Hectic facials and LOTS of highlighter: How 5 Aussie celebs got ready for the 2019 Melbourne Cup.

Mamamia understands that Australians have diverse views when it comes to events like the Melbourne Cup. You can read more about the facts around horse racing in 2019 here, a defence of the industry here, and the perspective of some animal rights activists here.

Today, there’s no doubt your Instagram feed is full of women dressed up in bright dresses and hectic headwear for the 2019 Melbourne Cup.

Wearing really, really high heels and holding clutches with perfectly manicured nails, Aussie celebs and influencers look pretty immaculate in their race day getups, all flawless skin, fluttery lashes and lipstick somehow not halfway down their chin.

Side note – check out some races beauty inspiration in our Style Street: Races Edition video below. Post continues after video.

But don’t think for a second they all just rocked up looking like that. No.

Preparing to attend the Melbourne Cup is a pretty big operation. Think: spray tans, manicures, celebrity stylists, facials, hair and makeup artists. It’s a lot.

To find out exactly what goes into those glam Melbourne Cup photos all over Instagram, we asked five Aussie celebrities, businesswomen and influencers – Rozalia Russian, Michelle Battersby, Steph Claire Smith, Olympia Valance and Tegan Martin – to give us a behind-the-scenes look into how they got ready for the 2019 Melbourne Cup.

1. Rozalia Russian, influencer and brand ambassador (@rozalia_russian).

Rozalia on choosing her Melbourne Cup outfit:

Rozalia's Melbourne Cup outfit was a neutral, monogrammed 60s-style shift dress designed by Louis Vuitton.

She told Mamamia, "For this years Melbourne Cup, I was very fortunate to receive a phone call from Louis Vuitton who were keen to dress me.

"I still remember taking that call from my stylist Elliot Garnaut and squealing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would contacted by the Louis Vuitton head office. About two weeks later, Louis Vuitton sent over some samples form their head office from Paris and Elliot and I had a little dress up session.

"All the pieces they sent over were amazing and we ended up choosing a beautiful shift dress with their signature monogram all over it. We paired it with a Louis Vuitton micro trunk hand bag and a simple brown Alice headband."

Rozalia's beauty prep leading up to Melbourne Cup day:

Spring racing carnival prep for Rozalia looked like manicures and spray tans, as well as a pretty hectic-sounding facial.

"There is always a lot of prep that goes into the races, which includes everything from workouts to skin treatments and nails," she said.

"In the lead up to the races, I will try and get to the gym three times a week for at least the month prior. A couple of days before the races, I will get a spray tan, fresh nails and also a facial. For my facial, I go to the Doc Studio where I have a hydra facial and it is amazing! It's this tiny little vacuum that sucks out all the congestion and my skin is super softy and glowing afterwards."

Rozalia's Melbourne Cup makeup look:

Rozalia's hair and makeup look was simple and sophisticated with a touch of old school glamour.

She said, "For my hair we went for an old school blow wave with a modern twist by using a large ghd barrel to bend my ends. My hairdresser Hermiz used a range of different products from Eleven including their Eleven shine serum which added a beautiful sheen to the ends."

"In terms of make up, Chantelle Baker used my favourite foundation by Giorgio Armani which really gives my skin a beautiful glow. It provides great coverage but is day appropriate so my skin is nice and fresh. We kept my eyes pretty simple and emphasised them with a smudged wing gel liner and then blended it in with eye shadow. For my lips, Chantelle used her signature lip liner, Oak by MAC, and Honey Love lipstick by MAC. It's my go-to lip combo!"

Here are some of the products Chantelle used for Rozalia's race day look:

• Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $99.
• MAC Lip Pencil in Oak, $30.
• MAC Matte Lipstick in Honey Love, $30.

2. Michelle Battersby, Director APAC Marketing at Bumble Australia (@michellebattersby).

 

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A post shared by Michelle Battersby (@michellebattersby) on Nov 4, 2019 at 2:04pm PST

Michelle on choosing her Melbourne Cup outfit:

Michelle's Melbourne Cup outfit was a custom-designed one shoulder floral pink dress by Eliya The Label, styled by celebrity stylist Lana Wilkinson. With an 80s power shoulder and a fuchsia Stephanie Spencer headband, the look was feminine but edgy (I mean, the shoes have studs on them!).

"I have worked closely with Lana for the whole Melbourne Cup Carnival to create looks that make me feel confident and empowered," Michelle told Mamamia.

"I’ve always loved fashion and for this year I wanted to put an edgy take on the dress regulations of the track. Lana makes dressing for the races easy as she’s so aware of what’s out there - it is really a partnership to ensure the best looks are achieved.

"This year, I have been lucky enough to have a custom look made by Eliya The Label. I wanted to tie the colouring in to the Bumble marquee so my dress is pink, with shoes by Lana Wilkinson."

Michelle's beauty prep leading up to Melbourne Cup day:

For Michelle, prepping for the Melbourne Cup started months ago as she's not only going to the race for fun, but also as the head of marketing for Bumble Australia, who have a marquee in The Birdcage.

"Being responsible for Bumble’s build and overall strategy of Melbourne Cup Carnival is high pressure, a lot of work and can be quite stressful - we begin planning in April! This year, I have really turned to hot yoga as it's a solid hour for me to check out and still work up a sweat," she said.

"I try to have my hair sorted early, I see Marie Uva at Uva Salon – she is so talented at what she does and anyone who knows me knows I change my hair a lot so she takes great care of it! A tan is also an absolute must for me, the ladies at Spray Aus are amazing and so flexible, they tan the whole team and I!

"In the lead up to the racing carnival, I can't go past Kristin Fisher Eyebrows for getting my eyebrows sorted - I am also a big believer in a strong brow. I keep my eyelashes natural as I prefer to use false eyelashes on race days."

Michelle's Melbourne Cup makeup look:

 

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A post shared by ???????????????????????? ???????????? (@sylvia.ura) on Nov 4, 2019 at 2:57pm PST

Makeup artist Sylvia Ura created a natural but elevated beauty look for Michelle on Melbourne Cup day.

She told Mamamia, "Michelle’s skin is incredible and she is such a natural beauty, so we usually add a little highlighter to it and ensure we can still see her smattering of freckles, her skin absolutely glows."

"Her eyes are such a feature on her face, so my job is to just to frame with natural colours. We always favour subtle gold and bronze to frame her striking green eyes. Her preferred look is always really natural."

Here's a list of the products Sylvia used for Michelle's Melbourne Cup makeup look.

• Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Day Cream, $49.
• Petitfee Gold Hydrogel Eye Patches, 60 pack for $18.74.
• Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $99, mixed with Kevin Aucoin The Celestial Skin Liquid Lighting, $80.
• Nars Blush, $46.
• Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick, $73.
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light, $73.
• RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $58.
• MAC eye shadows in Woodwinked and Bronze, $29 each.
• Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner, $16.95.
• Kevin Aucoin The Volume Mascara, $43.
• Benefit Gimme Brow Gel, $43.
• Model Rock Lashes Ultra Luxe Individual Lashes, $14.95.
• Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo, $49.

3. Steph Claire Smith, model and co-founder of Keep It Cleaner (@stephclairesmith).

 

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Cup day ❤️✨ Absolutely in love with this Alexis dress from @tntthenewtrend ???? Headpiece and bag from @jeanettemaree , shoes @tonybianco , earrings @olelynggaardcopenhagen // Styled by the incredible @suzeskander Hair by @rachelvitullo and makeup by @monicagingold_beauty ✨

A post shared by Steph Smith (@stephclairesmith) on Nov 4, 2019 at 5:31pm PST

Steph's Melbourne Cup makeup look:

To complement the burnt, bronzey tones in Steph's TNT The New Trend dress, makeup artist Monica Gingold kept those tones as a theme throughout the makeup look.

She told Mamamia, "For flawless, luminous glow on the skin, I mixed a Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow product in with a Giorgio Armani foundation. I also used a Bondi Sands cream highlighter to exaggerate that highlight so she was very, very luminous.

