Salon Melbourne Takes Victoria By Storm!

It wasn’t really a hard decision to make, jump on a plane, visit Melbourne and experience Salon Melbourne. It gave us the chance to see for  ourselves  the biggest, brightest and boldest hair and beauty trade event the country has ever seen. The crème de la crème of the world’s hottest beauty talent, the newest products and the latest cutting edge technologies, Held over two big days at Melbourne’s fabulous Convention and Exhibition Centre on the southbank of the Yarra River.

Sharon Blain's 'After Dark' collection recreated on stage

It was standing room only around the Main Stage bringing fashion, hair and beauty to life with a series of edgy yet informative demonstrations. In an industry coup, two of the world hottest names in fashion, Brad Mullins and Rae Morris presented Dazzling Duos where Morris shared her knowledge of the latest makeup and colour trends from the international catwalks. Makeup maestro Nigel Stanislaus joined legendary stylist Caterina DiBiase to present a lively, colourful presentation on winter hair trends and statement makeup.

Upstairs, education sessions were in the hands of some of the beauty industry’s finest. As one of the world’s most in-demand makeup artists, Rae Morris returned with her sold-out Advanced Masterclass, sharing tips on the best makeup products on the market to achieve fashion looks. In her signature down-to- earth, chatty style, Morris lead an informal, entertaining class where she encouraged her students to "think about the finished look, dewy or creamy?” Before starting, provided clever advice on makeup brushes and talked excitedly about the eyeshadow technology she has seen overseas. Later, Morris was on stage with her friend, UK-based celeb stylist Gok Wan, to sign her new book Express Makeup. 

Another Salon Melbourne favourite is the extraordinarily talented Mandi Levanah. Her Photo Finish Fingernails education session was a hit amongst students who were thrilled with their ‘back to basics’ lesson in painting. Participants left with renewed confidence and were in awe of Mandi’s expert techniques. Mandi also talked of new season nail trends, predicting a huge resurgence in nudes and caramels.

The experienced team at Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College conducted several hands-on workshops including spray tanning, Indian head massage and eyelash extension. At the three hour eyelash extension workshop, twenty students were taken through their paces by educator Cara Doncovio who told her students to "experience” the treatment as often as possible – "doing it, then having it done to you” will help build skills. Downstairs, the pristine Elly Lukas stand was heaving with energy as the team promoted their traineeships, short courses and their new threading course.

Creating a stir amongst visitors and attracting countless photo requests was the blue-clad "Avatar” model created by super star graphic body artist Laurie Faulkner. Working with Bodyography cosmetics, Faulkner’s Avatar model took three hours to paint. Faulkner also graced the Main Stage in an amazing body painting demonstration.

Cosmetics were big business at this year’s Salon Melbourne. At the constantly-busy Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics stand, visitors flocked to receive makeovers and to discover their latest product, the silky smooth Crème Powder Foundation, the first mineral foundation to offer an anti-aging formulation. Over at Bodyography Professional Cosmetics, all eyes were on their new Gypsy Eyes collection featuring four seductive, jewel-toned shadows for a smoky eye effect. The dark, sultry colours are perfect for the
new season.

At the International Beauty Supplies stand, the O.P.I counter was as frenetic as it was colourful, as visitors hungrily snapped up Black Shatter from the Katy Perry Collection. An astonishing 300 bottles were sold in the first hour, and the product was sold out completely by early morning on the first day of the show!

Artistic Nail Design launched their new Colour Gloss Soak-Off Gel Colour, where the nail polish takes less than 20 seconds to lamp-cure under a 45-watt LED light or in about one minute under a UV lamp. With the colour lasting up to three weeks without chipping, dulling, crackling or peeling, the colour then soaks off completely, in moments, without any damage to the natural nail. This product gives new meaning to express manicures!

Affordable local beauty brand A.S.A.P Skin Products launched their state-of-the-art Australian-made Microplus+ machine, which brings together the universally recognized benefits of Microdermabrasion with Sonophoresis (soundwave treatment). The sleek device, complete with a touch screen control panel making operation intuitive and effortless, carries the A.S.A.P trademark of being competitively priced yet effective, making it a certain hit amongst beauty therapists around the country.

The team at Caron Laboratories impressed the crowd with their usual array of leading edge salon products, including their new Microwave to Pot Hard Wax which can be heated in the microwave, without the need for hammering as required with traditional hard waxes, and then delivered straight into a wax heater.

Two of the hottest destinations at this year’s show were the pamper and chill-out zones: the Express at Salon Melbourne Styling Bar and the Garden Bar. Express at Salon Melbourne offered visitors blowdries by the masterful team at Matrix, luxurious Spa Manicures by Bio Sculpture and Makeup Refreshers by Gorgeous Cosmetics, all while sipping a cheeky Peach Bellini or a glass of bubbly. Close by, visitors, exhibitors, media and industry heavyweights met at the super sleek Garden Bar, decorated in decadent,
minimalist white, complete with white leather banquettes.

Event Director Lauren Ebbeck was thrilled by the sheer energy she felt on the exhibit floor and was inspired by the amazing talent gathered under one roof, "I’m in awe of Salon Melbourne this year. The big thing for us in 2011 was to ramp up the education element of the event and I think the demonstrations on the main stage and education sessions have delivered more than we could have hoped for. I think the link between fashion, hair and beauty has been so strong this year and the buzz on the floor has been amazing. I really hope Melbourne has enjoyed the show as much as I have,” Ebbeck said.