn’t contain oil.”

If you’re into detoxing products that you can actually see working, you’ll probably want to try the kNutek Omega Peel ($39) that model Austria Ullao told us about backstage at Milly. “I put it on my face after I wash it, and when I scrub it away, dead skin literally just comes off,” she said. “It works really, really well.”

Laura Winges, who we interviewed backstage at the Libertine show, said that she’s all about layering moisturizers to keep her dry-prone skin looking radiant. She’s a huge fan of Kiehl's and uses the brand's products throughout her entire regimen. After cleansing and toning, she applies the Kiehl’s Intensive Moisturizer ($48). “I like to apply some of their oils on top of the cream, too. I really like their Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($72),” she added.

“I moisturize the heck out of my skin all the time,” Allison Ponthier told us while getting her hair done at Alice + Olivia. “I’ll go to little organic shops and buy things. I like to use vitamin E around my eyes to keep my eyes from getting puffy.”

Mona Matsuoka says that she tries to keep her product list to a minimum since she’s already using so many products during Fashion Week. Her primary goal is to remove every last bit of makeup — which she does with the help of cleansing water — and then follows up with rosehip oil to help moisturize. She also says this helps with any hormone-related skin changes she has.

“I drink tons of water, and I also try to do a face mask every day,” Tova Wahlin said backstage at Jenny Packham. “In the morning, I’ll do a mud mask by either Fresh or Neutrogena, and at night I’ll do a moisturizing or sheet mask from Sephora.”