Skip Nav
Love It. Save Your Favorites Now.
5 Skin Prep Tips We Learnt at Australian Fashion Week
Australian Fashion Week 2025 Skin Care

5 Skin Prep Tips We Learnt at Australian Fashion Week

Skin plays a much bigger role in Australian Fashion Week than you may think. For shows with models wearing heavy makeup, it provides a blank canvas. Dull skin can also make it harder for a makeup artist to achieve their final look. For shows with minimal makeup and a focus on skin, well, skin needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Basically, there's a lot we can learn from how skin is handled, prepped for makeup and made to glow at AFW.
Chatting with makeup artists and peeking into several shows' backstage, I learned some incredible skin tips and tricks from the week and I'm sharing the best of them here.

De-Puffing Face Massage

De-Puffing Face Massage
Image Source: Beare Park / Getty Images

At Beare Park, we saw makeup director Isabella Schimid prep models' skin with a face massage using a face oil and a gua sha to help de-puff their skin and boost blood circulation. "This really brings the blood to the surface, leaving the skin with a healthy, natural flush" she says. "Massaging is essential in creating the best-looking natural glow and flush. Using a cold Cryo tool helps calm and soothe any inflammation. It de-puffs the eye area and tone the skin."
Face massages were also done on models before Hansen and Gretel's shot by makeup director Susan Lilian's team. Her aim was to bring the blood flow to the skin.

1 / 4

Double Cleansing

Double Cleansing
Image Source: Emma Lewisham at Beare Park / Ryan Cullen

Makeup director for Beare Park, Isabella Schimid, says when applying makeup, there's nothing worse than skin that hasn't been cleaned properly. She calls double cleansing the most important step in prepping skin before makeup. "Skin that hasn't been cleaned properly is like an artist painting on a dirty piece of canvas," Schimid says. "Skin that hasn't been cleaned and exfoliated can be uneven, discoloured and make my job that much harder to perfect.

2 / 4

Hydrating Face Masks

Hydrating Face Masks
Image Source: Hansen and Gretel / Getty Images

Across more than one show, its no surprise we spotted hydrating face masks for a quick burst of juicy hydration before makeup application.

3 / 4

Glossy, Hydrated Limbs

Glossy, Hydrated Limbs
Image Source: Hansen and Gretel / Getty Images

The key to flawless skin? Deeply moisturised, glossy limbs. We spotted many models backstage get lathered in moisturiser right before stepping on the runway, locking in moisture and giving a perfect glossy finish.

4 / 4
We're Hiring! Write For Us Advertise With Us Accessibility Contact Archives
Power Your Happy
Terms Privacy Policy
©2026 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.