Contour, strobing, baking… these beauty buzzwords have dominated social media feeds and beauty counters over the past few years, but in truth make-up artists have been doing them for decades under more unassuming terms.

Contouring is simply sculpting the face with darker tones to add definition, strobing is the cleverly placed pearlescent highlight that you add atop the higher planes of your face to make your features really pop, and baking is newfound lingo for setting your base with a fair ol' whack of translucent powder (strategically placed, of course) before brushing it off for a flawless finish.

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Want to get ahead of the game and know what's next in beauty? Backstage at Anya Hindmarch's SS18 show, veritable make-up legend Val Garland introduced the latest beauty tag set to be on everyone's lips: 'Spotlighting'.

To the untrained eye it might appear like a strobing job-well-done, with its equally high-lit finish that leaves skin glowing. However, on closer inspection (aka when you're staring longingly) you'll start to notice the subtle differences.

'Spotlighting has a cellophane shine that gives skin an inner-radiance effect,' Val told us backstage; 'It doesn't have the pearl particles associated with highlighters used for strobing, making it more about gloss than shimmer.' Think a tougher, more modern take on strobing.

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Val put spotlighting into action by prepping model's skin with MAC Face and Body for a perfected 'mannequin finish' before using MAC Shine Mixing Medium (a staple in any make-up artists kit and the key texture to this trend) to add a clear, glossy highlight to the cheekbones.

'I've been doing this trick for years,' Val (the woman behind half of London Fashion Week's backstage makeup) reminds us. Chances are the glowing skin you've seen sauntering down the catwalk that catches the light so in season's past, could well be a Val spotlight job.

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