Adriana Lima manoeuvres her packed fashion week schedule with military-like precision. “To have a good fashion week you have to be organized,” the 37-year-old model and Maybelline spokesperson tells me during a meeting at Maybelline House, a pop-up space open to the public during New York Fashion Week. Lima is not walking in any shows herself this season (last September marked her 20th anniversary of runway modelling). Instead, she’s sitting front row—like at Tom Ford, where she met a fawning Cardi B—and making appearances at a number of events. Here, her guide to getting it all done. 

Avoid the after parties. 

“I am always punctual—no matter what—and I am very professional. Usually during fashion week, I don’t party. There are so many after parties! I don’t do those things because my days start early and I like my beauty sleep. As soon as my job is finished, I like to [leave and] rest to be ready for the next day.”

Carry multiples.

“I get inspired by movies and different characters. Yesterday [my look] was a mix of Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface and Lauren Bacall. I was wearing SuperStay Matte in Heroine. I really do love it. It’s something that I carry in my bag everywhere I go. Not one shade, but two or three shades. Because you are going back-to-back to different events so you have to be ready in every way. It doesn’t come off—if you go and have a tea or something, it doesn’t stain the cup and you don’t have to worry about it.”
 

Stick to your regular schedule as much as possible. 

“I wake up at five in the morning; I have kids, so I have to get them ready. I wish I could bring them with me [to NYFW] but they are in school. Sometimes I drive them, but I need to put my mascara and my lipstick on first. I need to feel beautiful and alive and then boom! I’m ready for the day. [Laughs] That helps you know! Usually I use [Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in] Lover and I fluctuate between The Falsies and Temptation mascaras. It’s so funny, because this year the kids started waking up at 7:30 a.m., finally. But I still wake up at five no matter what!”