Kate Moss wore only moisturiser for a Calvin Klein photo shoot to save money.

Renowned make-up artist Kay Montano has revealed she only used a lightweight base on the supermodel when preparing her skin for a perfume campaign in the late 90s because she had been urged to be frugal by bosses.

She explained: "Yes, the recession came and after that fashion and beauty became rather more pared down. One of my first jobs after moving to New York was to make up Kate Moss for the Calvin Klein Obsession fragrance campaign and I just used moisturiser. She looked absolutely perfect."

Kay — who has worked on London Fashion Week since it began 25 years ago — made a name for herself as the woman behind the dramatic make-up of the 80s. The British beauty expert said her trademark smoky eyes were inspired by many of the decade's biggest stars.

She explained to ElleUK.com: "My icons were women like Debbie Harry, make-up artist Barbara Daly — who did all of the Stanley Kubrik films — Jerry Hall and a make-up artist called Yvonne Gold. Yvonne had big, blonde dreadlocks and worked with Vivienne Westwood and her partner Malcolm McLaren who at the time had a new-wave band Bow Wow Wow. A signature technique of hers was to use gold paint over the Cupid's bow, which make-up artist Pat McGrath uses a lot now."

The international artist — who is a favourite of actress Keira Knightley — is frustrated with the "Stepford wives" icons of today and prefers women to embrace their individualism.

She explained: "Model Lara Stone is a refreshingly fleshier girl who rocks to her own tune. I also love singer Grace Jones and actress Tilda Swinton. They're both creative women, undefined by their age and gender. Grace is actually 61, but much more contemporary than any of the sexy girls making it on the pop scene or into celebrity gossip magazines and pretty much the only person who makes me go 'wow'. Girls see 'mini women' with big hair like Cheryl Cole as beauty icons, but it's a very generic beauty — a bit too Stepford wives."