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- MasterChef Australia’s Makeup Artist Serves Us the Beauty Secrets From the Series
MasterChef Australia’s Makeup Artist Serves Us the Beauty Secrets From the Series
Network Ten
While the MasterChef Australia contestants and the food they cook are the undeniable stars of the reality series, it’s fair to say that the looks served by the judges’ Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen are also a highlight. When it comes to Melissa’s style, in particular, MasterChef fans love to see her outfit, accessories and lip colour choices in each episode.
The person responsible for the hair and makeup of all three judges is Maureen Moriarty. The hairdresser and makeup artist recently spoke to POPSUGAR Australia about her approach to beauty on MasterChef and her tips and tricks for keeping makeup looking fresh all day.
When it comes to the makeup looks for Jock and Andy, Maureen says they are fairly easy as she really only has to “pump their colour up a little bit to make them a bit warmer.” Jock and Andy don’t tend to touch their face much during filming, says Maureen, and the food doesn’t interfere with their makeup. The same goes for Melissa.
“Melissa is very well practised, she can pop the food in nicely and not really disturb her lipstick,” Maureen told POPSUGAR Australia. “They’re very good at what they do so I’m very lucky. I just keep an eye on them but unless there’s chilli involved and there’s a bit of sweat or something, otherwise they’re very very good.”
Maureen lifted the lid on all of the products she uses on Melissa, Jock and Andy and you’re not going to want to miss the extensive lipstick chat further down.
The Products Used on Jock and Andy
When it comes to Andy and Jock’s base makeup, Maureen uses Giorgio Armani’s Face Fabric ($70) to achieve a natural-looking finish. “It’s like velvet,” Maureen says of the product. “It’s a beautiful light makeup but it is like a velvet [texture].”
The Lowdown on Melissa’s Makeup
When it comes to Melissa’s base makeup, after trying a few different products, Maureen has found one she always sticks to and that’s MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid Foundation ($55). “It’s a matte formula but you can blend it out really nicely,” said Maureen.
Before starting on makeup, Maureen always makes sure to prep Melissa’s skin with skincare to create a smooth and hydrated base. “We do a serum and an Hourglass Primer ($84) and some moisturisers so you’ve got the base to go and then the foundation. I don’t have to powder her down too much, sometimes maybe in the afternoon if there’s a bit of a glow but that’s just a light dusting.”
With the long work days in the MasterChef kitchen, Maureen has found the MAC Studio Fix to be the best product for longevity on Melissa’s skin. “That is the best I’ve found because our days are really long, they’re 12 hour days and she’s in my chair at like 6:30 in the morning so we’ve sort of got it down to a fine art.”
Following the base product, Maureen goes in with the NARS Blush in the shade Orgasm ($45). When it comes the lips and eyes, it all depends on what clothes MasterChef stylist Charmaine De Pasquale has picked out for Melissa that day. “We stick to the browns mainly, but it might be a bit deeper sometimes, a bit smokier, depending on what she is wearing and depending on the lip as well,” Maureen said.
“If we’re doing a lighter lip, we’ll do a more smokier eye. If she’s wearing a bright lip, we’ll do a little bit lighter on the eyes. We get to play a little bit and it also depends on what she’s wearing as well. We have to work in with the stylist, Charmaine.”
Melissa’s Love of Lipstick
Melissa is a fan of a bold lip and it’s something MasterChef fans have come to expect each episode. Maureen opts for matte lipsticks by MAC for Melissa, to ensure the colour doesn’t move while she is trying the various dishes cooked up by the contestants.
“We use the MAC Matte Lipstick ($30). We don’t need shine, we don’t need gloss because then that will come off,” said Maureen. “We find the matte ones are the ones that stay and are longer-lasting so she can eat and it doesn’t slide everywhere.”
According to Maureen, the most-used shade on Melissa is MAC’s Lady Danger. “It’s a beautiful coral-red. It’s bright and it pops,” says Maureen. “I write everything down after every episode as to what I’ve used because that’s sort of the most asked question and Lady Danger would be the top rating one.”
Other shades include a bright pink-coloured shade called All Fired Up and a classic clean red called Red Rock. There are also a few shades by Charlotte Tilbury that Maureen uses, which are In Love With Olivia ($49), Red Hot Susan and Glowing Jen.
All of the MAC and the Charlotte Tilbury lippies Maureen’s uses are long-lasting and survive the whole day, despite Melissa tasting food while filming. “We’ll put it on in the morning and then she’ll go and start the show and then if they’re doing tastings after the cook, I might run in, have a look at them and make sure there’s no food drip down their chin or stuck in their teeth but she could taste like five dishes and we might just need a little touch up otherwise it’s quite fine. It lasts, lasts, lasts.”
Keeping the Makeup Looking Fresh
When it comes to the boys, Maureen uses a primer coupled with an anti-shine cream before she goes in with the Armani Face Fabric.
“We’ll film the beginning of the show, and then we’ll have a lunch break, whether it’s six or seven hours later, and then I’ll have a look at them again,” Maureen said. “But I’m very lucky as they’ve all got lovely skin so that helps me immensely but I do always use a primer.
“A primer is a really good thing to have because it’s like an undercoat of painting. You have a nice undercoat and it makes everything else a little bit flawless.”
