The Glowdown: Elle Macpherson Shares the Beauty Secrets We All Want To Know

Welcome to The Glowdown, our brand-new series where we’ll be diving into the beauty secrets of our favourite celebrities as they get real about their routines and nonnegotiables exclusively with us. Join them as they sit in our beauty hot seat and we fire off a round of quick-fire questions, giving you never-before-shared insight into the products they cannot live without, their secrets to red carpet–ready skin, pet peeves, and the genius tips they have picked up from experts along the way. This is no-holds-barred beauty at its finest.

This month, we’re talking to iconic Australian supermodel, Elle Macpherson. She is the founder of beauty-through-wellness business WelleCo, and has been coined “The Body” after featuring on several covers of Sports Illustrated throughout her career. So, you can bet that she has plenty of beauty advice to share. You’ll find all her beauty secrets and musings ahead.

Courtesy of WelleCo

Which makeup product gives you the biggest mood-boost?

Baby Cheeks in Petal by Westman Atelier. 

If you could steal someone else’s makeup bag, whose would it be?

Cleopatra’s! Like mine, everything in hers drew from the wisdoms of nature—her trademark cat-eye liner was said to have been created with a variety of minerals and her love of long, nutrient-rich baths is something I can get behind!

You’ve got a spot. Are you team pop it, or team leave it alone?

Naturally, I’m Team Take WelleCo’s Skin Elixir, so you don’t have to do either!

You only have one product to use for the rest of your life—what is it?

The Super Elixir Greens in orange flavour.

What’s the best piece of beauty advice that you have ever received?

Beauty is soul deep not just skin deep.

It’s a bad hair day, what do you do?

Wear a baseball hat or braids.

What is your signature fragrance?

Sacred frankincense.

Strong lip or a strong eye?

Strong smokey eye all the way.

You’re having your nails done, what’s your go-to colour?

Silver chrome gel (although it’s not great for nails so I do it sparingly).

What is your beauty philosophy in a sentence?

Natural uniqueness is the new beauty. 

What is your favourite lipstick colour?

My favourite is having just been kissed by someone you love.

What’s your biggest beauty no-no? 

Too much of anything.

Candles, reed diffusers or nothing at all?

Incense in Oud.

If you could share one piece of beauty advice, what would it be?

Beauty begins within.

What beauty product do you recommend to everyone?

Any Dr Barbara Sturm product.

Name one beauty product that is always in your handbag?

Sapienic PRIME Lipids.

Are you team dewy or matte?

Dewy cheeks, every time.

The greatest drugstore product for under £10? 

Australia’s iconic Lucas’ Papaw Ointment.

Your brows, in a sentence:

Longing for bushy growth.

Your worst hairstyle (or hair moment) ever…

I sprayed my hair with ‘Sun-in’ (a hair lightener) before a Sports Illustrated cover and it turned orange.

You have to wear your hair crimped or blue eyeshadow for the rest of your life: Which do you choose?

Crimped hair.

Makeup primer: love it or hate it?

I’m for it! I love Inika Organic’s Pure Perfection Primer.

Confession time—how often do you clean your makeup brushes?

What makeup brushes!?

What beauty rule do you always break?

I had no real skincare routine until I was 50 years old, so I guess that was a beauty rule broken! These days, of course, my wellness routine is my skincare routine, and I’m a lot kinder to my skin.

Would you rather have ultra-skinny brows or bleached brows?

Bleached.

Which celebrity’s hair would you love to steal? 

Brigitte Bardot. 

Which era of beauty inspires you most?

Not so much an era—I’ve always been more about individual, natural beauty which is timeless.  

Eyelash curlers: love them or hate them?

Keeping it natural! No curl.

Best beauty hack?

WelleCo, naturally.

Shop Elle Macpherson’s beauty favourites: