Australia is known for its ethnic diversity. From Indigenous to blonde, Mediterranean, Asian, Celtic and dark-skinned, Australian multi-cultural beauty embraces all races, skin tones, hair and eye colouring and exudes a fresh and natural appeal, which reflects the vibrant, laid-back spirit of the country.
Women with a Mediterranean or Hispanic background normally feature darker olive skin, lustrous dark hair and rich brown eyes. When selecting foundation for these women make-up guru Napoleon Perdis says there are two main things you must consider – skin undertone, which is usually either yellow or pink, and how light or dark they are.
“Although not necessarily true for absolutely everyone, Mediterranean and Hispanic women generally have a yellow/olive/golden undertone to their skin as opposed to a pink or red undertone,” Napoleon comments.
“Foundations that have a golden tone instead of a beige undertone will blend better into the skin and look more natural.”
Blush basics
If you want to give your skin a healthy sunkissed look, Napoleon suggests dusting bronzer on the high points of the face that the sun naturally hits – cheekbones, bridge of the nose and centre of the forehead and chin.
Lip tricks
Shades of red, pinks or oranges to nudes will look great. Look for berry reds or brick reds with some depth to them. With oranges go for a softer coral shade, if the complexion is quite deep, too bright an orange can look fluorescent. Nudes will look amazing, stick to shades that are the same as the natural lip colour or a little deeper for that typical JLo look. Avoid shades with a silvery pearlescent finish as they can work against the natural undertone of the skin.
Eye style
Dark eyes look particularly striking in shades of blues, greens or pinks. “To make brown eyes look dark and chocolaty, use golds,” says Napoleon. “Deep plums will draw out any natural green flecks in the eyes making them appear more hazel, whereas charcoals will make brown eyes look a lighter amber brown,” he comments.
Check out other cultural make-up looks here…