Every now and then you meet someone who just beams beauty, and not the superficial kind either. We’re talking pure positive radiance from within, signalling a deep intelligence and a cool confidence at the flash of a smile.
For us, this person is Sigourney Cantelo. We have long admired the self-professed lipstickler and yummy mummy to adorable son Max in her role as beauty & health director at Vogue Australia.
So you can only imagine our squeal with delight when we heard about Cantelo’s new beauty site, Beauticate. In a refreshing move away from the traditional cosmetic product-pushing pages, Cantelo’s project unites women with shared stories from fellow beauty sophisticates (or `Beauticates’) who reveal their innermost beauty secrets.
With its uniquely Australian approach, profiles and aesthetic, Beauticate has successfully carved a niche as the go-to for the Who’s and How-to’s of beauty, all wrapped up in one impeccably chic and sleek site.
So far we’ve learned the impeccable beauty secrets of racing royalty Kate Waterhouse, how to do a two-minute face with Baliness princess Lindy Klim, blogger Margaret Zhang shows us (in GIF form) how to cleanse using coconut oil, and we discover where to really part our hair thanks to Sydney hair stylist Paloma Rose Garcia.
But of course we really wanted to know more about Sigourney’s own beauty background. So in this short chat with the cosmetic columnist we discover why the smell of a Revlon lipstick transports her back to her childhood, how she hopes to empower women through Beauticate’s shared stories, what she’s personally learned from her new passion project so far, and the beauty/skincare products she has on high rotation.
Has beauty always been your passion? If so, can you share your strongest beauty memory and how this influenced your career path?
I’ve always loved beauty products. Mum was a TV host and she had the most fascinating collection of cosmetics. I remember sitting on the bathroom floor examining (or more probably destroying) mum’s makeup kit, it was like an Aladdin’s Cave of magical paints and powders. I still remember that smell of Revlon lipstick. When I get a whiff of it now, or Jean Patou’s Joy Perfume, I’m transported back instantly.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a beauty editor, but I knew I wanted to write, I just wasn’t sure what I would write about. I was about a few months in a job on an interiors magazine when a friend invited me into the beauty cupboard at Women’s Weekly. My path was suddenly clear. I finished my degree in Communications at UTS and worked as a junior writer on various titles, writing anything I could get my hands on, while researching beauty like a fiend. I filed beauty stories I loved – I have boxes full of beauty clippings dating back to the nineties that I just can’t bring myself to throw out.
Your passion for beauty and empowering women with real transformations is highly apparent in your new project, Beauticate. Why did you feel a site like Beauticate was needed? How is this approach different to your work as a beauty editor across glossy titles?
I wanted to connect with my reader more. While I love the print medium, it’s somewhat one-sided compared to online. Whenever I’ve met readers over the years at events or received emails from them, it’s been like an “aha moment” – the feeling that I could inspire women to try new things, to help them feel better about themselves was unreal. I saw what was happening with blogs and how vocal and connected the digital beauty community was.
I felt that I had a lot to share and I also wanted to share the stories of some of the amazing women I’ve met over the years. We all love a voyeuristic peek into peoples homes (and handbags) so I decided to create a sleek, sophisticated space for that. And even more than that, I wanted to make it accessible and user-friendly so that the reader actually walked away with the tips and tricks, which is how I came up with the concept of the `Whos’ and `How-Tos’ of beauty. The Whos are our interviews with inspiring and beautiful women and the How-tos are those women (and myself) revealing our innermost beauty secrets via video and animated GIFs.
Can you tell us about the name and the meaning behind it?
It’s a hybrid of `educate’ your `beauty routine and `beauty sophisticates’.
The industry is often criticised for being fluffy or superficial, what is your message to the critics? Why are beauty / cosmetics so valued by women the world over?
It all comes down to confidence. If you look good, you feel better about yourself. If you feel better about yourself, you’re nicer to people. If you’re nicer to people, the world is a better place. No one can argue with that. Plus cosmetics are a small, relatively cheap way to spoil yourself. They look pretty, smell nice and make you look pretty and smell nice. What’s not to love?
Much of your site focuses on the “Who’s” and “How-To’s” with Australian identities, including interviews with racing identity Kate Waterhouse and Balinese beauty Lindy Klim – how do you hope to empower women through these shared stories? What do you hope women will gain?
You hit the nail on the head – it’s all about “shared stories”. Women intrinsically love to talk about beauty. It happens on the bus, in the playground, at dinner parties, we love to share when we find something we love. And there’s no one we trust more than other women. We don’t want to listen to brands, we want to listen to people who use the products and we want to know why they love them.
I hope readers will get an insight into our subjects lives and will be inspired by what they see. Plus it’s always cool when you find out someone you admire uses the same cleanser as you. Or you pick up a new tip from someone you’ve got a girl crush on.
What are some of the things you’ve personally learned so far from interviewing these ladies for Beauticate?
I’ve learned that coconut oil is probably one of the most versatile (and cheap) beauty products around! Margaret Zhang removes her makeup with it, Lindy Klim puts it in her hair and drinks a shot every day and beauty therapist Joss Petroni uses it all over her body.
I’ve learned how to shove an eyeliner pencil in your eye and close your eye around it and line your eyes in about 20 seconds with no mirror from Kate Peck. I’ve learned how to properly use a curling tong without burning yourself thanks to Paloma Rose Garcia. Every day I find myself doing something new in my beauty routine.
As a beauty editor for many years across various Australian glossy titles, you’ve tested hundreds of products – what are the beauty/skincare products you always have on high rotation regardless of beauty trends?
Diorshow Mascara – I love the fat brush.
Trilogy Rosehip Oil – so pure, so good for your skin.
Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil – gets ALL my makeup off in about twenty seconds flat.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – the acest of bases.
My Parlux hairdryer – the strongest around.
And Mason Pearson Hairbrush – love those boar bristles.
You have flawless skin, what’s your secret? Can you share your skincare essentials and diet/supplements you take regularly?
Why thank you! It’s probably the Giorgio Armani foundation. I’m also using Rationale skincare which is great and I have had a few treatments lately to target pigment including IPL and Clear + Brilliant which is like a Mini Fraxel at Clear Complexions in Balmain. Laser Genesis which is a laser facial that targets redness in the skin at Face Plus Medispa and SGA which is Sebaceous Gland Ablation – to get rid of pimples. All four were amazing and I’ve been thrilled with the results.
So far Beauticate has focused on beauty and hair primarily with a little on skin, do you plan to explore skincare in more depth? Such as popular light/laser treatments/chemical peels/active skincare products – it seems this is still an area some women are apprehensive to try, especially since Sex & The City, and reply on shared experiences to build trust.
Certainly – see above! I plan to write about some of these treatments. I have a story on SGA coming out soon.
And finally, what are your thoughts on beauty trends? There seems to be a new beauty product every week, what’s your advice to ensure we can keep up with the times and not break the bank? And how do we know if a trend will work for us or not?
Don’t feel pressured to try aquamarine eyeliner just because it’s all over the runway, but if you think it looks cool, then experiment. Don’t be afraid to try. Remember, it’s only makeup – it will come off!
Keep some Bioderma Crealine next to your makeup kit. Practice makes perfect. Be patient. Watch a tutorial and try your hand at it. It gets easier. Promise.
Visit beauticate.com
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