Beauty Insider: Best Met Gala Beauty Looks; Gritty Pretty To Close; New Hair & Makeup Collective Launches With Penton & Co

Online beauty magazine Gritty Pretty to cease publishing on May 10; Local hair and makeup talent form bridal beauty collective with Penton & Co; Visit Le Petite Emporium inside Westfield Albany until May 12; Get your hair zhuzhed at Australian Fashion Week with a hair masterclass presented by Shark Beauty.

Welcome to Viva’s Beauty Insider, our weekly column where beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti unpacks every movement within the industry.

Check back every Thursday for the latest instalment, or keep your finger on the pulse by heading to our @Nzhviva Instagram for updates as they happen.

Read on for every important beauty announcement worth knowing this week.

These 5 beauty looks slayed the Met Gala

While Viva’s Dan Ahwa and Julia Gessler offered up their unofficial awards for best dressed at this year’s Met Gala, themed Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, my eyes were firmly fixed on the accompanying beauty looks that set imaginations on fire (or in some cases, didn’t).

Beauty highlights included statement hair, spanning spiky, fanned-out tresses through to micro bangs and choppy mullets; through to high-impact lips in various shades of purple, maroon, crimson and black; or thick bands of blush worn high on cheekbones in warm tones ranging from peach to purple.

Supermodel Anok Yai stunned in a Swarovski-embellished bodysuit, with gradient shades of teal, purple and royal blue echoed in her ethereal-inspired makeup look. Beyond her smoked-out cat-eye, a pop of purple blush on her cheekbones caught the light perfectly, as did the shimmering crystal beauty mark on her lower cheek.

Taking the Garden of Time dress code quite literally was actor and director Rebecca Hall, who had watercolour-esque flowers painted over her upper back and arms. Paired with a wet-look cheekbone-skimming bob and base makeup that allowed her natural skin texture to show through, this beauty look was a real triple treat.

Nina Ricci creative director Harris Reed embraced dramatic proportions in both a fashion and beauty sense, in a three-dimensional corseted pantsuit and a halo headpiece dotted with arrows. Hairstylist Pete Burkill styled the designer’s hip-length hair into undone waves worthy of a Renaissance painting, while makeup artist Sofia Tilbury used two of Charlotte Tilbury’s Luxury Palettes to lend a pop of pink blush and co-ordinated lip.

Greta Lee can do no wrong in my eyes, and manages to pull off myriad beauty ensembles with aplomb. Here, her polished mullet offered extra edge to an otherwise delicate floral ‘fit, while her barely-there base reminds us all that celebrities have pores, too. So many A-listers at this year’s festivities appeared far older than their years due to caked-on foundation or heavily creased under-eyes, so Greta’s makeup felt fresh and youthful by contrast.

One celebrity who wore a smidge more makeup than her usual (being nothing, of late) was Pamela Anderson, who kept things minimal for her first-ever Met Gala with a mix of cream and balm products to offer skin a surrealist glow. The look was created by the team at Pat McGrath Labs, working with shades of baby and candy pink for a look as playful as Pammy’s energy. A soft up-do was reminiscent of the piecey styles she wore regularly throughout the 1990s.

Gritty Pretty to cease publishing from tomorrow

On Monday, Gritty Pretty founder Eleanor Pendleton issued an e-newsletter and associated Instagram to thank readers for their support over the past 10 years, and explained the cause for the closure.

“Today, Gritty Pretty enters its next chapter and will cease publishing this Friday 10 May,” it read. “When I first started Gritty Pretty magazine back in 2014 from the tiny sunroom of my shared Sydney apartment, I could never have imagined I would be given the opportunity to share in such an incredible adventure.”

Pendleton went on to explain how the brand served its purpose to connect inspire, educate and connect readers with all things beauty and wellness, along with offering a spotlight for entrepreneurs and new brand founders alike.

Instead, Pendleton is focusing her efforts on reimagining the brand as a creative content agency, under the moniker Gritty Productions.

An evolution of the empire she built, this lateral step into the world of brand engagement provides the business with an opportunity to create digital campaigns and brand stories across multiple categories — not solely beauty.

“I’m excited to have more of a hands-on role when it comes to ideation and creative direction,” she said, adding more information about this new business venture is coming soon.

Top talent assemble to form hair and makeup collective Penton & Co.

After relocating from Sydney to Auckland, esteemed makeup artist Alex Penton sought to establish a team of hairstylists and makeup artists as part of a bridal beauty collective.

Aptly named Penton & Co., Penton tapped fellow makeup artists Natasha Spellman and Blair Gamblin, alongside hairstylists Robyn Munro and Sherrie Moleta as part of her five-strong team to make the process of securing a glam team for your big day an easy one.

With a combined 20 years’ experience in the beauty industry, Penton & Co. manages every detail from start to finish — from the moment you say “I will” through to “I do”.

Bridal previews three to eight weeks out from the wedding date are included, alongside luxury add-ons like renting high-quality hair extensions or booking a stylist to stay on-site for the duration of the wedding for all-day touch-ups. Should you wish to DIY your touch-ups instead, every makeup service booked comes with a Penton & Co. touch-up kit, and lashes are free of charge.

For more information, visit Alexpenton.com with bookings now open for the 2024-2025 bridal season.

Pick up a last-minute Mother’s Day gift at Le Petite Emporium

Left it a little late to order a gift for the mother figure in your life? Head in to Le Petite Emporium by Beauty at Farmers inside Westfield Albany from now until May 12 for something wow-worthy.

The pop-up fragrance shop, which is located in the mall’s centre court, is a gift atelier with gift wrapping, engraving and gifts with purchase all part of its charm.

Shop your favourite luxury fragrance brands, from Valentino’s new Born in Roma Donna Green or Uomo Green, three iterations on YSL’s iconic Libre scent, the suite of Armani Si, Viktor & Rolf or two versions of Prada Paradoxe.

Depending on which scent you select, expect to receive a complimentary gift including a three-piece gift from Valentino, a complimentary travel-sized scent from YSL, or (our personal favourite) a Prada tote.

Celebrate the beauty of natural hair at this Shark Beauty masterclass

Outfits packed and passport at the ready? Australian Fashion Week kicks off on Monday, May 13, with an impressive line-up of the country’s top fashion talent as they take over Sydney’s iconic Carriageworks building.

If you’re among the lucky few to be heading across the Ditch, there’s an unmissable beauty event pegged for day one of the AFW schedule.

The Hair Masterclass, presented by Shark Beauty, takes place at noon on opening day at Track 8 inside Carriageworks.

Headlined by Rumbie Mutsiwa, renowned hairstylist, natural hair advocate and founder of Sydney-based salon Rumbie & Co., the event highlights the best way to accentuate the natural beauty of a variety of different hair types and textures — especially wavy, curly and coily hair.

Armed with the latest innovations from Shark Beauty, including the FlexStyle and SmoothStyle, Rumbie will enhance waves, curls and afros, showcasing a multitude of styles that don’t compromise hair health.

Build your curl confidence by learning which hair tool accessories work best on textured hair, and walk away with an exclusive Shark Beauty gift bag to apply your newfound skills from home.

Tickets are priced at AU$59 ($64). Click here to reserve yours.

Ashleigh Cometti is an Auckland-based beauty journalist with more than 12 years’ experience in the industry. After joining the Viva team in 2018 and being appointed as beauty editor in 2020, Ash has fine-tuned her skills at sniffing out new fragrance launches, discovering the next generation of talented makeup artists, and writing about all things that feed her obsession as a skincare fanatic.

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