How A Fashion Editor Preps For Fashion Week

Lights, camera, action! New York Fashion Week is upon us and that means super high heels, glamorous outfits, lots of models, and trend-setting hair and makeup to check out. With over 100 shows for editors to attend, we wondered what makeup essentials they kept stashed in their designer purses to get them through the day. Luckily, Marie Claire’s Fashion Market Director Nina Sterghiou was more than happy to give us a peek inside her bag, and let us in on some fashion week survival secrets.

For Nina, fashion week prep starts a week before her first show. "I always get a facial before fashion week so my skin is perfect. I also get a manicure so I don't have to worry about my nails,” she reveals. “This season I'm going for a very dark gray polish." With such a statement color on her fingertips, Nina keeps her makeup simple and sticks with her regular, barely-there routine. "I always start with Revlon Photoready Concealer," says Nina. "It's so great at covering blemishes. Next I apply Becca Luminous Skin Color for all-over coverage. I prefer a tinted moisturizer to a thick foundation, and this matches my skin color perfectly! I also hate looking shiny, so I swipe over Becca Fine Pressed Powder to set everything. Then, for a healthy glow, I use Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder and Dior Sun Illusion Blush—which I’m actually running out of, it’s limited-edition! As the final touch, I add a little Nars Black Larger Than Life Eye Liner and Sephora Dark Gray Eye Shadow along my lower lash line. I love that smoky, ‘I just slept in my makeup’ look, so that's what I try and achieve every morning!”

Lucky for her handbag, Nina’s minimalistic approach to beauty means that she doesn’t need to pack too much in her purse. Just a few essential items and she’s ready to peruse the shows.

Inside Nina's Chanel 2.55 Bag

1.  Water

"I don't like having a big bag and lugging things around,” says Nina. “By taking a small bag, there’s no way I can pack it with too much stuff. My water bottle is mostly out of it—I'm constantly drinking it.”

2. Blackberry

"My Blackberry is the ultimate multitasker and I have it with me at all times!" says Nina. "It's essential for managing my schedule, catching up on emails, and tweeting from the front row. I couldn't get through life without it."

3. Nivea Creme

"I'm obsessive about having dry hands and constantly reapply my hand cream!," admits Nina. "I grew up in Greece, and everyone used Nivea there. I still love the smell, and I've never found anything else I like more."

4. Chapstick Classic Original

"I can't stand any sort of lip gloss or lipstick on my lips, so lip balm is my go-to product," says Nina. "I hate the way color makes my mouth look—I know it sounds weird!—and over the years I've found that this formula is the best!"

5. Business Cards

"I've always got business cards in my bag. You never know who you're going to meet or where you'll end up!", says Nina. "I like storing them in the little pocket that my Chanel bag has. I always carry a Chanel during fashion week. It's such a classic bag that you never have to worry about it being an “it bag”—because it will always be an it bag!"