To the max

BEAUTY FORECAST

When it comes to leading celebrity hair stylists and make-up artists, there’s few more in demand than Max May. The Sydneybased talent shares his top predictions for coming months

Max May is a ubiquitous name in the Australian beauty scene, and it largely comes down to his unique approach to following trends.

“I don’t get carried away with trends and I am a big advocate for telling others not to either,” Max says.

“My clients come to me because I’m very much about making a woman feel beautiful; that’s my number one thing.

“It’s about making makeup look like it belongs on a girl’s face. I really like to work with what’s there rather than contorting clients into someone else.”

Max is a make-up ambassador for Nude by Nature, which came about due to his interest in natural ingredients. “I use a lot of natural products in my beauty routine as my skin is super sensitive,” he says.

“Nude by Nature have just launched a natural volumising mascara and when I started working with the team as they developed it, I learnt about the ingredients found in commercial mascaras and it’s actually kind of terrifying.”

Experimental eyeliner

This season, Max is predicting a focus on eyeliner, from classic liquid liner to a modern smudged-out feline flick or double liner a la Sophia Loren. Graphic colour eyeliner is also proving popular among younger generations.

“I think we’re going to see a lot more experimental eyeliner looks, so it’s about playing around with eyeliner variation, trying different eye looks and working out what suits you best” he says.

“Everyone’s looking for change post-lockdown and my clients have requested more looks that involve colour play, which is nice from a creative perspective.”

Thin is in again for brows

As for brow trends this autumn, less is more according to Max. “We’ve gone from thick, defined brows to fluffy textured brows and now I’m predicting they will change shape again; maybe into something straighter and thinner, I hate to say it,” he says.

“When I started back in the day, everyone had very thin brows and I absolutely loved it. I was talking to Dannii Minogue recently because she had bleached blonde hair and super thin brows in one of her music videos, so the trend still feels very fresh in my mind. However, I love that beauty is constantly changing and evolving; it keeps things exciting.”

Big curls

All this talk about Sex and the City and its much-debated reboot has inspired the return of Carrie Bradshawesque curls.

“Big, bouncy curls are happening again. GHD just came out with this mini curling tong and we’re already starting to see people recreate Carrie’s signature style with it,” Max says.

“I think we’ll see a lot more people playing with texture and body in their hair.”

Flushed cheeks

“Girls are really embracing the blush trend, which I’ve always been a big fan of. Blush is the unsung hero of makeup because it has the power to tie make-up together and make it look seamless,” Max says.

“I think we’ll see a lot more formulations and finishes of blushes this autumn. If you find colourful make-up intimidating, a cheek stain can be a great introductory, too, as it’s more natural-looking on the skin.”