Gail Elliott, model and designer of hot fashion label Little Joe Woman, is the ultimate insider. She’s worked with the most illustrious makeup artists, designers, and calls rockstars and supermodels her best friends. In this week’s Beauty Bubble, Michael Brown sits down with Gail to unearth all of the beauty tips and tricks that she has picked up throughout her fabulous career in fashion.
The best example of Gail Elliott’s love for natural beauty is her wedding, an A-list affair at which supermodels Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen were bridesmaids. ‘We didn’t have a makeup artist actually,’ she recalls. ‘We all sat on the floor cross-legged in front of a mirror in the gymnasium of the house, and we all did our makeup together. We all decided on the day what we were going to do… It was a wedding, it was pretty natural, we weren’t doing a fashion show so it was lipgloss, eyeshadow, eyebrows and that’s pretty much it.’
Gail Elliott always looks glamorous, but the key to her radiant beauty is simplicity – she sticks to a palette of neutrals. ‘I don’t really like a lot of makeup,’ she says, ‘and for me beauty is confidence.’ Preferring limited coverage, Gail dislikes heavy makeup that ‘feels and looks like a mask’. ‘I don’t think I really need heavy makeup all over my face, I pretty much put it in the red bits in the centre of my face where I need it.’
Over her 24 year modeling career, Gail Elliott has done it all, gracing runways from Versace to Calvin Klein. She says that everything she knows about makeup she learned backstage, from innumerable talented makeup artists. ‘there were so many, that even have their own brands now, such as François Nars, we were all sort of starting out together at one point,’ she says. ‘everything we know now, we learnt from those guys. I think they learnt some from us as well.’
No beauty look is complete without fragrance, and Gail Elliott likes to try new scents. ‘I kind of go back and forth,’ she says. ‘At the moment my new favourite is a fragrance by Tom Ford. He’s done quite a few, they’re very, very beautiful and they last a long time. There’s one that’s a tobacco vanilla, that’s really nice, that I’m wearing at the moment.’ Tom Ford’s Private Blend Tobacco Vanille ($290-$750) is available at TomFord.com.
Gail Elliot’s 3 Can’t Live Without Beauty Products:
1. Maybelline Colossal Volum’Express Mascara ($19.50). ‘It’s not too wet,’ says Gail, ‘I have really long eyelashes, but thinner, it’s a really good brush.’ The extreme volume mascara, which packs a punch with collagen formula and thickening agents, is available at selected pharmacies, department stores and supermarkets nationwide.
2. ModelCo – Lip Lights Ultra Shine Gloss ($18.95). For Gail Elliott this high shine gloss is the ultimate finish to a look. ‘It also has a light for when you’re out at night, it’s really cool.’ Available at modelcocosmetics.com.
3. The perfect concealer palette. Gail loves her concealer, a key ingredient for natural beauty. ‘It seems to somehow blend with my skin colour, even if I’ve had some sun.’ She even mixes shades together to get the perfect tone for her skin.
Rescu. Recommends: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit ($52). This multi-purpose kit includes ultra-soft, creamy concealer and pressed powder, creating a smooth, line-less finish. Available at selected David Jones and Myer stores nationally.