"On the eyes, I used a Morphe palette from Mecca, all dusty burnt red and warm browns. We kept the lashes and brows really simple, we didn't use any false lashes, just her own and some Covergirl waterproof mascara that's really great for long days as it doesn't move. And on her lips, she had a matte terracotta red lipstick she got when she was in Japan."

Here's a list of products Monica used to create Steph's Melbourne Cup beauty look.

• Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, $65.
• Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $99.
• Bondi Sands Pearl Glo Lights, $19.95.
• Morphe 35O Nature Glow Artistry Palette, $36.
• Covergirl LashBlast Volume Waterproof Mascara, $18.95.

4. Olympia Valance, Playing For Keeps actress and model (@olympiavalance).

 

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A post shared by O L Y M P I A V A L A N C E (@olympiavalance) on Nov 4, 2019 at 5:11pm PST

Olympia's Melbourne Cup makeup look:

For the Melbourne Cup, Olympia wore a structured, one shoulder white and pink dress. Gingold also worked on Olympia's makeup and said the goal was to keep the makeup really soft and simple to let the dress shine.

"Olympia's dress was really bold, so the makeup was about being pulled back and showing her natural beauty. Very soft, simple, pretty and feminine. Olympia had a Napolean Perdis trio with a blush, highlighter and bronzer, which I used on her face as well as her eyes. I used the highlight shade under the brow bone and the inner corner of the eye, then a wash of colour over the eye with the blush and bronzer mixed together," she said.

"I used a lengthening mascara plus some extra little false eyelashes on Olympia so the look was quite long and fluffy, and a white eyeliner in the waterline to whiten and brighten the eye area. Olympia's lips are naturally quite pink, so I did a wash of a nudey gloss."

Here's a list of some of the products Monica used to create Olympia's Melbourne Cup beauty look.

• Napoleon Perdis The Ultimate Contour Palette, $65.
• Napoleon Perdis Couture Brow Kit, $49.
• Napoleon Perdis Permission to Lengthen Mascara, $39.

You can listen to Olympia Valance's episode of the You Beauty podcast below. Post continues after audio.

5. Tegan Martin, former Miss Universe Australia and 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival Ambassador (@tegan.martin).

 

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Making an entrance on @lexusaustralia Melbourne Cup day like.. ???? @FlemingtonVRC #MelbourneCup #LoveCupWeek #MyerFOFT

A post shared by TEGAN MARTIN (@tegan.martin) on Nov 4, 2019 at 5:31pm PST

Tegan on choosing her Melbourne Cup outfit:

Tegan wore a bright orange, sleeveless, ruffled Elliat dress for Melbourne Cup day, teamed with a black hat by Heather McDowall.

"This year, as the Melbourne Cup Carnival ambassador, I got to use Myer as my wardrobe, which was a bit of a treat for me! I worked closely with stylist Elliot Garnaut to ensure I was on-trend but I still wanted to feel comfortable and confident on every race day," she told Mamamia.

Tegan's beauty prep leading up to Melbourne Cup day:

For Tegan, her main skincare concern is dryness, especially when wearing makeup, so she made a point of having regular facials leading up to the racing events.

"I have been having fortnightly facials at a1skin in Melbourne, which is a bit of a celebrity beauty hub. My skin is very dry so having regular light therapy and hydrating facials has ensured that I have the perfect canvas for a full face of makeup. A tan and set of fresh nude nails are also a must."

Tegan's Melbourne Cup makeup look:

"My outfit was bright orange and quite the statement piece, so I opted for a natural bronzed dewy glow. You will also find me carrying a hydrating mist in my clutch to use throughout the day," Tegan said.

Here's a list of the products makeup artist Cassandra Lusi used for Tegan's Melbourne Cup makeup look.

• Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask, $35.
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, $58.
• Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation, $65.
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $46.
• Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, $60.
• Too Faced Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Collection, $75.
• Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Penelope Pink, $49.