Hanging around backstage and being privy to the pros' advice is one of the biggest perks of our job. It's where you hear all about the insider secrets from the industry experts and pick up some simple and often straightforward tips that make you think, "now why didn't I think of that?" As we're in the midst of wrapping up another Fashion Week, we thought we'd share with you some of our favourite backstage beauty tips that makeup artists and fellow beauty eds have shared in the past . . .

TIP #1: To fake a fresh-faced look, make sure you really massage your cleanser, serum and moisturiser into the skin. It gets the circulation flowing and the blood comes to the surface of the skin — Natasha Severino

Keep reading . . .TIP #2: To avoid cakey foundation, "take a dab of moisturiser and warm it in your hands, then pat it over your foundation for a more natural look" — Val Garland

TIP #3: To get the perfect winged liner, "apply slightly tacky sticky tape under each eye as a guide for where you want your liner to follow" — Rae Morris

TIP #4: When you're trying to do a bright or red lipstick look, don't use a similarly coloured liner. "Instead line your lips with a shade just slightly darker than your own lip colour" — Angela Levin

TIP #5: To avoid the tragic lippy-on-the-teeth look, simply stick a finger in your mouth, then slowly pull it out to remove any excess — Dick Page

TIP #6: When applying mascara, "Turn your head to the side, now look at the mirror with just your eye — leave your head turned to the side. Instead of pulling lashes up, you're pulling them out into that fan effect" Gina Brooks

TIP #7: "Bronzer should be applied before blush where the sun naturally hits your face: the tops of your cheekbones, tip of your chin, bridge of your nose, and on your forehead at the temples and the hairline" — Laura Mercier

TIP #8: It takes a serious pro to be able to do an entire line of false eyelashes at once so "cut them in half and treat each eye as two pairs" — Nicole Thompson

TIP #9: Apply some YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touche around the outside of the natural lip line. It reflects the light and creates an "optical illusion" of a bigger pout — Natasha Severino

TIP #10: If you look a little shiny and don't have any blotting papers on you, "take a Kleenex and separate the facial tissue; the absorption of a single ply is much more proficient at taking down the excess oil" — Bruce Grayson

Photo courtesy of YSL