5 Minutes With Filomena Natoli

If you’ve ever lusted over a celebrity makeup look or a runway beauty moment, it’s likely the mastermind behind it was Filomena Natoli. The Official Makeup Artist for CHANEL Australia and makeup maestro to the stars (including Celeste Barber, Phoebe Tonkin and Teagan Croft), Natoli is renowned for her subtle yet sculpted approach to makeup.

This year, Natoli was the creative behind the glowing makeup look at the Albus Lumen Afterpay Australian Fashion Week show. Working in collaboration with Synergie Skin (note: great makeup starts with great skin), Natoli opted for sheer skin, bronzed cheekbones and even a sprinkling of sand to bring Marina Afonina’s collection to life.

So, naturally, we couldn’t wait to grill Natoli about all things beauty. And, yes, she shared her number one tip for creating a fresh and bright complexion. You’re welcome!

Hi Filomena! We loved watching the incredible Albus Lumen show at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week. Tell us, what was the inspiration behind the skin and makeup look?

Albus Lumen is a brand that is very texture-oriented. After discussing and viewing the collection with Marina, we both decided on natural pearlescent skin with a scattering of models with sand applied to the skin in an organic manner for added texture.

What is your number one makeup trick that gets you through Fashion Week (both personally and with the looks you create)?

A bit of concealer where I need it, off white eyeliner in my waterline to combat any redness or tiredness in the eyes. Simple is best!

How do you manage the backstage madness and create a sense of calm when creating your beauty looks?

My leadership style is calm which is helpful in keeping my team members calm. I’m methodical with time management too so that the looks are executed efficiently and correctly. Having a sense of calm backstage also helps the models too.

How can we recreate the Albus Lumen beauty look at home?

Well-hydrated skin is the basis of the Resort ‘24 look. The skin was prepped with Synergie Skin DermaCalm Moisturiser as many of the models were coming off other shows. I then followed up with a sheer foundation and spot concealed where needed. Faces were deeply sculpted with bronzer to give a hollow effect and finished with a custom mix of pearlescent highlighter on the high points of the face.