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It is no wonder that Madonna Melrose has inherited a style all of her own and a passion for the world of makeup. As the daughter of dressmaker Norma Bernasconi and pharmacist Leonard Melrose, Madonna recalls growing up being constantly surrounded by beauty. The dresses her mother made looked like they had leapt off the pages of Vogue and the makeup her father brought home from the pharmacy smelt and looked fabulous. And so from her formative years Madonna would grasp at every opportunity to join her father at the pharmacy, while her fascination for makeup continued to grow as she preoccupied herself at the makeup stands, dusting and rearranging the products so everything looked just perfect.
IMPRESSIONABLE MEMORIES
She recalls her mother’s favourite “must have” makeup item being Yardley’s Bisque Beige Compact Powder in a stylish, reddish compact. Her mother would never leave home without it, and of course the red lipstick was also indispensable, which she also cleverly dabbed on her cheeks for a natural blush effect. All these were memorable memories that were indelibly fixed on Madonna’s impressionable mind from early childhood.
With her incredible talent and eye for detail, her mother often constructed garments just from pictures without even using a pattern. Her reputation was so well known that she was approached by Paton’s patterns to be their head designer, but she declined, as her family was her life. It was the materialisation of something out of nothing that Madonna found so fascinating about her mother’s skill and abilities. These experiences shaped her own belief today - that if you want something bad enough, you can achieve it. For Madonna, experience is life’s best teacher and although one also needs technical training in their chosen profession, it is the practical experiences that bring us to the true understanding of what works and what doesn’t – this is her belief.
Two years into a hairdressing apprenticeship Madonna decided to also put her hand to makeup and trained with Patricia Hutchence Advanced Makeup Academy in Sydney. After graduating Madonna was excited and ready to conquer the world of film, fashion and television, but still the hunger remained to continue to learn and explore new and better ways of doing things.
BREAKING THE MOULD
With a rebellious streak and an extremely stubborn and curious nature, Madonna was alw
ays open to a challenge, often pursuing difficult tasks and sometimes even the perceived impossible. She mascara to her model and after just a thick, luscious, top lash application decided her makeup should be completed at this point. To the amazement of her teacher she was instructed to also apply mascara on the bottom lashes.
Madonna of course questioned the necessity for this and since then has challenged the status quo breaking the mould of conventional thinking when it comes to makeup. Interestingly enough, to this day she never wears mascara on her bottom lashes and will rarely apply it on the bottom lashes of her subjects.
A QUEST FOR THE IDEAL PRODUCT
In the early years of her career Madonna admits to being a bit sheepish when it came to purchasing makeup for her kit. Basically if it was sold in the makeup schools and makeup artists had it in their kits, then it must be good and she too would buy it. It was not until she moved into freelance makeup for film, television and fashion photography that Madonna began questioning the effectiveness and necessity of having so many products in her kit. She thought how wonderful it would be if she had just one foundation type that could be versatile enough to meet the needs of both photography and television. Her unpredictable schedule would find her one day chasing the sunrise on Sydney’s Palm Beach with a bikini clad model for a front cover shoot, while by the afternoon she could be working indoors in a TV studio filming a TV series under harsh studio lighting.
THE IDENTIFYING QUALITIES
On location with natural light a photographic foundation needed to provide a natural and fresh finish, leaving the skin flawless with a slight healthy glow but with no evidence of product application. On the other hand, the total opposite makeup finish would be needed for a studio setting. Here the foundation would need to be matt without any shine, and it would not matter if the makeup was apparent. You could not get two more extreme finish needs.
So it was that Madonna continued her search for a foundation that combined the qualities of a liquid base with those of a powder. Was it too much to expect that a product could be moisturising, smoothing and light like an emulsion, yet at the same time easy to apply, practical, comfortable and as long lasting as a compact powder?
It was while working on location with Olivia Newton-John filming a TV series in the harsh wilderness of Russia that Madonna became frustrated. She had identified the kind of foundation she was looking for. It needed to be soft and creamy but not greasy and to possibly contain polymers and silicon oils to enable it to flow smoothly on o the skin making it easier to manipulate and faster to apply - a must on location. The product also needed to contain volatile components that could quickly evaporate and fix the colour on to the face so the foundation could last all day. These were the qualities she was looking for.
Having had the pleasure of working with two of Hollywood’s leading men, Pierce Brosnan and
Jeremy Irons, Madonna also discovered another vital quality. A product that would also condition the skin as well as add the necessary amount of colour with an absolutely natural finish for her male subjects. With Pierce enjoying the outdoors and Jeremy being partial to a cigarette or two, it was important to ensure some skin conditioning, without a lot of fuss.
The foundation would also need to contain moisturising agents and sun filters along with anti-ageing vitamins such as A and E to support the skin’s hydration levels and cut down on skin preparation time. Other qualities that she identified as essentialwere high pigment concentration with true lasting colour. This was reaffirmed after her time spent with Barry Humphries, transforming him into one of his alter ego characters - Dame Edna Everage. Here the demand for colour intensity for such a character on a male skin was critical for achieving the transformation. Madonna came to the conclusion that the thinner the powders the more pure and intense the colour would become.
It was not until she was researching for a TV show called Beauty Basics as executive producer that she realised that throughout her 20 years as an artist the “must have” products in her kit were from the Italian makeup range Diego Dalla Palma. The same range that she once retailed from her makeup and photographic studio in Sydney and the same range used for staff training for some of Australia’s leading hotels and corporations.
Wanting to learn more about this product Madonna contacted the company in Italy just over a year ago and It didn’t surprise her to learn that Diego Dalla Palma had just released a new makeup range with a fresh, wellness focus utilising, new innovative formulations. They had created a generation of products that were hyper comfortable, combining skin benefits and long-lasting colour – all the features she was looking for in one product range. Her prayers were finally answered!
Madonna is now thrilled to be the new driving force behind the Diego Della Palma range in Australia and New Zealand. With such faith and confidence in the product, she proudly believes that the “New Era” of Diego Dalla Palma will usher the most innovative make-up range for the fastidious and discerning consumer. Furthermore, the range perfectly complements the wellness philosophy of the contemporary spa, salon, and cosmetic and medical clinic. Modanna believes that this product is a winner – so much so that she is prepared to back it with her professional integrity.
For more information on Diego Dalla Palma you can contact Madonna Melrose on phone (03) 9596 2821.
