Here's What NYFW Models Eat and Drink to Make Their Skin Look A+

POPSUGAR Photography | Wendy Gould
POPSUGAR Photography | Wendy Gould

Walk backstage at any New York Fashion Week show, and you'll find a table surrounded by models, makeup artists, hair stylists and press that is loaded up with food and drinks. Sometimes there are bright green salads, hearty wraps, and hummus plates; and other times there are gooey brownies, chocolate-dipped cookies, and cheesy pizzas topped with crushed potato chips (ahem, A Détacher).

There's certainly no shortage of hands reaching for sustenance, including models who will chomp and chew on all of the above while they're getting their makeup and hair done. We were curious, though, about what models specifically eat and drink in order to prep their skin for Fashion Week and other events, so we asked them flat-out. Interestingly, some are stringent or creative with their diets, while others are all about that pizza and chocolate life with no repercussions (#blessedcomplexion).

So, from unrestricted nomming sessions to collagen pills and cinnamon-banana smoothies, here's what we learned.

Li Ming, Banana Republic

Li Ming, Banana Republic

Li Ming, who was all smiles in the Banana Republic presentation, says she has two primary beverage go-to's when it comes to maintaining a healthy complexion. "First, I drink a lot of iced matcha green tea with lemon," she says. "I also like to juice turmeric, ginger, and half an apple and drink that. Both are refreshing and tasty."

Daniela Aciu, Taoray Wang

Daniela Aciu, Taoray Wang

Daniela Aciu says she avoids one primary ingredient in order to keep her skin happy: white flour. "I am from Transylvania, and all the time when I come to New York, I get these crazy allergies," she explains. "Everything that's processed with white flour makes my skin go crazy."

Eva Staudinger, Pamella Rolland

Eva Staudinger, Pamella Rolland

For Eva Staudinger, amazing skin is all about staying hydrated. Her beverage of choice? Water, naturally. She says that she drinks even more when the temps are high, and when she's on the move. And that all that water intake makes a big difference in her skin.

Hannah Donker, The Blonds

Hannah Donker, The Blonds

"I have extremely temperamental skin and I travel a lot, so my skin is often dehydrated," says Hannah Donker. "If anything, the breakouts that I get are from being dehydrated, so I always make sure I have a lot of water. In terms of food, I try to eat as clean as possible. But if there's a donut, I'm going to eat a donut."

A woman after our own hearts. Hannah says she often reaches for fruit on all those backstage food tables, which helps keep her hydrated as well.

Sasha Tsibizova, A Détacher

Sasha Tsibizova, A Détacher

Some people are just blessed with amazing skin and don't have to do much at all in terms of maintenance. One of those fortunate souls is Sasha Tsibizova. "Honestly, I do nothing at all," she told us with a kind laugh after we asked her what she does to prep her skin for events such as Fashion Week. "I've been drinking Coca-Cola, and I'm going to eat pizza after my makeup is done."

Yulia Musieichuk, Tibi

Yulia Musieichuk, Tibi

Yulia Musieichuk is another one of those models who is naturally gifted with perfect skin despite any dietary choices. She says her end goal is mostly about keeping her energy up. She'll often eat fruit, grab chocolate bars loaded up with nuts, and loves granola bars as an easy snack. Her best piece of advice for happy skin is to smile "because it makes you beautiful from the inside."

Chloe Richards, A Détacher

Chloe Richards, A Détacher

"When I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, I can tell that it brightens up my skin, especially compared to when I'm eating things like pasta and sweets," says 16-year-old Chloe Richards. She notes that eating salads is one of her favorite ways to load up on lots of veggies at once. "I love Sante Fe salad with lots of greens, corn, cilantro, beans, lime, and tortilla strips."

Louise Lefebure, Banana Republic

Louise Lefebure, Banana Republic

Louise Lefebure subscribes to the mentality that "less is more." She says she drinks lots of water with lemon and freshly cut ginger, prepared by herself. It tastes good and keeps her hydrated, she explains, plus ginger is loaded with antioxidants that keep your whole body — incuding skin — healthy.

Adela Novotna, Pamella Rolland

Adela Novotna, Pamella Rolland

When we asked Adela Novotna what kinds of things she eats and drinks to make her skin look so flawless, she confessed that there was a lot of coffee, dark chocolate, and red wine in her diet. Antioxidant-rich red wine is actually said to help with acne and inflammation, and dark chocolate has been linked to fighting free radicals and protecting the skin from UV damage.

Samantha Basalari, Katie Gallagher

Samantha Basalari, Katie Gallagher

"This sounds kind of diet-y, but I love blending bananas, cinnamon, and ice," says Samantha Basalari. "It tastes kind of like ice cream, but you feel really good after and it's refreshing."

As a whole, she says she does try to be more conscientious of what she's eating when she wants her skin to look amazing. "When I'm eating healthier, my skin does look better. So if I'm ignoring my diet — like if I go visit my boyfriend or something — then my skin will look worse," she admits.

Kriss Kulyk

Kriss Kulyk

While some don't restrict themselves at all when it comes to food and drink, others abide by a very stringent regimen. Kriss Kulyk falls into the latter category. She says she drinks lots of water, and maintains a strict vegan diet that's high in vegetables.

Xiara Waller, Tibi

Xiara Waller, Tibi

She knows it's important to chug as much water as possible for her skin and health, but Xiara Waller says she sometimes gets bored with plain old H2O. Her solution is to pep it up with fruit, which she sometimes freezes and uses as ice cubes. "I love pineapples, apples, grapes, strawberries, and peaches, and when they're frozen it makes the water really cold and yummy," she says.

Chen Lin, Taoray Wang

Chen Lin, Taoray Wang

Marie Antoinette and Chen Lin would probably not see eye-to-eye. Chen says she avoids pretty much all desserts, including staples like cake, cookies, and ice cream. More interestingly, though, is that to help give her skin a boost she takes collagen supplements both in liquid and pill form. She says collagen also helps improve the quality of her hair and nails.