5 minute read
My Life
TINA SMIGIELSKI WORDS SIOBHAN DUCK PHOTO
JADE KISNORBO
The House of Wellness beauty expert has never been afraid to face a challenge — with the help of a good concealer and a little cream blush, of course.
The acclaimed make-up artist’s can-do attitude is the reason she has survived in the beauty industry. It started in 2003, when she joined soccer star boyfriend (now husband) Patrick Kisnorbo on a journey to the UK where he played in the Scottish and English football leagues. Within two years of packing up her life in Australia, Jade had begun her UK make-up career.
“It was an interesting journey for me,” Jade says. ”I did a degree in health science and was brought overseas to London through life. I think I just knew, with his (Patrick’s) career (which involved a lot of travel), that I had to be selfemployed. So I decided to study at a really prestigious fashion, hair and make-up school in London, and was exposed to such an elite level (of the industry). I really took advantage of my time over there ... I started to do New York, Paris and London fashion weeks. I worked in TV, and it just went from there.”
That same can-do approach has helped her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When her husband was locked down in a “soccer hub” for three months to coach Melbourne City, Jade was left juggling work commitments and home schooling the couple’s two young daughters.
“I’m not one of those people who sits and complains ... I just got on with it. I want to be a role model for my girls and the show had to go on. We become the world we live in.”
As a working mum, Jade says she is taken aback when people tell her that she is lucky her husband supports her work.
“I think, no disrespect, but it should be an equal partnership,” she says. “I moved my whole life for 10 years, it’s a given that he should support me, too. I’m grateful that he has.”
When COVID-19 hit Australia, much of the beauty industry changed; events were cancelled and talent was forced to do their own make-up via Zoom.
Rather than waiting for a change in circumstances, Jade got creative and began conducting online beauty make-up masterclasses. They proved so popular she continued running them when lockdown ended.
Anyone who sits in her chair — whether an anxious bride or celebrity — is given the same care and attention.
And that goes beyond the magic Jade weaves with her brushes and mascara wand. She prides herself on being the calm before the storm for clients, distracting jitters with easy conversation and acting as a sounding board for concerns.
“I’ve helped so many people through important moments in their life,” Jade says.
“I have worked with people who have suffered illnesses that have left them with no eyelashes, and a simple magnetic lash can give them confidence in a second!
“I’ve nurtured those preparing for the red carpet, when the person knows the world is watching and one mistake can change perceptions. They are pressurised environments, and my aim is to give them a calming experience to prepare for it.”
Jade has walked her fair share of red carpets as the wife of a professional sportsman, but says the experience is just as intense for those behind the scenes.
“As a make-up artist you spend a lot of time working with the hairstylist and a stylist to find a look that will make them feel their best,” she says.
“There’s a lot of pressure. I know we’re not saving lives. It’s fun but it’s like every job, you’re only as good as your last job.” Growing up, Jade would watch her grandmother apply her signature Chanel red lipstick, instilling in her a love of all things fashion and beauty.
Now her own daughters — Milana, 7, and Valentina, 5 — are following in her footsteps.
“My seven-year-old can pretty much do a perfect red lipstick,” Jade says with a laugh.
“I have always encouraged their creative side. I just want them to have a healthy relationship with it. Make-up is just about embracing your face; not wanting to change it, but enhance it.”
For Jade, who is a twin, family is important.
“In most households there is one person who is crazy busy, in ours it’s two. So I think it’s very important the children feel that sense of family time that we have together, and for us that is when we eat dinner.
“We always go around the table and ask each other the best thing about our day. And we like to keep Sunday for just the four of us. When you come back from living overseas for 10 years the demands on your time from (extended family) can be a lot. If we aren’t selfish like that then our family and the legacies we want to pass on to our children, they just go because we always work around everyone else.”
WATCH THE HOUSE OF WELLNESS TV SHOW ON CHANNEL 7 FOR MORE OF JADE’S BEAUTY TIPS AND TRICKS
During her career, Jade has seen huge changes in the beauty industry.
These include everything from the advancements made to at-home skin technology such as LED face masks through to the wide range of lotions and potions available to enhance every bit of the human body. She has also seen more men embrace skincare and make-up.
But while Jade has encountered the fall-out from the 1990s trend of over-plucked eyebrows and seen slap-dash Kardashian-style contouring, not updating their look is the biggest beauty blunder people seem to make, she says.
“Beauty should evolve over time just like your personal style in your wardrobe or at home,” she says.
