The 4 Step Endurance Beauty Protocol
How to make your face last for 12+ hours, Fashion Week or otherwise.
Today’s letter is in partnership with Guerlain.
Fashion Week is a marathon. We get it! It’s been said ad nauseam! The call times are early, appointments are back-to-back, Ubers stall in traffic while you’re re-pinning a scarf in the backseat. By day three, your inbox is feral, and you’ve consumed nothing but coffee and one stray devilled egg. But what a privilege to be exhausted by beauty! To sit shoulder-to-shoulder with editors and girls you’ve admired for years and feel the collective intake of breath when the first look hits the runway!
It is busy, yes. But it is also electric. Which is why your face cannot give up at 4:37 p.m. The real skill of Fashion Week isn’t just outfit stamina or shoes that don’t hurt; it’s beauty endurance. I’ve learned the hard way that the products you reach for in February or September need to be gold medalists.
Still, you don’t have to be running between shows to need a face that lasts. Maybe it’s a wedding, a work conference, or a day of meetings that rolls straight into dinner. Maybe it’s travel. Maybe it’s just a Saturday where you leave the house at ten and don’t plan to see your bathroom mirror again until midnight. The point is the same: you want hair and makeup that hold their shape, don’t separate by late afternoon, and still look considered as the light changes. Here’s what I’ve learned.
1. Resurface the night before, then layer hydration the right way.
I do a gentle polish and focus on barrier repair so makeup has something smooth to sit on. Nothing aggressive, just enough to reset the canvas and lock in moisture. I build thin layers that feel plump but not slippery: the goal is to rise the next day with skin that looks even and awake.
Toolkit: First up, Guerlain Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil Serum: this lightweight, water-meets-oil serum goes on first after cleansing and provides a foundation of deep hydration and radiance that helps makeup settle more smoothly and last longer throughout the day. It works on plumping and visibly repairing the skin’s surface, so foundation sits rather than slips. 
For the eyes — the first place fatigue tends to show — I reach for the (new to market!) Guerlain Abeille Royale Youth Repair Eye Cream. Its gel-cream formula targets the fragile eye contour, smoothing fine lines, brightening dark areas, and helping the entire eye area look more open and awake. I apply it again the next morning under my makeup, and it keeps concealer looking fresh for hours.
2. This is not the day to experiment with makeup.
Go with the makeup you know works for you. Your tried and trues. Staying power without weight is the name of the game.
Toolkit: For structure, I tap in the m.ph Underpainting Kit to softly sculpt before adding color. A damp Beautyblender keeps foundation thin and seamless. If you’ve been reading for any amount of time, you know I’m a huge fan of the Victoria Beckham Beauty Foundation Drops for a skin-first finish.
MAKE Beauty’s Cream Blush (shade: BASK) gives that just-in-from-the-cold flush that still reads at dinner, and I lock it in with a light sweep of Laura Mercier Ultra Blur Setting Powder only where I crease. Brows get brushed up with MAKE Beauty Eyebrow Gel, lashes coated in Victoria Beckham Beauty Vast Lash Mascara so they hold their lift, and a mist of Saie Cityset to help everything stay in place.
Lips are their own process. I line under my lips with a tawny brown m.ph Beauty Lip Liner (shade: Double Shot) to create a faux shadow, then line further in with the Farah Homidi Lip Liner (shade: Minky). Finally, I apply Westman Atelier Matte Lipstick (shade: Je Reve).
3. Just get the blowout.
A proper blowout changes your vibe and buys you hours. Even if everything else starts to wilt, good hair carries the look and makes minimal makeup feel finished. I ask for a classic round-brush blowout with a slight bend at the end. No curls, no hot tools. I stretch mine out into two or three days with the right products, tuck it into my collar on day three, and then slick it back into a bun on day four.
Toolkit: First, I deeply moisturize the night before with Filament’s strengthening mask. I know I sound like a broken record, but this stuff is bananas good. It’s built to repair and reinforce hair bonds, so strands feel sturdier and smoother heading into a blowout. Day two, I use dry shampoo where needed, then rehydrate my ends with Crown Affair’s near‑weightless oil, which adds shine and keeps frizz down. For a slicked‑back bun or to pin flyaways, I rely on Jillian Dempsey’s stick pomade for clean control, then Chris McMillan’s flyaway wand for final smoothing.
4. Pack a 5 p.m. rescue kit and refresh strategically.
Plan for the touch-ups, and your face can keep pace with the schedule.
Toolkit: I’ve become quickly and hopelessly addicted to the new makeup line Bob Beaute, especially the Skinbooster, a refreshing setting spritz I keep in my bag that keeps my skin hydrated throughout the day with a glow that doesn’t break my makeup. Also with me: lipliner and lipstick, a compact with a built-in mirror, and a flyaway wand. Light and tight, but effective.
you look stunning! ❤️
We want stamina! Love these recs