You’ve had an outstanding career so far. How did you get your start as a make-up artist?
Well I started as a make-up artist 22 years ago. Before that I worked for eight years in a bank. I was always interested in skincare and make-up – I’d used skincare since I was maybe 17 years old. While I was working as a financial consultant, I had friends [in the cosmetics industry] who knew I was interested in cosmetics who asked me to help them out over Christmas doing make-up for people. I was there for three or four days, and really loved it. So they suggested I go to Paris, to an international make-up school, while I was on holidays. So I went to Christian Chauveau in Paris, where I became the number-one student. One brand took me from the school, and I worked freelance for them for a year and a half, before Sisley saw me doing a promotion. [The brand] asked me to go to Paris for a meeting, and I’ve been working for them ever since.
Why did the Sisley Paris brand appeal to you as an artist?
Sisley appeals to me because I like the products – I used them before I began working with the brand. Also it’s a family company, so I speak directly with the owner, and I don’t feel I’m working for a big company, I feel like I’m working with the owner. You know, when you work for a big company, you can be treated like a number, but that is not the case with Sisley. I act as the medium between customers and the owner. As the ambassador, whenever I receive comments from the consumer or a celebrity, I can repeat [them] to the owner. We listen first to the people, then we create a product everyone needs. More and more, we are listening to men also.
How has the brand changed in Australia over the years?
When I came here for the first time, it was very difficult – of course it’s always difficult launching a new brand – so we handed out a lot of samples. And when you try a Sisley sample, you never forget. Of course at the beginning, 12 years ago, the market was a bit difficult, and the customers weren’t really educated on skincare. they just wanted one cream, a moisturiser. But I see year after year the skincare and cosmetics developed a lot, and the ladies are more concerned about wrinkles, pigmentation, plus they want a trendy makeover, they want to be updated. Every year I see a big improvement in the ladies in Australia, and that’s because they travel, read magazines, so they’re more informed. Now they use serums, creams, and new products.
How do Australian make-up objectives differ from overseas?
In Australia, customers are educated now to be trendier. They want to look more European – they used to want to look more American, but now they want to be more European.
What makes Sisley make-up different?
Sisley make-up is treatment make-up. It complements your skincare to make you more beautiful. People don’t want to use their make-up to cover as much as they once did. I remember all movie stars before didn’t have lovely skin, but with the make-up they looked amazing – they used it to cover. So of course that was damaging the skin. But now more and more movie stars, celebrities and ladies all over the world want treatment make-up because they know that make-up [in the past] was damaging to the skin. So now when they use make-up, they look fresh, but when they remove it, they still look good. Sisley make-up is a real treatment, it doesn’t irritate contact lenses or sensitive skin. The Sisley Touch powder with calendula extract is popular with customers that have sensitive skin because it calms the skin.
Can you tell me about the success of the Black Rose Mask? It’s been very successful since its recent launch.
The Black Rose Mask has been a big success because it repairs the skin immediately – after 20 minutes skin is more radiant, glowing, fresh, healthy, plump, lines are minimised. It looks like you’ve been to the spa, but it’s just been 20 minutes. That’s what everyone wants – results quickly. That’s the power of Sisley products – we use natural plant extracts and essential oils to regenerate skin cells. The power of Black Rose Mask is that it’s an anti-ageing mask – the benefits don’t stop when you take the mask off, the product continues to work afterwards. It is also perfect for people who are travelling as it gives skin that instant refresh. It’s now one of our best selling products – internationally it’s one of our top 10 products and in Australia it’s in our top five.
What are some of the hero products from the Sisley Paris make-up range?
When Sisley launches a product, it has to be the best in the make-up. The Skinleya Anti-Ageing Lift foundation is amazing because when I apply it on customers, the skin immediately looks radiant and glowing. The skin looks lifted and fresh. It’s not a covering foundation, we’re just making your skin look healthy, which is what everyone wants. I also like our mascara – it’s amazing. It makes lashes longer, thicker, plus the castor oil helps lashes to grow day by day. It’s also water-resistant, so you’ll never have panda eyes. But it’s not about what I like – every customer is different, and when I see a new customer, I know what will work for her.
What are some of the key make-up trends we can expect in upcoming seasons?
Of course every season, there is a new trend or collection. Sisley doesn’t like to focus on that though. The new collections we have are always according to the fashion … we use colours that are matching to the fashion shows. But we are here to create your own collection, because sometimes you see colours on the make-up stand, and then you try it on you and it doesn’t work. That’s why we are here – to coordinate properly the colours that work for you, but that are also up-to-date.