Long-time resident makeup artist for Channel Nine, Melissa Dempster also now boasts her own makeup range, Melli Cosmetics. Here she talks about getting into the industry, looking great on camera, as well as her all-time top makeup tips.

Why and how did you become a makeup artist?

When I first watched The Wizard of Oz as a little girl, I knew that I wanted to work in television and film. After finishing school, I did a makeup course and then spent five years working on low budget films and student films. I eventually worked with someone who knew someone at The Midday Show on Channel Nine – it’s usually all about contacts – and I scored a gig there. I think I spent the first six months washing sponges and making coffee.

Any advice for aspiring makeup artists out there?

When you’re starting out, it can be really expensive to build up your kit. So just start off with three colours of each product: foundation, eye shadow, blush, lipstick. And learn to mix, which is a really good skill to have. Also check which brands offer makeup artist discounts. And don’t forget to experiment with the lower priced ranges, some are impressively highly pigmented. I used a lot of Bourjois when I was starting out, they do great eye and cheek colours. (more…)

A former model and television presenter, nutritionist and author of The Healthy Skin Diet ($36.99 from Exisle Publishing), Karen Fischer knows a thing or more about looking good. As her website states, her philosophy is Health Before Beauty – and here she dishes some of her healthiest beauty tips.

Why did you write The Healthy Skin Diet?

I grew up suffering from dermatitis, psoriasis and pimples, which would come and go and I had no idea why. However, when I passed on my ‘bad skin’ genes to my daughter, who was born with eczema (inflamed and terribly itchy skin which would bleed as she constantly scratched it), I decided to do some research into skin health. I found lots of useful information that later became The Healthy Skin Diet. (more…)

With Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion starting its Australian tour this month, makeup designer Eleni Uranis gives us some of her precious time – and tips.

What exactly is a makeup designer?

”As a makeup designer, my job is to create the faces that will make the characters of a show complete and believable. Most of the performers on Dralion didn’t have any makeup experience before arriving to Dralion so part of my job is to teach them how to apply the makeup. To do this I prepare documents with pictures of every step of the make-up and an explanation of what they need to do. They go through each step and at the end they arrive to the same result as when I did their makeup.” (more…)