Toni Malt’s Beauty Routine
We ask the Dubai-based makeup artist Toni Malt, founder of Toni Malt Academy and author of Assouline-published book Transform, to share her go-to beauty routine.
What does your morning skincare routine look like?
My morning skincare routine starts with cleansing my face, followed by using my new NuFACE Trinity Facial Toner. It stimulates the skin with a gentle microcurrent and I feel it drains the water and puffiness from my face making me look more lifted and contoured. Try it on half of your face to see the difference. Then I wash my face again and tone it. I continue with lifting serums for the face and eyes, followed by a rich moisturiser and brightening eye cream. To finish off, I apply a special SPF50 sun care lotion for hyperpigmentation and melasma, which I suffer from since moving to Dubai.
Which masks are you a fan of and why?
Living in a harsh climate like the UAE, our skin needs that extra bit of help. My two favourite masks are Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm by Charlotte Tilbury. The other mask I love is the I’m Real Sheet Mask I’m Aloe from Korean brand Tony Moly. All their masks are so great.
Your top three skincare products.
Oils are the most magical base for makeup. They lock in hydration all day and give the glow from within look that we are all after. My favourite is the Chanel Le Blanc Huile, because it is non- greasy and easily absorbed by the skin.
Charlotte’s Magic Serum Crystal Elixir is an amazing mixture of short term and long term skin care. It delivers an immediate hydration boost which makes for great makeup and also helps you achieve long-term skin goals like reducing wrinkles, tightening pores and looking more lifted.
When your concealer looks cakey, it’s often not the concealer’s fault, it is the fact that you didn’t use a great eye cream. Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Creme reduces the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles because it is shiny and blurs these imperfections through light reflection. It is also a great base for concealer, keeping the fragile skin around your eyes hydrated all day.
And what about makeup? No-one leaves my makeup station without a little bit of Beauty Light Wand Spotlight by Charlotte Tilbury on their cheeks. The pearls blur the pores as they catch the light and create the most perfect highlight. My favourite matte liquid lipsticks are the Huda Beauty Liquid Mattes. I don’t like eye primers at all, I love the flexibility of changing my mind during eye makeup application which seems impossible with eye primer. But P. Louise Base changed me forever. The blend of eyeshadows that you can achieve with this product as a primer is beyond what you would ever expect. It is truly magical.
Which fragrance do you choose for daytime?
For the daytime I love fruity perfumes, the kind of perfumes that make you smile with happiness and a summer vacation feeling. My favourite for many years is Arancia Di Capri from Acqua Di Parma.
What about night time?
My current top pick is Jasmin Rouge from Tom Ford, its notes of jasmine are mixed with sage and rich spices, sweet but mysterious.
I actually have a very strict procedure to achieve that low maintenance hair I am referring to, the only thing I never do is blow dry my hair. I wash my hair with Oribe Ultra Gentle Shampoo because I have thin hair. No conditioner. When its towel dry I add a little leave-in conditioner, brush it through and tousle it up with my fingers to let it air dry. When it’s dry I spray my hair with Batiste Dry Shampoo to create lift and texture and add a bit of Ouai Apply at least double the amount of moisturiser. Everyone I have ever met applies too little product and leaving their skin looking dry and their makeup looking cakey half way through the day.
And for makeup?
Finishing Creme to the perimeters of my face to get it looking more controlled.
Can you share with us your top skincare tips?
Always apply a little foundation over your blush, whatever is left on your brush or beauty sponge, to make it look like the colour is coming from within and not an artificial product applied on top of your skin. Do your eyeliner before your eye makeup, if you make a mistake you can correct it without damaging your eyeshadow.
Two colours are always more beautiful than one. Use two blushes instead of one to create a colour gradient and dimension. The same goes for highlighters – use two highlighters with slightly different colours (for example one peach and one gold coloured) to achieve a more unique finish.
What was the bought?
I grew up in Germany during the late 90s early 2000s, it was the time when everybody was bronzed up to the max all the time. Naturally, my first beauty product was the now iconic Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer and it is still in my professional makeup kit today, but nowadays I use it as a contour for lighter skin tones.
What advice do you have for budding makeup artists?
The most important advice I can give my fellow makeup artists is to enjoy the journey. There will be many ups and downs during your career and it is important not to get bitter about achieving your goals right away. Enjoy the journey, enjoy each client and each shoot. You will reach your goals when you are ready.