Did you know that it’s scientifically proven that women have pretty and ugly days – how tragic is that? But that’s the truth and I know the women that I work with, want to feel great about the way they look, and why not? Because in their mind – and yes I know, beauty is subjective - it elevates them, it makes them feel good professionally and it boosts their self-esteem. This is why we have the fabulous Michael Brown joining us. There is no one better in Australia to talk to us about amping up our beauty and style than Michael. He is a celebrity make-up artist – he is experienced as a TV presenter, he has worked backstage, he is invited to work with some of the biggest media brands in the world, he co-hosts a successful podcast called Skinfluence, he frequently works with a lot of high profile celebrities and business people, AND the part I really love... he understands women and what makes them feel great.
Did you know that it’s scientifically proven that women have pretty and ugly days – how tragic is that? But that’s the truth and I know the women that I work with, want to feel great about the way they look, and why not? Because in their mind – and yes I know, beauty is subjective - it elevates them, it makes them feel good professionally and it boosts their self-esteem.
This is why we have the fabulous Michael Brown joining us. There is no one better in Australia to talk to us about amping up our beauty and style than Michael. He is a celebrity make-up artist – he is experienced as a TV presenter, he has worked backstage, he is invited to work with some of the biggest media brands in the world, he co-hosts a successful podcast called Skinfluence, he frequently works with a lot of high profile celebrities and business people, AND the part I really love... he understands women and what makes them feel great.
Presenter: Gillian Fox
Guest: Michael Brown
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And like I know that all my clients, even Miranda, she has her own skincare line, so she's obviously very invested in her skin and her look. And even when I do her makeup, she's almost walking towards me already applying creams, and she has a Gua Sha tool, firming her skin. And then sits in my chair, then I kind of almost do it again with my product. So, it's not like she that is wake up and put a bit concealer on walk out the door. It is a commitment.
You are listening to Your Brilliant Career. I'm your host, Gillian Fox, executive coach, women's career expert, and entrepreneur. The podcast that teaches you how to get the most out of your career.
We talk tactics, tools, and stories that all help incredible women like you achieve the success you deserve. If you want to learn more about how to create the brilliant career you've always wanted, I encourage you to check out the RISE Program.
It's my four-month career development program. Through a combination of individual executive coaching sessions and group workshops, you'll discover how to overcome obstacles, create opportunities, and reach new heights in your career.
Only a few months, I was getting ready to go into town to present to a group of 40 leaders.
What no one knew that day was that I was having a flat morning. That’s right – one of those days when you fixate on not feeling great about things.
Now these moments can feel awful. And that morning, well I just kept thinking do I really have to stand in front of all those people today? 😊
But my strategy for overcoming the ‘flat day’, that flat moment is to amp up my style. Find the outfit and then take time to do my make-up. I want to transform how I feel about myself. And I do – for me, that process of frocking up and doing my face - it’s fun, it’s creative, and it actually does boosts my confidence.
I know from coaching thousands of women that they have flat days and ugly days – in fact, did you know that it’s scientifically proven that women have pretty and ugly days – how tragic is that? But that’s the truth and I know the women that I work with, want to feel great about the way they look, and why not? Because in their mind – and yes I know, beauty is subjective - it elevates them, it makes them feel good professionally and it boosts their self-esteem.
This is why, today, we have the fabulous Michael Brown joining us today. There is no one better in Australia to talk to us about amping up our beauty and style than Michael. He is a celebrity make-up artist– he is experienced as a TV presenter, he has worked backstage, he is invited to work with some of the biggest media brands in the world, he co-hosts a successful podcast called Skinfluence, he frequently works with a lot of high profile celebrities and business people, AND the part I really love = he understands women and what makes them feel great.
Michael has done my make-up on a few occasions – I know lucky me - and it has been so much fun and it has been transformational.
Today we are going to explore all things beauty, make-up, how YOU can get a glowing look, why dressing for the job counts, and so much more. It’s going to be great fun. Let’s dive in.
Gillian Fox: Well Michael, welcome. It is such a pleasure to have you here in my lounge room today, which I imagine is a bit different than the NOVA studios.
