invisible touch; Makeup was conspicuously absent from spring runways-or was it.

Byline: Sarah Brown

Fashion-and by its close association, beauty-is a study in extremes: Each season, the pendulum swings as far as it possibly can, and then shoots back, full speed ahead, in the opposite direction. Circle skirts give way to sleek pencil silhouettes; witchy stilettos are replaced by substantial heels and round toes. Makeup is no different: On spring runways, there was little trace of fall's bold, sweeping strokes-ruby-lacquered lips, extravagantly lined eyes. In fact, there was little trace of any makeup at all. At collections from Stella McCartney and Chloe to Prada, and even Carolina Herrera-where the impeccably turned-out uptown girl has long worn a full face-the look was decidedly . . . bare. But how to explain the teams of makeup artists buzzing around backstage, the counters covered in palettes and pots and unfurled rolls of sable-hair brushes?

The truth is, the perfectly natural face (the way we wish we looked on the weekend) requires some effort, even for models-which is a comforting thought. The cornerstone of no-makeup makeup is skin that looks perfect. According to Bobbi Brown, it's "clean with the right sheen." A tall order, to be sure.

But, says makeup artist Vincent Longo reassuringly, "it's actually kind of easy-that bare-nothing look." Crediting a trick he learned from ...