A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by the beautiful Mel Penny, former OK! Magazine Fashion & Beauty Director, for her newly launched website. I loved her questions! Thanks Mel!
Read on to find out what she was curious about :)
Beautiful both inside and out!
TONI MALT
Make-up artist and hair stylist extraordinaire
Were you always a make-up fan when you were a young girl or were you more of a tomboy?
Until I was 22 years old my life revolved entirely around playing sports. I was a complete tomboy growing up. It wasn’t until I came to Dubai at 27 that I started to wear proper make-up! Prior to that I would put on mascara and a powdered bronzer believing I had made a huge effort for a night out. I felt completely out of place when arriving in Dubai, as I had absolutely no idea how to apply make-up, which is why I initially joined a professional makeup school. It was completely by accident that I became a make-up artist!
What was the first perfume you ever bought or were given?
Lou Lou by Cacharel. I still smile when I see it in store nowadays … so many memories. I don’t remember if it smelled good or bad, but it was the first gift I ever received from a boy.
What is your favourite make-up look for yourself?
I adore flawless bronzed skin with a nude lip and just a bit of mascara. At the moment I love to use Guerlain’s Terracotta Mineral powder both as a blusher and eyeshadow.
LEFT AND RIGHT ABOVE: Toni’s handiwork
Talk us through your daily beauty routine.
I have lots of allergies and very sensitive skin so I often feel like I am a bit limited in the products I can use. I cleanse and moisturise my face with Johnson & Johnson products; the baby soap first every morning followed by the moisturiser for sensitive skin and do the same in the evening. It’s real simple but it works for me. Every now and then when I feel my skin is more oily than normal I will add a thin coat of Proactiv Daily Oil Control cream before I go to bed.
Favourite skincare products?
Johnson & Johnson Baby soap, I swear by it! I can’t travel without it!
Favourite make-up products?
As a make-up artist I have access to all the MAC Pro products – a range of specialist products catered to the needs of make-up artists and have since discovered MAC Pro Full Coverage Foundation for myself which I thin out with moisturiser for a more natural look. I love it – it’s a highly pigmented product so I don’t need a concealer or corrector. It gives a perfectly natural looking flawless look within less than a minute. Another favourite of mine is Nivea’s Extreme Resist Waterproof Mascara; it’s the only product that can truly withstand the heat and humidity in Dubai.
Most expensive beauty product ever purchased?
I think the most expensive single beauty item I own is my curling iron form Corioliss in London. It heats up in seconds and the curls last for days. I have to wear a heat resistant glove with it as it has no clamp to hold the hair in place, makes me look like “Michael Jackson” and has lead to one of my girlfriends insisting I do the moonwalk whilst I curl my hair. 
What are some of the most unique items you have ever picked up at beauty fairs or special accessory shops while travelling?
I travel every year to the IMATS International Makeup Artist Trade Show in London, it’s like Christmas and my birthday together. Last time I bought Frederic Fekkai Hi-Lights Hair Mascara with which you can draw golden highlights into your hair. I actually use it at photo shoots to create golden eyebrows.
Another time I bought Smooth-Away’s; it exfoliates while removing all hair on the face. It really works and I much prefer it to waxing or threading, but you can just “feel” that it’s bad for your skin. It’s literally a industrial 3M sandpaper glued to a Smooth Away rubber pad.
Who is your beauty icon?
Oh, that’s a difficult one! I have never had any icons. Most famous people have been fabricated by make-up artist, hair stylists, managers and publicists, so I find it hard to relate to them because we don’t really know who they are and whether the beauty they portray on the outside is supported by the same beauty inside. I guess, being a make-up artist working in the fashion industry, I would consider a beauty icon to be a fellow make-up artist who creates beauty. In that case my beauty icon would be Alex Box, the Creative Director of Illamasqua, for encouraging uniqueness through the art of make-up.
Best spa treatment you have ever experienced?
My favourite spa treatment is a Balinese hot stone massage. I have had the most amazing one in the One & Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives, their Spa is so beautiful.
What do you think of Botox and fillers?
My best friend had both Botox and fillers done a couple of months before her wedding and OMG did she look stunning … Being a makeup artist I work with a different face every day, and absolutely adore the unique beauty of each person! I’m not sure I would love them all as much, if each and every face was sort of “manufactured” with Botox and fillers. However, having said that, I think everyone should do what is best for them and what makes them the most happy. But I would love to see those women who want Botox to do it while retaining pride in their age; after all “Every Line in Your Face is probably a Good Party,” my make-up artist friend Dennie Pasion said to me last week.
What items are always in your make-up bag?
Foundation (Mac Pro Full Coverage), Setting Powder (Make Up For Ever HD Powder), Mascara (Nivea Extreme Resist) , Blusher (any Armani blusher will make me very happy)
Define true beauty in one sentence.
It’s all within you …Being at peace with yourself in your chosen life is the most beautiful you will ever be.