Michael Brown: Thank you. It's a beautiful lounge room, so thanks for having me.
Gillian Fox: Oh, it's a pleasure. I was so looking forward to this chat because I love makeup and you are very stylish. So, I know it's going to be a great chat. But let's start from the beginning because you grew up in WA where you were a dancer.
Michael Brown: Yeah, that was a big part of my life growing up.
Gillian Fox: Is that what you thought the path would be? Like what did success look like for you all of those years ago?
Michael Brown: Well, I started dancing at four. Apparently my mom saw me always in the lounge room, if any TV ad came on, or some kind of tune came on the television, I was always turning around and dancing around. So she's like, "Maybe he needs to go to dancing." So she put me in ballroom dancing, but the social kind of classes. You know, you're four years old so you're not exactly waltzing around and doing a tango. But it was really fun, and it taught me a lot of poise and how to hold yourself. And obviously, then you start doing partner work, and slowly over the years, you grow into full-blown competition mode and that kind of stuff.
Michael Brown: And then from the ballroom, I was kind of really into jazz and stuff from film clips and stuff that I was watching, probably around the 10 years old when you start actually noticing what a film clip is. And you know the '80s and stuff, some of those film clips were awesome. The Michael Jacksons and the Madonnas and all that stuff. Yeah, so dancing was huge, but it wasn't really until I got into the ballet side of dancing that really got me into that professional mindset because ballet's pretty intense, and even as a 12-year-old doing it, they treat you like you're an adult. Like I was doing competitions, exams, rehearsing for hours. And that's when, one day, a makeup artist came into our ballet studio to teach the girls how to do stage makeup. Because when you're about 12, 13, you start doing a bit more eisteddfods and concerts, and even performances around WA, actually, we did a few of those. And they did the liquid liners and how to make the eyes bigger, and don't forget your eye makeup has to be big enough to reach that person in the last row of the theatre.
Michael Brown: And they said, "Michael, you're dismissed this afternoon”. And I was like, "Oh, what's going on?" They said, "Oh, the girls are just getting a makeup lesson”. And I said, "Oh, I'd love to stay for that." I think I was 14. And that's kind of when I was properly introduced to makeup. So, the dancing kind of helped the makeup journey really.
Gillian Fox: Yeah. Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?
Michael Brown: Yeah.
Gillian Fox: They're kind of interlinked.
Michael Brown: Yeah.
Gillian Fox: But clearly you were seduced nice and early by it.
Michael Brown: Yeah, yeah. And then I started actually doing all the girls' makeup for all the eisteddfods and everything. They would line up for me to do their fake lashes and liquid liners, and like, "You're better than us, can you do ours?" And I'm like, "Oh, my God, there's like 10 of you". So, it kind of happened like that. Yeah.
Gillian Fox: Well, today you're this wonderful celebrity makeup artist, and I'm always kind of starstruck by the people that have lined up to sit in your little makeup chair. And I'm going to do some name-dropping here.
Michael Brown: Yeah. Okay.
Gillian Fox: So, we've had Miranda Kerr, Jennifer Hawkins, the beautiful, Gisele Bündchen, Juliette Binoche, Yasmin Le Bon, Yasmin, I should say, Le Bon, the '80s gorgeous, gorgeous. Delta Goodrem. So many more. So, it's-
Michael Brown: A few good names in there.
Gillian Fox: So many good names in there and beautiful women. What is it like working so closely with the stars? Like, how different is the experience from sitting with someone who isn't a celebrity?
Michael Brown: Well after high school, because I went to a performing arts high school because of all the ballet and everything like that, I started working in retail cosmetics. I worked in WA at all the Myer, David Jones pharmacies. Back in my day, we didn't have the likes of MECCA and Sephora and those fabulous things. We only had-
Gillian Fox: I don't know how survived, Michael.
Michael Brown: Yeah, I know. I only had, yeah, the real full-on department stores. And back then they were very different, huge events. There'd be stages in the middle of the store and do big beauty events. So, I already was kind of used to, and also being a dancer, I was very confident with people and kind of confident anyway because you kind of have to be on stage. But being on these little mini-podiums in a department store with your microphone on kind of spruiking and talking cosmetics and trying to recruit women to sit down and get a makeup, either touch up or a full makeup, I feel like I'm good at the chat and I'm quite good at-
Gillian Fox: No kid.
