After attending the traditional Derby Day and the Colourful Melbourne Cup, I can positively say that Natural Beauty is still a big hit for Spring Carnival beauty in the famous Birdcage at Flemington in Melbourne.
Fresh skin, neutral toned smokey eyes and relaxed hair ruled this year’s two biggest race days, making it easy to re-create these fab celebrity beauty trends at home.
My first stop on my Spring Carnival journey was the star studded Moët and Chandon Derby Eve party at The Waiting Room in Crown Melbourne.
With Celebrities such as Richard Reid, The Stenmark Twins, Danielle Spencer and the girls from The Bachelor, there was a lot to look at.
The Moët and Chandon gold theme was very present, not only in the fabulous gold goblets we sipped from, but in beauty as well.
I could tell straight away from the Moët and Chandon party that the lash and liner would be strong products used amongst the Spring Carnival and the mood was set for a week of racing!
One stand out was Jesinta Campbell; sporting her relaxed, pushed back hair, strong eyes and a fresh lip.
MB PRO TIP – One of Jesinta’s trademarks are full brows… The perfect frame for the face with any makeup look you apply.
Don’t forget to use a little eyebrow powder, or even a taupe eye shadow and fill in any gaps without creating one solid colour – so not the focus you need…
Fill just above the top brow line, tracing vertically across, then once you brush the brow hairs upwards the line will be behind the hairs. This creates fullness and density, not fake, drawn on looking brows.
At Derby Day, with its elegance in Black and White themed outfits ruling the track, the makeup was one to keep the chic feeling throughout the day.
This years Nude lip trend was a favourite by most celebrities, including Jennifer Hawkins (above) and also Special Guest for Lexus Australia, Naomi Campbell.
What do we team with a nude lip? That’s right… Smokey eyes!
I noticed a lot of little false lashes applied to give extra volume and definitely lots of smudged eyeliner – the easiest way to create depth without looking like you have applied tonnes of eye shadow and gone overboard.
MB Pro Tips
1. I love using a soft style kohl pencil to line the top lash line, applied thickly, as you need the pigment to be able smudge a decent amount to then create the smokey, smudged out look – most opting for a slight elongated outer edge rather than a shortening circle edge.
You want the gradation to be deeper at the lash line, washed out to nude up to the socket and brow!
2. Liquid Liner was also a popular one to create the deep, chic eyes seen at Derby…
Don’t forget that when applying a liquid line with a slight winged flick, it’s best to apply the outer wing when the eyes are open and looking forward to create the perfect line that does not dip when you open the eye after applying – we’ve all been there!
3. To create the extra wow factor with a smokey eye and nude lip combo, you need a good old contour to add shape to the cheek area, as it’s all happening on the eyes for this one.
Try to always add a bronzer under the cheekbone, like you are sculpting it, rather than a blush style application. For extra Va-Voom, add a highlight on top of the cheekbone to reflect light, this will just add a touch of class to any makeup look.
From my travels through the Myer, Emirates and Lexus Marquees, It was GH.Mumm Moulin Rouge themed Marquee that found my Fave Derby Day look from the stunning Kate Waterhouse!
I loved everything about it, so polished and fits the bill of Derby Day perfectly, with balanced beauty winning again.
Melbourne Cup is all about bold prints in fabrics, structured designs and usually bold makeup looks…
This year I found makeup to be safe, with very few taking the plunge into a bold lip – I think this is a very Oaks Day look this year as Ladies Day is feminine, pastel, soft and girly!
Like Derby Day, the nude skin trend was big, with less dark smokey tones on the eyes and more bronze and neutrals present, which does work better when brighter colours in fashion are worn– it’s all about the balance.
Wearing makeup that is Neutral yet defined, was seen across most Marquees, some celebrities stating to myself, ‘You have to remember it is daytime and no-one wants to have to re-touch makeup all day, so if it is simple yet defined, that works best for a day like a race day’. – Very True!
Very few wearing any colour, except for the very occasional Bold Lip seen on Rebecca Judd in a pink and Laura Dundovic in an on-trend orange lip – Love it Laura, great pop for your warm skintone.
Jennifer Hawkins stated, “I just love looking bronze and it is the perfect colour to wear with red, so that’s what we went with for today’s look.”
MB Pro Tip – When wearing bronzer make sure the right undertone is considered. Some can look quite dull in the packaging, this may put off some women, but actually for the pink base skins this will be perfect as it will warm you, not orange you up – there is a difference!
Always start your bronzer application from the centre of the face outwards, as this will mimic colour in areas first hit by the sun naturally. Less should be around the jaw and hairlines, good for the ‘No Lines’ policy, but also what happens naturally when tanning – like some ladies were doing on the Lexus Marquee Rooftop Deck.
*Bronzer is also perfect for contouring purposes when applied under the cheekbone and in the eye sockets to sharpen up features.
Beach waves or softly pulled back, textured hair ruled most locks of the lovely ladies in the Birdcage, but Celebrities and Style Icons Coco Rocha and Dita Von Teese choosing more structured, placed hair styles for the day.
The Myer Marquee was a buzz for when my fave beauty look of the day arrived, Dita Von Teese – so polished and feminine, who wouldn’t love skin like that.
Her signature winged liquid liner (Which now you know how to apply with my tips) and bold lip were present and did you know that Dita’s beauty spot is actually a tattoo?
The Burlesque performer and beauty icon just seemed so calm and poised with her perfect, artwork-like face and was the only woman I saw the entire day with a little colour on her cheeks – go Dita!
With such milky skin, a plum, blue based pink lip can often not suit such a pale skin tone, but her darker features allows this to work wonders.
So ladies, a celebrity beauty look can be achieved easily with the right tips and balance of tones. Work on focusing on one area, not two or three, as balance will always win in my opinion.
Enjoy the rest of the Spring Carnival with Oaks giving a girly girl approach and Stakes Day on Saturday closing the carnival (and the hangovers for some)!
For more from Michael Brown, check out this exclusive interview with trackside darling Kate Waterhouse: