Your behind-the-scenes beauty tour with Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue’s Beauty Editor at Large

Hi Vogue Club—I’m Arden, Vogue’s Beauty Editor at Large. When I’m not working on trend stories for our print issues or testing new products, I’m frequently found backstage during fashion month, reporting the good news back to Vogue HQ.

For Club’s very first backstage beauty diary, I’m taking you along with me to a few of my favorite shows of the season at Paris Fashion Week. Together, we’re going to examine some of the best beauty moments, from backstage to front of house—that’s industry speak for “I have a seat at the show!” (You can expect lots of baggy denim, windblown hair, and Dior Lip Glow.) Here we go!

Day 1:

I’ve just landed in Paris! Throughout my flight, and in my car ride to the hotel, I wore the acupressure wristbands my friend Sara Klausing gave me during NYFW. For anyone who can’t handle so much as looking at their phone in a moving vehicle, these are designed to help with motion sickness—and they definitely do something!

My first stop is a red-light-room treatment at the Dior Spa within Hôtel Plaza Athénée. It starts with a rose-flavored Glow Shot, moves into a light-powered deep tissue massage (as in the entire room glows, though my eyes are closed, so hard to tell!), and ends with a sweet little tray of tea and treats to enjoy by a soothing fountain.

With a noticeable pep in my step, I unpack my travel beauty bag and get ready for dinner with Dior ahead of its show.

Day 2:

Backstage interviews with Dior Beauty often mean early mornings with plenty of delicious snacks (one of the perks of BTS life!)

For this show, makeup artist Peter Philips created “workout blush” and used smudgy eyeliner to represent an après-sport moment that’s easy to recreate by applying Diorshow On Stage Crayon in 099 Black to the waterline and squeezing your eyes shut tightly (his signature trick!). Hairstylist Guido Palau’s athlete-but-make-it-fashion headband ponytails were a hit!

Moving from back-of-house to the actual show, it’s always exciting to see everything come together. The most exciting bit of this runway beyond fashion and beauty? The artist SAGG Napoli opened the show shooting a bow and arrow!

Day 3:

A Vogue breakfast at the Ritz (hello, Chris Appleton!) turns into a Fire and Ice facial with the celeb facialist Cynthia Rivas, courtesy of iS Clinical and Manolo Blahnik—what a dream!

Cynthia did the glowy skin we saw for Coperni’s big Disneyland moment (not to mention working with clients like Paris Hilton, Eiza Gonzalez, and Demi Moore).