Michael Brown: ... a quite good at talking to people and kind of reading body language because you would in a retail setting get a woman that you could tell they wanted the makeup, but they didn't want to sit in front of a whole department store. So you do change your kind of demeanor and the wording to really reassure them. Then you get the loud ones, they're like, "Oh yes. Give me a new eye makeup and da da da”. And so you'd be loud again for them. So I think it's all about reading the room with those kind of people.
Michael Brown: Some of them are absolutely amazing energy and they just want to have fun, but some of them have actually just got off a massive flight from international and they want quiet time and makeup is their quiet time. So, you do have to really read that because I love a chat and you can kind of tell. And I think that's the best advice I can give is when you are working with someone that is a bit of a high profile, even if they're not a celebrity, but they could be high profile in their industry or like a corporate client that I've had over the years as well.
Michael Brown: Some of the makeup sessions are like 4:00, 5:00 AM. Read the room. If they don't want to chat, don't force it. Just let them go. And I think I was good at that, always reading their energy.
Gillian Fox: Yeah, yeah. Very smart. I mean the same thing applies in business, right?
Michael Brown: Yeah, that's true.
Gillian Fox: It's that sort of agility that you bring to joining the dots and reading the situation. I don't know if you know this about me, but when I was at uni, I had a gig at the Christian Dior counter.
Michael Brown: Oh really, okay.
Gillian Fox: At David Jones. And I loved it. It was so much fun.
Michael Brown: Yeah.
Gillian Fox: But talking about reading the room, one of the things that I learned pretty quickly is when a man came up on a Saturday, and he would look terrible in his old boardies and shorts, but he was an exec, he just wasn't frocked up in his normal gear. And I knew pretty quickly they wanted to be served very quickly and they spent heaps.
Michael Brown: Mm-hmm. Yes. I also alert very quickly, do not judge a customer by what they're wearing, even any jewellery or handbags and that kind of stuff. Because honestly, in my full-on retail days in WA, some of my biggest sales were from people that I thought were not going to buy a thing. You would go up to them, and I was very customer service- driven and always gave a smile and said, "Do you need any help? Or I see you're looking at eyeshadows, do you wear eyeshadow?" I was always very conversational, which was great for sales. And sometimes I like, "Oh, this lady, she's going to be great. And I'll get her to sit down and she'll probably spend a lot". And sometimes the ones you'd think would absolutely be like, "Do you have any samples? I'm like, "Oh, okay". And then the ones in tracksuits and that kind of stuff, you find out later on they're actually quite high profile in WA, and they would spend hundreds. And I'm like, "Wow." So yeah-
Gillian Fox: You never know.
Michael Brown: Never know.
Gillian Fox: Never make the early judgment call.
Michael Brown: You just don't know who they are, what mood they're in. And I actually loved the retail. It kind of reminded me of being on stage. I'd kind of treat it like it was a performance. I'd rock up at Myer, you go through the staff entrance, which was like a backstage. You'd sign in, you'd put your stuff down, you'd get onto the cosmetic floor, there's music, there's lights, there's people. And I'd always feel like I was on stage, and that's how I treated it, like a performance and I loved it.
Gillian Fox: Well, that's probably served you very well, Michael. Because when I think of you and how well you've done in your career, I feel like you're this lovely combination of great front man, spokesman, do you know what I mean? You can get up with confidence and do that, which a lot of people can't. And also talented makeup artist. So, you've had this really interesting career of TV and endorsing products, and now you have this fabulous podcast Skinfluence, which I'm loving.
Michael Brown: Oh, thank you. Yes.
Gillian Fox: I'm actually loving it. It's so good if you're a beauty mad like me.
Michael Brown: We have lots of fun.
Gillian Fox: You do have lots of fun.
Michael Brown: Yeah, it's good.
Gillian Fox: And we love fun.
Michael Brown: Well, beauty is fun. So, you got to have fun with it.
Gillian Fox: Yeah, so true. So true. But what do you think, like thinking about your career, because lots of makeup artists would love to have your career, they really would, what do you think has enabled that success?
Michael Brown: I think the ability to just be yourself. Don't try and be someone else. I remember when I was on the cosmetic floor in my day, there wasn't many men around, so I was very lucky in a way that I was always a bit more memorable because of that. Because when you go to those counters, there's so many women there, and I found it quite funny that they'd always go, "Oh, that guy that was here last week, Michael". And then you ask them, "Oh who did you make up last time?" They're like, "Oh, that girl. You know that girl." I'm like, "Oh God, there's like a thousand girls here." Right?
Gillian Fox: That's right.
Michael Brown: So that was lucky that I had that, as a guy, I was memorable. But there was also another guy that worked at Chanel and I was always jealous of him because his sales were very good. Mine were okay. This is when I first started. But then I was like, "What's he doing?" So, I kind of watched him but I wasn't trying to copy him because I feel like don't copy other people. And these days of social media that's the biggest thing, people see something and go, "I'm going to copy that". And it's already been done. Or they're not being their true self, and I think you got to do that. But you can watch from afar and observe, and take notes, but then make it your own. Do you know what I mean?
Michael Brown: And that's what I've always kind of done is use bits and pieces that I've learned, I've seen. Maybe I've seen it on TV or movies, or now social media, and make it your own and then make it that little bit different. But I've always been a good networker and I do really think that comes from my dance background because I was younger, well, I was a male. I was always dancing with older people. So I kind of grew up fast because there wasn't many males around. So to do all the big shows and events, they needed a guy in the routine to lift the girls up and do all the partner work. So I was like 15 years old, dancing with 18-year-old girls sometimes. So, I was very-
Gillian Fox: Yeah, wow. That's a lot of lifting.
Michael Brown: Yeah, it was. And I was growing up quite quickly and I think that really helped me mature as well. And one of my bosses at L'Oreal always said to me as well, it's always been in the back of my head when I first started L'Oreal, always dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
Gillian Fox: Yeah. How interesting. Yesterday, I interviewed someone-
Michael Brown: I was like wow.
Gillian Fox: ... and she said, "Not only do that but dress for your boss's boss".
Michael Brown: Oh yeah.
Gillian Fox: I thought, "Well, that's aspirational, isn't it? There you go. Taking it up, elevating it even further.
Michael Brown: Because I was a makeup artist, we are quite casual because most makeup artists, I would say, they go to someone's home, so it's not like they're getting dressed up to go out. They can be quite casual. Then when you're on set, if you do makeup artistry for movies, film, TV, I did a TV show recently and you have to wear black all day every day. So, it's black jeans, black t-shirts, because you've got to kind of blend into the background in case you're seen. And then in my world, when I do work with a bit more high-profile people, you might dress a little bit more, but you still don't really dress up. So when I started working in L'Oreal's office, in the head office, I was wearing like jeans and a short sleeve collared shirt most days. It was quite casual for a corporate office. Even though it was L'Oreal, it's fun, it's makeup. And she's like, "You need to stop wearing jeans. You need to get a nice business shirt and you need to start wearing proper chinos or pants, or whatever because even though you're makeup, you're still around other people and if you want to go further in this company, you've got to think about your future that way". And I was like, "Oh, I'd never thought of that".
Michael Brown: So then, from then on, I always wore a full collared shirt, proper pants, proper dress shoes, and then later my L'Oreal career, as my training roles got bigger, I was wearing ties and everything. So yeah.
Gillian Fox: Well, you love clothes, Michael.
Michael Brown: Yes. And that actually got my love for fashion working at L'Oreal because you got to think what you're wearing every day because you go into an office, you know?
Gillian Fox: Yes, yes, yes.
Michael Brown: And meetings with clients. Yeah, it was great.
Gillian Fox: Well, I think style is very important. I know it's not everyone's thing and people could say makeup is not their thing as well, but I observe it and I absolutely love it, and I think as humans, we are very judgmental.
Michael Brown: Yeah. Well, in a first impressions, yeah. Yeah.
Gillian Fox: Very much so. I think there's a piece of data that says in the first seven seconds we make 11 decisions about someone.
Michael Brown: Yeah, I've heard that before. Yeah. And that is very true because even with makeup, whenever I meet a woman out or a girl out, the first thing when they say, "Oh, what do you do?" And I say, "Oh, I work in makeup". The first thing they say, "Oh, don't look at my makeup. What's my makeup doing? Is mine wrong? Oh, my God". And I they stress out and I'm like, "I'm not even look ... Like you observe you. I'm
Gillian Fox: I'm off duty.
Michael Brown: I'm not studying your face when I first meet you. It's more about you as a person and your energy or your overall kind of look. Not like individual, oh your eye makeup's a bit crooked. It's all about the overall image, so that includes fashion.
Gillian Fox: What have you learned about women, like doing their faces? And you've done all sorts of people over the years. What are women looking for? What makes them feel good, Michael?
Michael Brown: Do you know, the best thing I love about that question is no matter who I've worked on, whether it was when I was in the retail working on people from all ages, all walks of life and all different skin conditions, I would say, in retail, because you see everything, then now going into more celebrity, fashion models, type of thing. Anyone has some kind of a concern or an area on their face that is not what they would love. Everyone gets a breakout, everyone has pigmentation. Even some supermodels that I've worked on, the first thing they said to me was, "Oh, make sure you cover that area there because that's my bad side or that's my pigmentation or I've got a breakout there or a scar there". So no matter who you are, we all don't like something on our face. So don't think, oh, look at those beautiful women in magazines or a billboard or on social media because they all have the same feelings that anyone feels. And I've had that from being people in my chair for years.
Michael Brown: And I think just women are just wanting to just feel good, not necessarily made over and to look different, and that's not my makeup style either. Like, I don't plaster makeup on and cover everything and not a freckle in sight. That's not my kind of makeup style. But everyone just wants to just feel good.
Gillian Fox: I think so too.
Michael Brown: Feel fresh.
Gillian Fox: Will you talk about the realistic look like that's one of the things that you are known for getting that beautiful base which I absolutely love, particularly as someone a little bit older because my day of the metallic eye contouring is gone. What are your tips around that? Because foundation is really tricky, and some women love to wear a lot of makeup.
Michael Brown: Mm-hmm. Even just recently, with COVID, the last two years, no travel, obviously, and I went to Europe in June like everyone else. And once again, I was looking around, especially in Paris and those kinds of places going, "Wow, Australians really wear a lot of foundation". The eye makeups and stuff are quite similar when you travel around the world. But I look at Australian women in general going, "A lot of heavy foundations, heavy concealing". And I don't think we kind of need that. I don't know whether it's because, I don't know, we've been told that we need to have good skin. I don't know what it is. But my aesthetic, I would say, in makeup artistry that I've been known for or media of noticed this, or even my celeb clients like Jacinta Franklin, I work with a lot. Everyone always says to me, "Oh, Jacinta's skin is so beautiful, how do you do that?"
Michael Brown: And I'm like, "Well, it's obviously because she has great skin. She's very good at her skincare." And that's just what it is, it's skin prep. Before any makeup, I definitely don't just slap it on. And I get so funny when I watch other makeup artists work sometimes who just sometimes use this small little cream, put a primer on that's hardly anything and put foundation on. I use a hydrating essence or maybe a mist, and then I use a serum, then I massage it in, and then I might use an eye roller to kind of cool underneath the eye and get rid of puffiness. And then I use a cream, and then I use a primer, and then I might use foundation. You know what I mean?
Gillian Fox: Yes.
Michael Brown: Skin prep is really important, and more so as we age and it might take you five minutes longer, but you make up will look so much fresher. It won't go into lines, and it will last longer too. So it's actually beneficial, people, to spend that extra time skin prepping because you don't use as much, I found, in a foundation.
Gillian Fox: So, what would be like for a pre-work regime? Because a lot of our listeners are professional women.
Michael Brown: And time poor.
Gillian Fox: Yeah, time is the essence. I get it when you're going to something super special, you can play and just linger a little bit longer. But if you're going to work, what would be the key prep pieces before you hit that foundation bottle?
Michael Brown: Look, as long as you're really putting moisture back into the skin. Most women that I know spend more time, obviously, maybe at night doing a routine because they're coming home or they've gone out for dinner or something and they're taking off the makeup, which kind of requires a skincare routine. You might double cleanse, and then do your night serums and everything. So in the morning they're kind of like, "Well, I did all that last night. My skin's all serum and moisturised from last night." But during the night, your skin can definitely lose moisture. Now recently, we've had a very weird winter here in Sydney with La Nina, and I went to a event recently where a dermatologist was saying that dermatitis has been the highest he's ever seen, and a lot of skin conditions have come up this winter because of so much heating.
Michael Brown: Now, the temperature, I don't think, in Sydney, was as cold as other seasons or winters. But the heating, the indoor heating is so drying for skin.
Gillian Fox: So drying.
Michael Brown: So if you don't re-moisturise and do at least something to moisturise the skin before foundation going on, your foundation is the only kind of liquidy texture on the skin, it's just going to suck it in. So, it might look a little bit drier than it should. It definitely won't last as long because your skin will start eating the product because it's desperate for moisture. And then you'll come to midday and go, "Oh gee, half my foundations not there. Or my skin's a bit pink because the coverage is gone." So you need to put that moisture back on to create that kind of balance, that hydrating balance, and then you moisturiser over the top. I think primers, as well, is amazing. These days, there's so many blur primers. That word blur is in so many primers. I've got one-
Gillian Fox: What does it mean? What does blur mean?
Michael Brown: Blurring kind of is like a filter for your face. So it's like when we use our Instagram stories and everyone loves the Paris filter because it kind of blurs us out and looks fabulous.
Gillian Fox: We look better.
Michael Brown: Yeah. So it's kind of like that because priming used to be more, I would say, for oily skins and breakout, kind of those silicon ones that kind of fill in any little acne scarring or pores and things like that. Now we can use them for dry skin, sensitive skin, all skin types really. If it has the word blurring in it, it just kind of smooths everything out a bit. Whether it's a pore, a line, kind of uneven skin, and that really makes foundation look much more flawless.
Gillian Fox: What about social media? You mentioned it earlier on. How has that impacted what you do, Michael if you think about the last 10 years?
Michael Brown: I mean, I'm very happy with my career. There's definitely no regrets. There's positivity there, definitely. But I go, "God, imagine when I was working in the retail stores or doing little jobs back then if I had social media to promote and kind of put my work on a platform like that because it's kind of there forever. It's like a portfolio". And now it's like, "Have you got a business card?" I'm like, "Just go to my Instagram. It's all there. You can see makeup I've done. Hair I've done. Skin I've done. TV I've done. It's all there". It's like a business card now. And it's like a portfolio. So, as a business owner, it's an amazing tool that yes, you do have to realize that a lot of social media isn't really real life. And I think when you're smart enough to understand that and take it for what it is, and have aspiration and go, "Oh look at that person, they're on holiday, or look at that makeup look how fabulous, or look at their lifestyle". Just know that probably 20% of it is a little bit filtered, or fake, and that's just how it is. But I think in my world, I wish I had it when I was younger just to learn more.
Michael Brown: In terms of posting, I know a lot of my celebrity clients who have, someone like Miranda Kerr, I've done her makeup so many times. She has like 12 million followers. And whenever any of my top clients post a very polished, professional-looking photo, maybe it's from a magazine shoot or a campaign they're being done. It's a beautiful image. They post it and they go, "Oh, look at that. It's going to get all the likes". Not really. The minute they post something behind the scenes that's not as polished, and it could be them almost in the makeup chair getting ready, or backstage at a fashion show, or that kind of stuff, oh my God, the engagement is through the roof. People are now for the first time in the last say five, 10 years are seeing what happens behind the scenes. Even something like Met Gala, for example. That's a great example. We're more interested in how they get ready, and what are they doing to get ready. Are they in a hotel room? Who's doing their makeup? Who's styling them? And in the car on the way to that stairs rather than the photo that comes out from that photograph.
Gillian Fox: The red carpet picture.
Michael Brown: Yeah
Gillian Fox: Yes. Much more interesting.
Michael Brown: We all want to be behind the scenes. And I've noticed a massive shift in people's career choices. Makeup artists, stylists, they think it's so glamorous. I want to be a stylist of the stars, makeup artists of the stars. And I'm like, "Ooh, okay. It takes a lot to get to that point." You know?
Gillian Fox: Absolutely.
Michael Brown: But people sit on social media and go, "How glamorous". It's not always the case.
Gillian Fox: No, I'm sure there's a lot of hard work that sits behind all of that.
Michael Brown: Yeah.
Gillian Fox: So Michael, thinking of the beautiful women that listen to this podcast, what would be, this is such an easy question for you, but what would be your three fav products for the moment? And just thinking about them in the sense that pulling off a professional sort of made-up look.
Michael Brown: One thing I always say is you don't have to cover your whole face with foundation. If your skin is great or you're not really a makeup wearer, but you want to look fresh and whatever, it's all about the eyes really. So when you wake up in the morning, the first thing people do is kind of look in the mirror and go, "Oh, dark circle. Oh, pigmentation". Oh, there could be a pimple or something like that. And then they automatically just cover. And I don't know why they have to cover the whole face the same. So, pinpoint areas that are of concern. For me, it's always dark circles. So I kind of cover there first, but I don't really put foundation on the rest of my face. You know what I mean? And so saying with women. Yes, you might want to wear a lipstick, and a brow, and a blush, but you sort of have to cover the whole face.
Michael Brown: So, cover what you need to and then work from there. So that could be only a minute in the bathroom in the morning, a full foundation, it can take up to five minutes. So you're saving time.
Michael Brown: A really good concealer is more beneficial than a proper foundation, to be honest. Also, brows-
Gillian Fox: Mm-hmm. I've got brows.
Michael Brown: Brows is something that people don't address enough, I feel. And I'm not talking about shaping here because most women shape them or have a nice arch or whatever. It's more about the makeup that goes on. Even just brushing them up can make a huge difference. The illusion of the hairs going upwards, lifts the whole eye because it takes the eye line up. So if you brush them up or use one of those brow products, like a brow mascara that has color in it, use that so a bit of density and brush them up. That is so much more uplifting and anti-aging than leaving them bare.
Gillian Fox: Yes. Okay.
Michael Brown: And then, of course, a lip color. You can never go ... I mean, your lip color today is fabulous.
Gillian Fox: Thank you.
Michael Brown: It's like a watermelon kind of color. And something to brighten the face, and something to freshen it up, and then use the same excess of it on the cheek. And you're kind of done. A bit of concealer to kind of take away a bit of redness, a bit of dark circle, brush up the brows, maybe some mascara, and then use your lipstick and use the excess as a bit of a blush, and you are literally done. That's like four products, probably five, or six minutes. Beautiful.
Gillian Fox: Yeah, I love that. I love that. What concealer do you think is super-duper? I've heard you talk about the, is it the HUDA?
Michael Brown: My absolute go-to that's been in my kit now a while is the Bye Bye Under Eye IT Cosmetics. IT Cosmetics, in Australia, you can only buy that at Sephora, so online or in-store, but it's just the best. Like it looks when you first put it on your hand from the tube, some people out there might go, "Ooh, this looks like it's quite a full coverage." It is. But what I like about it is I can use it on one spot on someone, or pigmentation, or even under the eye area with a beauty blender or even a brush, you can buffer it out really well. It's got enough moisture in there that it's not cakey; it will blend. And that's the thing with concealers. Some just are like a blob and go cover, but you can tell you've covered that one circle. It needs to blend out and buff out to nothing. And Bye Bye Undereye is brilliant.
Gillian Fox: I love the products that I use the Kevyn Acoin Brow Pencil.
