A gorgeous face lights up our blog today. We welcome Bonnie Gillies from Oz Beauty Expert. Bonnie lives true to her name. As a Makeup artist for the most notable faces of Australia – Anna Heinrick, Samantha Harris and many more, and a content contributor for Body and Soul, it’s not new that you see Bonnie chasing the latest beauty trends – and we all want IN to her world!
With a passion in beauty, she has created her own mecca filling the space with the latest beauty trends and news, faces of models and celebrities that she has worked on, and reviews of products that she swears by. The best part? We’re all invited to have a peek into her world through her social outlets where she shows us how to get that “je ne sais quoi” like only she can. You can find her on Youtube, Instagram and on her personal blog Ozbeautyexpert.com.au.
We got lucky to sit down and chat with Bonnie to ask a few questions about work, life and beauty. Keep reading to find out more!
Image by @ozbeautyexpert
What is your morning beauty routine like? And how long do you take?
My morning beauty routine is pretty simple. If I’m going out I need about 30 minutes to get my hair and make-up done. For skincare I apply a moisturiser in the morning, followed by my Bioderma Photoderm BB cream, concealer, blush, eyeshadow and mascara.
How did you first come across French Beauty brands?
I’ve long had a love for French fragrances and over the past few years begun to trial more French skin care and hair care. After my trip to France last year I familiarised myself with more French beauty.
After your visit to France, if there is one thing you could take back to Australia, what would it be?
Aside from the food (OMG so yum) I’d take the French pharmacies home with me. They have so many beauty products and brands on offer, they have a completely different feel to the pharmacies in Australia.
What was your first impression of French women and their approach in Beauty and Style?
I feel like French women epitomise the ‘less is more’ approach to beauty. While they look effortless, they still have a touch of ‘luxe’ in everything they do beauty wise. I’ve found a lot of French beauty products are similar to French food- very refined and beautifully presented. French beauty in general is gentle on the skin, yet highly effective.
Did you know from young that you will be a Makeup Artist? How did it all start? And if you weren’t in the career you have today, what will you be doing instead?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a Makeup Artist. I knew that from a young age. I studied it in college, and travelled early on to work all over the world for various cosmetic companies. Eventually I moved into fashion and feature films.
I started an online diary called ‘Oz Beauty Expert’ posting images of models that I’ve worked with, listing out the products I’ve used and ways to achieve the look. Oz Beauty Expert started to gain a following but I remained fairly anonymous.
After a couple of years of running Oz Beauty Expert as a hobby I decided to put my face to the name and make the website and social media a bit more about me. People started to respond even more to that, and the rest is history!
Nowadays I still do lots of work in fashion, and editorial as well as running the website ozbeautyexpert.com.
Image by @ozbeautyexpert
What is one French Beauty product that you keep recommending to your clients?
The Bioderma Photoderm BB Cream! I LOVE it. And the Sensibio Micellar Water of course.
If you could give your younger self a beauty tip, what would it be?
Protect your face from the sun! And exfoliate. I’m prone to pigmentation and when I was younger I had no idea how to deal with it. If someone had just handed me a good exfoliant it would’ve saved me a lot of stress.
What do you think Australian women do differently from French women?
I think Aussie girls pay less attention to how harsh the products we use on our skin. The French seem to be more mindful of using products backed by science, and products that are so gentle that anyone can use them.
