So very Hollywood

Australian makeup artist Napoleon Perdis. Photo / Supplied

Napoleon Perdis is decidedly flustered when I track him down for a chat in his Melbourne hotel. The Australian makeup maestro is meant to be on a triumphant homecoming book promotion tour from his base in Los Angeles where he moved to take his cosmetics brand global.

The trip was timed so this week he could work his magic backstage on a lineup of top shows at Fashion Week in Sydney, but things have turned a tad toxic.

The headline could read: "Self-made star caught in media storm." So far, so Hollywood, but this is more of a storm in a teacup, than a fully fledged scandal. Still, it's had Perdis juggling phone calls and unscheduled interviews. All because, he says, one story wrongly suggested he was advocating young women take to the needle.

"I just won the Elle Makeup Genius Award, it doesn't make sense, my book's not about that," he says in frustration. Indeed it's not, it's full of handy tips and hints (and Perdis product plugs) on how to use makeup to improve your appearance, including how to contour your face to give it a more youthful shape. Explaining away what he says was a misquote has taken Perdis the better part of the past few days.

In a curious way, this media sideshow allows us to cut to the chase of his makeup philosophy, which is about empowering women to be more beautiful. The fuss started when Perdis said something along the lines of: "A woman, instead of in her 60s having major surgery, needs to think about things." This came out as his supporting the use of injectibles and morphed into his fielding calls on whether he was really advocating their use by his often-young female customers."

He tells me he's anti major cosmetic surgery and all he was saying was that women in their 30s and 40s "can think about" injectibles. Hardly a surprise given he's from Sydney and now lives in another big Botox capital.

He insists he wasn't promoting injectibles, but still the furore is a bit off-message when you're actually promoting a DIY book called Forever Flawless - How to Look Your Best at Every Age.

I ask if the fuss hasn't soured his trip home and if he feels like a tall poppy being cut down to size, but no, he answers: "Australia's really proud of me."

So no need to scuttle back to the house in the Hollywood Hills he shares with his wife and three daughters. It's on the famous Mulholland Drive and used to belong to singer Sheryl Crowe.

Perdis says he's happy in Los Angeles and finds it has plenty of parallels with Sydney and other big cities. There's a fashion set and celebrities he works on, like Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Debra Messing and Nicollette Sheridan. In the suburbs those influences diffuse, but says the western suburbs boy, the media and the internet ensure it's all one big world anyway.

For someone with his global business ambitions he's in the right place for now. He has 4500 outlets worldwide and 58 stand-alone concept stores. Outlets are concentrated around the Pacific Rim and growing fast in the United States southwest and east. He's aiming for 30,000 outlets worldwide, with the South American market particularly appealing. "I've only just scratched the surface."

There's also a new series to film for his American cable television show, Get Your Face On, which screens in 39 countries. Then there's the book, which next week brings him to New Zealand for the first time in five years. His message is that anyone can, and should, master the tricks of the trade he shares, so they can make the most of themselves.

"It's makeup for all ages, it's transgenerational and quick tips."

The book has sections for different age groups and how tos for different looks, everything from enhanced natural makeup to all-out sexy glamour. His advice is that women unsure of how to get the most out of makeup should keep things simple and regularly update their look. "Treat it as an oasis of fun, and you'll be fine.

"Makeup completes the story you're telling," says the man who began learning his craft watching his own glamorous Greek immigrant mother, Liana, prepare for big nights out. "Dad called it Operation Christmas Tree."

Perdis says through the recession of the late 80s and 90s, a time that coincided with minimalism and a grungy natural look, women seemed to lose their way makeup-wise, but he was noticing that the current younger generation were wearing more colour and "that will carry through".

Those women in the lost years between now and the more adventurous 1950-70s were "almost a generation who haven't been taught to be the women they could be".

Perdis is passing on the torch of inspiration by taking one of daughters along to see him work at Fashion Week. Among the shows he's overseeing is that of New Zealand label Sabatini White, plus big-name Australians including Alex Perry and Camilla and rising star Dion Lee.

Working backstage has got Perdis' creative juices flowing again after a period concentrating on the business side of the brand. "I'm focusing on the makeup artistry now, that's what attracted me in the first place, what I stopped being a solicitor for."

Perdis also worked at New York Fashion Week and says one of his favourite runway looks was the Avatar-inspired blue makeup at Walter. "I'm loving that look, what it does to the eye, whether they be brown, green or blue."

The trick to translating runway to reality is: "Whatever you see, take 20 per cent of it." So get out the blue eyeshadow again ladies, but in moderation.

* Napoleon Perdis is stocked in Farmers, and at his concept store in Sylvia Park. Forever Flawless (Allen &Unwin), $49.99.

STEP CHANGE

Here's four easy steps Napoleon Perdis recommends for making more of yourself.

1. Update your look: Don't get stuck in a beauty rut, try new techniques and products and throw out what isn't working. It's a cheaper way to refresh your appearance than spending up large on clothes.

2. Use primer: "Not to prime, is a crime," is a Perdis catch-cry. He says the use of a hydrating primer makes skin look so much better once makeup is applied.

3. Stay seasonal: Recognise that with different seasons your skin colour will change, even if you're diligent about sun protection. Adjust your foundation accordingly, so soon it will be time to put aside your 1-2 shades too dark foundation until next summer.

4. Listen to yourself: Be in control and match your makeup to the personality you're trying to project. "Women have an opinion about everything, but when it comes to makeup they sometimes forget it."

QUICK UPDATE

Start with mascara, lashings of it, before anything else, recommends Perdis. This will help open your eyes to the possibilities of makeup transformation.

Next he recommends primer, concealer and then foundation just where you need it, which might only be on the central panel of the face. "You want a nice even complexion." (His current favourite is his spray-on Boudoir Mist Foundation for an air-brushed finish).

Finish with lip gloss, or the newer look of creamy lipstick.

"Lipstick is a mark of a woman's territory."