Michael Brown: Brows really are anti-aging. Like I think a lot of people need to look at their brows more. I find that a lot of clients, they go, "Oh, sorry about my brows, there's so thin. Can you do something?" And yes, you can do little feathery strokes and kind of make hairlike strokes to fill them up. You don't, obviously, use the pencil and use one big line. You kind of feather them to make those hairlike strokes. Now there's even brow pens. I think it's-
Gillian Fox: Anastasia?
Michael Brown: Anastasia Beverly Hills-
Gillian Fox: Anastasia.
Michael Brown: ... has a beautiful brow pen that you can actually literally draw super, super fine hair-like strokes to create that fullness in your brow. When someone has a fuller brow, it literally frames their face. You brush the hairs up to give their illusion of lift and it really is anti-aging.
Michael Brown: Oh, you do Miranda Kerr, like her skin or Jacinta, or all those women. Well, it does take time. They don't just wake up and-
Gillian Fox: It's a commitment.
Michael Brown: Yeah.
Michael Brown: I know that all my clients, even Miranda, she has her own skincare line, so she's obviously very invested in her skin and her look. And she's very into the wellness kind of community of beauty as well. And even when I do her makeup, she's almost walking towards me already applying creams, and she has a Gua Sha tool, firming her skin. And then sits in my chair, then I kind of almost do it again with my product. So, it's not like she that is wake up and put a bit concealer on walk out the door. It is a commitment.
Michael Brown: Yeah, yeah. That's right.
Gillian Fox: And these women are been paid to look fabulous and their face sometimes is their money maker. So, some of them are sleeping on silk pillowcases, for example, or that they are using eye roller tools to get rid of puffiness. They really invest.
Gillian Fox: Yeah. Yeah. It's good to know. It's makes us feel better too.
Michael Brown: Not mainly in money in time, but in time. In time. Yeah.
Gillian Fox: Yes. Yes. And what about you, Michael? You always look fantastic. I think you're like a fine wine, you're getting better with age. What's your routine? I know you love your exercise. Like that's a super important thing. I recently heard on the podcast; you love your Vita Glow collagen.
Michael Brown: Yeah, the Vita Glow collagen. Yeah. That's only, well, I've been probably year and a half I would say, I've added that into my routine. I never really believed in those collagen drinks or powders or whatever. So, I was like, "How is that going to really help?" But I guess when you understand it more and it's ingested into the bloodstream, so it kind of gets results quicker. And look, it's going to go into your ... all of your skin's going to improve, not just around the eyes or the face where you want it to go. It's all of your skin. But that's great. I just have more knowledge now, I guess. And even during the podcast, my co-host Alicia is great, and I've learned a lot from her. She's very technical about skin, and ingredients, and technologies, more than I am. And just things like the LED light therapy, using an eye roller when my skin gets a bit puffy, especially under the eyes, it's just more knowledge, I guess. But yeah, just take the time.
Gillian Fox: Take the time.
Gillian Fox: Yeah. Well, you have a very busy schedule, so you would have to be very conscious managing yourself in that way just to make sure that, you know what I mean, you do have that space to relax, recalibrate before you get that high energy back in there again.
Michael Brown: Yeah, I'm very lucky. I've definitely always had the high energy. I think exercising and getting outdoors as much as you can, it just kind of inspires you a bit. There's some mornings where I go, "Oh, damn, I can't even go to a run this morning or the gym". Because this morning I had to get up at 4:45 AM and it was raining, so I was like, "Well, I'm not going to go for a run then". So today, I'm like, "Oh, well I can have an off day, but I might have an afternoon walk or something just to kind of balance it out".
Gillian Fox: Just to move your body. Yeah.
Michael Brown: And I'm not going to go for a run, but I'll do a walk instead. Just keep active, I think. And just be knowledgeable about new trends and new things out there. There's so much you can do for your skin that isn't really much time or effort that can actually make a big difference.
Gillian Fox: Yeah, it's moving at a tremendous pace.
Michael Brown: Yeah.
Gillian Fox: Michael, thank you so much.
Michael Brown: Thank you.
Gillian Fox: It has been so much fun and such a pleasure. And I feel like I need to go revisit the beauty cupboard and approach ... Lots of great tips.
Michael Brown: Thank you so much for having me.
Gillian Fox: Pleasure.
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