BEAUTY BUZZ
26 Aug 2005

MADONNA MELROSE

Madonna Melrose - the lowdown What sets Diego Dalla Palma apart from other cosmetic brands? It is the wellness focus. Each product in the range uses highly innovative formulations that combine treatment with colour and comfort. The make-up range is a natural extension of your skincare. To begin you have foundations with anti ageing and decongesting ingredients right through to mascaras with vitamin C for conditioning the lashes. The Diego Dalla Palma range really is at the forefront of innovation. What textures and colours are you working with for spring/summer? The Spring/Summer collection is called oro, which is Italian for gold, the colour of summer and the colour of the sun. Lipsticks with golden hues, lip glosses with gold highlights and velvety eye shadows all creating a luminous effect for the features while the special tanning cakes create an unbeatable bronzed brilliance for the face and body. What trends do you foresee will emerge for the summer season? Heavily lined eyes with kohl kajal to offset and create a sexy light and fresh look. During 1998-2000 you worked as Olivia-Newton John's personal assistant and traveled with her throughout her Australia and America concert tours. This must have been an interesting time: how did you enjoy this part of your life? I originally worked with Olivia as her personal hair and make-up artist dating back 15 years now. And I guess it was the trust that was gained during this period that enabled me to step into the role of her personal assistant. It was without doubt the most incredible journey and one that I am so truly grateful to have had. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The most precious thing I gained from that time is the friendship I now share with Olivia. The reason I stopped my travels was to start a family and her support and encouragement helped me understand that life is all about timing. To this day she is still very much a part of my life and in fact has just put some of the Diego Dalla Palma range into her spa. She loves the Special Tanning Cake and Blush. In 2004 you became the driving force for Diego Dalla Palma in Australasia. In what ways have you promoted the brand or worked with it to help it flourish? In keeping with my vision for the range my focus for the first year was industry awareness rather than consumer awareness. I believed there was no point in promoting or advertising a range that was not easily available. So in the last year the range has made a comfortable entrance into the exclusive spa and beauty salon arena and filled the gap for a truly professional range. You wont find it in pharmacies or in current format department stores as I want the consumer to be able to experience the range and the day spa environment is the perfect place. As a professional make-up artist for more than 20 years, Diego Dalla Palma has been the only range I have ever used so I guess the product, to an extent, is being advertised through my experiences. As contributing fashion & beauty writer for Italy Down Under magazine, what do you love about your work? I love the process of writing an article or story and it is not that dissimilar to making up a face. It is a process, it has a start, an end and a finish but you have the opportunity and creative license to add and subtract at anytime in-between. Like any form of creativity you have days when it flows and others when you think you don't have any creative bones left in your body. Are there any key differences between Italian and Australian beauty/cosmetic styles? Yes absolutely, but I think it is more to do with attitude and confidence and the way the Italians wear the make-up rather than actual product or colour. Make-up is worn as an extension of style across Europe but I feel in Australia women actually apply the colour and the product intentionally and specifically. Neither approach to make-up is right or wrong, better or worse, just different. What do you find to be women's main concerns about make-up? It is without a doubt wanting to do their face in two minutes but have it look like they have spent an hour. I find that women put too much emphasis on comparison to other women instead of acceptance of themselves.

FACE FACTS

BY MADONNA MELROSE vol.19 Summer 2004 

As a professional Make-up Artist and consultant Madonna Melrose has worked extensively with Olivia Newton-John and on countless fashion shoots. She talks to Wedding Magazine about colour and choosing the right shades in make-up - from the eyes to the lips - to bring out your individual beauty.

One’s beauty should always be enhanced and caressed never applied with abandon.

With this belief, I am not a convert to the school of thought, that colour is chosen by categorizing someone as summer or winter, cool or warm.

Therefore when choosing makeup colours, you may wish to turn to the windows of your soul - your God given beauty.

Blue Eyes look naturally alluring when smoked with hues as pale as the sky or as deep as the ocean. Work confidently with dark blue liners, as black can look very harsh on a pale blue eye but quite striking on deep, dark blue eyes.

Light frosted silvers, smoky ash, dark charcoal and lead will create a striking and dramatic effect on blue eyes. Compliment your shadow with a grey eyeliner one shade darker than your shadow choice or use black to pierce the night.

Blue eyes can most definitely handle a splash of colour in the soft pink to violet spectrum. This will establish a very light and fresh appearance. A grey liner will be a better choice if experimenting with these colours on the lid.

Green Eyes sparkle when partnered with browns, from light mushroom to warm coffees and dark chocolates. The true essence of nature is captured in these partnerships of colour and will most definitely be enhanced by brown lining.

Metallic gold’s and russets, coppers and bronze will undoubtedly establish a very regal gaze and work best at night.

You have a choice of lining the eye with brown for a more subtle finish or black to create a very dramatic effect.

If you have a desire to add colour, plums, purples & dark grapes are the perfect companion with green and should be finished off with a dark charcoal liner.

Emeralds, grass green and seawater will enhance no end and create a very sultry appearance if smoked over the eye. In this instance work with dark green liners or black for nighttime allure.

Brown Eyes will smoulder when stained with olive greens and avocados. A strong, dark brown liner is a must to finish the eye.

Naturally you can work within the earthen spectrum. Neutral shades of bone and sand to rich chocolate browns. A brown liner will help you achieve a more natural finish whereas a black liner will give you depth and create great drama and contrast.

Soft fruity pinks such as corals and apricots will freshen and lighten up the brown eye adding just the right amount of colour if needed. A soft brown liner should be your first preference with this colour combination.

When trying new colours or shades on the eye keep in mind that makeup should enhance your features not overpower them in anyway.

Our next mission is to take the guesswork out of finding the right shade of blush.

We hear a lot about skin tone being yellow or pink, warm or cool but there is an easier way to help us define our skin tone, then in turn helping us to choose the correct shade of blusher.

Follow these easy guidelines and your makeup will improve dramatically.

Fine, translucent, porcelain skin works best when dusted with soft pale baby pinks and colours based on pastels.

Fair, light skin will respond beautifully to a dusting of blush in the sandy pink tones.

Medium skin will be bought to life by applying reddish brown, tawny rose or burgundy.

Olive & tanned skin needs to be highlighted only and respond best to bronzers. Adding actual colour to this skin shade can often look dirty but if you insist on colour go with deep shades of rose.

Latin complexions should go deeper with their colour choice and work with the plums and berries.

Let’s now take a fresh approach to choosing lip colour.

Your naked, natural lip colour is the perfect place to start and as a general rule go one shade darker for a more natural finish or two shades darker for a stronger finish.

Very pale, barely there lips work best with soft, milky tones of pink and coral. Nude sheer browns will also enhance your natural lip shade.

Medium lips need golden browns with orange or rich rose and salmons to create a desirable pout.

Darker lips can use colour good enough to eat. Try plums, grapes and raisins.

Brown or purple lips need enhancing with dark tones of brown, like chocolate or deep shades of berry such as blueberry or blackberry.

A new mode to choosing colour is now at your fingertips so experiment & indulge but most of all enjoy your makeup.