Giuliana Benedet 10 Beauty Cheats Interview

Giuliana Benedet 10 Beauty Cheats Interview

Any Australian woman can attest to the fact that with our lives moving at the pace they are, beauty is one of the first things to move down the priority list. As much as we may want 24/7 sun-kissed skin, perfect nails and blow-dried hair, time simply does not allow it which is why beauty cheats are the modern woman's best friend. The founder of Sydney's newest spray tan salon Beach St, Lauren Capelin is an expert in quick beauty fixes. Lauren has been in the tanning business for years, previously having owned successful Bondi-based salon Tan Temple and having co-founded popular tanning brand Sunescape.

1) 'A manicure in your lunch break is an absolute luxury, and most would agree that it's simply not realistic. An at home mani will suffice provided you're equipped with high-quality polish and a steady hand. Avoid ruining all your hard work in a matter of seconds with this sneaky tip – dip each hand in a bowl of ice water for one minute each to dry nails and go about your day with full use of your hands!"

2) 'Many people agree that the signature sign of health, beauty and confidence is glowing, sun-kissed skin. However, most would agree that they do not have the time to lounge about on the beach all day building up a healthy glow – not to mention the health risks involved! A spray tan is the quickest, safest way to feel like your best self. Some of our customers swear they look 10kgs lighter after a spray!"

3) 'Dry shampoo – enough said! This god-send should be in every busy woman's bathroom cabinet and work drawer."

4) 'You were born with hands for a reason – use them! If you're in a hurry, put your brushes away and apply eyeshadow with your index finger, blush with two fingers (moving in a circular motion on the apples of your cheeks) and foundation with all four fingers. Most beauty-lovers are either for or against using fingers over brushes or beauty blenders. The big pro of applying foundation with the hands is that the heat from our skin melts the product and allows it to be applied smoothly and seamlessly."

5) 'A fabulous winged eye can be the bane of a woman's existence, evidenced by the amount of memes online stating -Never ask a woman with winged eyeliner why she is late'. You'll have no excuse for not being punctual if you use a small amount of sticky tape applied along the eye. It acts as a guide to ensure your liner is straight, even, and going in the right direction. You can be as messy as you want as the excess ink will fall on the tape."

6) 'The worst thing to realise before a hot date is that you've forgotten to shave your legs. Thank goodness for on-the-go shaving cream! You can simply apply the cream and shave in five minutes flat. Always avoid dry shaving, even in dire situations, because it can cause serious skin irritation."

7) 'Embrace the 2-in-1 or even 3-in-1 nature of some beauty products. Most nude eyeshadows with a shimmer make excellent highlighter and illuminator for cheekbones and cupid bows. Glossy pink or orange-toned lipsticks make for creamy, lasting blushes and a clean mascara brush works as a brow brush in a pinch!"

8) 'My new favourite thing is micellar water. Some nights cleansing the face just seems like far too much effort and it's easy to fall into the trap of sleeping with your make-up on which most people know is torture for the skin. Simply apply micellar water to a beauty pad and swipe over the face."

9) 'Limit salon visits by investing in a product such as the Beach St Body Conditioner. It extends the life of your spray tan or, if used daily, you can build a gradual glow."

10) 'If you know you have an event the following day (or you just feel like looking fabulous, no event necessary), sleep with your hair in braids for easy, wavy in the morning. For a less dramatic look, twist your hair into two Princess Leia-style buns and spray each with sea salt spray. This will result in a beachy effect and you can literally say you did just -wake up like this'."

For more information visit www.beachstreettanning.com.au

Interview with Giuliana Benedet, co-founder of Beach St

Question: How important are beauty cheats to you?

Giuliana Benedet: Beauty cheats are a girls or boys best friend, some weeks no one has time for anything and that's where beauty cheats and tricks come in handy. There's nothing better than having a day of pampering at the spa but when you are time poor sometimes in not a luxury we can have.

My life revolves around a beauty cheat and my favourite at the moment is filling in your brows, this makes them look full and finished without stepping foot in to a salon a must for every women.


Question: What are your top tips for spray-tan preparation?

Giuliana Benedet: Spray tan preparation is key if you want a flawless tan.
Do any waxing or shaving 24 hours before your Tan.
Exfoliate your skin the day before your tan. This will remove any dry skin from the body so the tan has an even base to be applied to.
Come to your appointment with fresh clean skin, avoid moisturising on the day of your tan and be sure to remove all deodorant before your spray.


Question: What are the spray tanning no-no's?

Giuliana Benedet: When tanning the biggest no-no's are:
having a colour that does not complement your natural skin tone and colour, not choosing the correct colour can leave you with that 'Fake" tan look which no one wants
Doing exercise straight after your tan, this is a shore way to make your tan look uneven and not very natural
Not blending around the hands, wrist, elbows and knees. These are all areas that the tan naturally holds to so blending them insures those tell-tale signs of fake tan are nowhere to be seen


Question: What should we wear after a spray-tan application?

Giuliana Benedet: The best thing to wear after a tan is something loose and dark in colour, you want something the is easy to get on and off, we prefer our clients not to put a bra back on after the tan to avoid strap marks on the skin so an outfit you feel comfortable in without a bra is the best option.

Question: And, how can we extend the life of our spray tan?

Giuliana Benedet: The best way to extend the life of your tan is by keeping your skin hydrated, moisturise twice daily and drinking plenty of water this will keep your skin supple and prevent dryness.

Avoid anything harsh on the skin, exfoliants or products with chemicals in them will strip your tan away.

If you are going to be swimming in chlorine, we recommend that you rinse off in fresh water.

A moisturiser that has DHA (tan) in it will add a small amount of tan to the skin to prevent your tan from fading.


Question: What is micellar water?

Giuliana Benedet: Micellar water is a gentle cleansing water, similar to a face cleanser but without the fuss of needing water and a face cloth to remove the cleanser, it removes even the heaviest of makeup with ease. Perfect for the busy women just pop some on a cotton round a wipe away.


Question: Why do you love micellar water?

Giuliana Benedet: We love micellar because it is easy, convenient and fuss free, it gives you a beautiful fresh clean skin in a matter of seconds, we use a paraben and sulphate free micellar water so its suitable for even the most sensitive of skins


Question: What's a typical day like, for you?
Giuliana Benedet: There's quite a lot of preparation before the Beach Street doors open in the morning. We take a lot of pride in the presentation of the salon, including our drinks and nibble table, so this is all done first up. Once the doors are open the day fly's by.

Between tanning clients, checking emails, taking bookings and cleaning we rarely get time to sit down!


Question: What inspired the creation of Beach St?

Giuliana Benedet: I have spent the last 11 years working in the beauty industry and Lauren had previously owned a tanning salon, when we combined the duo was unstoppable.

We both knew what we wanted to create and what was missing in the tanning world. We put our heads and passions together and Beach Street was born.

Our passion is to make women and men feel beautiful and confident in their skin and we thought why not do it in style


Question: How is Beach St different to other tanning salons?

Giuliana Benedet: At Beach Street we wanted to bring tanning back into the light, for too long tanning has been and add on or an afterthought treatment in the beauty industry.

We have created a five-star salon with equipment to match, we use an airbrush system to spray the tan on, this avoids dripping, streaking and that wet sticky feeling our rooms have built in extraction units to eliminate excess tan fumes, (safety first).

The rooms are spacious and not to mention heated.

At Beach street we feel its ultra-important that your tan reflects your needs, we don't do one size fits all instead we customise your tan colour according to your skin type, skin tone and your needs.

We take pride in the finer details from the time you walk into the salon from the time you leave.


Interview by Brooke Hunter