Interviewed by Francesca Wallace as a judge of the first Vogue Australia Beauty Awards, Melanie Grant traced her route into the industry and set out the principles behind her practice. The photo caption reads: "Skincare specialist Melanie Grant helped judge the first Vogue Australia Beauty Awards."
On how she got there: "I always knew I wanted to work in beauty so I studied aesthetics straight out of school. I realised very quickly that my interest and passion was definitely in skin care." After beginning in traditional spas, she moved through roles with plastic surgeons, dermatologists and skin clinics to learn lasers and more advanced modalities. "I soon found that what I really wanted to offer my own clients was the best of both worlds — the uncompromising care and restorative experience of the spa world, with the results-driven technologies used in clinics. This is where my own approach of 'clinical beauty' was born."
On working with high-profile clients: "My team and I have an unwavering code of discretion and truly value the privacy and trust that's earnt from the client-therapist relationship for all of our clients, including those with a high profile. For us, the most important thing is treating the person in front of us, so we never pressure clients for photographs or social shout outs."
On why she talks about skin health rather than appearance: "There's no point in going after an unattainable ideal of 'perfect' skin. It's not realistic or sustainable. For me, celebrating the features that make us who we are — like some texture, a rosy cheek, lines from a life well lived and a sprinkle of freckles across the nose — are what make us unique and most beautiful." Her philosophy, she says, "has always been that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
On getting there yourself: "Every skin is unique, so it's important to take the time to get to know yours… What works for one person may not necessarily work for another." She recommends an evening double cleanse, antioxidants by day and actives such as AHAs or retinol at night, broad-spectrum SPF as the final morning step, and gentle regular exfoliation.
Asked for favourites under $50, she named Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentré — "so calming and plumping" and usable as cleanser, moisturiser, primer or mask — along with Bioderma Sensibio H2O and active formulas from The Ordinary.
A sidebar carried her picks from the awards: the Dyson Supersonic, Tom Ford Brow Sculptor, Chanel La Crème Main, SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic ("a mainstay in my morning regimen for years") and Augustinus Bader's The Cream and The Rich Cream, which she has used "on my own skin and as a finishing product in my treatments for more than five years now".
