Diary of a makeup mistress

Makeup artist Amber Dreadon. Photo / Supplied

High heels, cobblestones, darkness... for Amber Dreadon the outcome wasn't disaster, but a dream fashion week story for Twitter.

There she was, near-crippled from a long week at the shows - "I need to wear high heels to reach the models," jokes the diminutive senior makeup artist for M.A.C - when she flagged her friend on and paused with her giant makeup kit, contemplating yet another flight of steps in the Italian city of Milan.

Out of the shadows from the John Richmond show stepped a knight in shining armour offering to help.

"I turned round and looked and it was Bryan Adams, the singer."

But even he baulked at the weight of her 25kg bag, asking how far his chivalry had to go.

Luckily for the M.A.C team they were mostly squired about in mini-buses, and sustained by the excitement of working side-by-side with their industry icons.

From those Milan shows, and others in Paris, New York and London, M.A.C put together its AW09 look book, with four key trends. These will be used by the M.A.C team led by Dreadon at ANZFW. The looks (explained below), have also influenced capsule collections the brand is bringing on counter.

"You can start to see the trends emerge as you work on the shows," says Dreadon, pointing to a strong 80s influence - "but not too horrifying."

In Milan she worked in teams led by some of her makeup heroes, like Tom Pecheux, Charlotte Tilbury and Lucia Pieroni, often against the clock, with designers changing their mind about colours, necessitating quick fixes backstage. Skin condition and creating the luminous "natural" look was a goal of the artists, made easier by the commitment of many top models to good skincare.

"They're really fussy about what they use to cleanse with, and often bring their own products."

But there's always concealer in the kit to cover any breakouts.

Many of the models in Milan turned up to shows with their eyebrows bleached, making it easier for makeup artists to define brows, sometimes nowhere near the natural brow line. With a strong emphasis on eye makeup, mascara strangely didn't figure much.

"There was only one show where we used mascara out of the eight I did," said Dreadon.

This is not an omission she recommends for everyday eyes, but when models' faces are used like a blank canvas with washes of colour sweeping out to their temples, sometimes enough is enough. (At home, brown mascara can be substituted for black).

Special pro products are used to achieve many show effects, especially face sculpting creams and pots of brightly coloured pigment powders, used on eyes and to push dramatic colour into lips. Some items that began their life at shows have now been incorporated into M.A.C's regular ranges, like its Studio Sculpt Foundation and skin primers.

Dreadon enjoyed seeing rival makeup artists using M.A.C products because they filled a gap in their own ranges. Then there's the ultimate compliment: when models swipe things. Plus it helps lighten the load of those giant makeup kits.

THE TRENDS

Lid Vicious: Smudgy, black eyes, twinned with nude lips. Think biker-girl tough with prom-perfect skin and brows groomed but not darkened. Blues and greys can soften the kohl-rimmed eye and a waxen boot polish texture gives a new look that isn't too powdery. Seen at DSquared2, Karl Lagerfeld, DKNY, Vivienne Westwood Gold and many more shows.

New Romantics: Fresh-faced, with blush high on the cheekbones and washy colours on the eyes giving a diffused look to the skin as if it were viewed through a silk stocking. Lips are delicately stained rose red or peach. Seen at Kenzo, Badgely Mischka, Marni, Ossie Clark.

Who's That Girl: High-impact glamour in full-on colour Deborah Harry would have loved. Satiny skin and lined lips in neon shades of pink, orange and red, with eyes a softened 80s triangle of colour. Seen at Emanuel Ungaro, Costume National, Nicole Miller and Alberta Ferretti.

Sculpture Club: Highlighting and contouring are at the heart of this look. "This is photoshopping, pre-photoshop" explains makeup artist Val Garland. Use brushes to blend away the harsh edges, but show deliberate facial contours. High colour burnished reds, coppers and gold on the eyes and cheeks and lips, illuminated skin and glossed or ghostly lips. Seen at Chloe, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, AnneValerie Hash, Rodarte.