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The rhythm of a good facialist’s hands in one of life’s great indulgences—and CHANEL skin expert (and one of Australia’s most respected skincare specialists) Melanie Grant has made a career tending to the star complexions of Victoria Beckham, Cate Blanchett, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Nicole Kidman. Because to Grant, achieving the type of skin that glows without makeup at any age begins with effective, everyday products and a simple, tailored routine.
In Grant’s book The Modern Guide To Skin Health, she makes a huge case for hydration in achieving these things. As we get older, our skin begins to lose moisture, and it’s incredibly important for us to lock in hydration where we can, she says. Enter, CHANEL’s SUBLIMAGE range of creams; rich, hydrating formulations derived from its star ingredient: Vanilla Planifolia. Packed with polyketones, the latter increases skin cell regeneration for a base that’s left hydrated, smooth and with fine lines reduced.
Below, after an incredibly luxurious facial with Brooke at Melanie Grant’s boutique in Double Bay in Sydney, I chatted with Grant about assimilating CHANEL’s prized talisman into my existing skincare routine, how she maintains skin hydration when travelling, and how she manages that celebrity client roster. (We know you want to know!)
GRAZIA: Something you tout in your book The Modern Guide To Skin Health is the importance of introducing richer creams into your skin regime in your 30s. In your words, “your skin is losing moisture as you age, so it’s important to hydrate effectively with thicker, richer creams.” Why is CHANEL’s SUBLIMAGE range an ideal product range to deliver this type of hydration and how does SUBLIMAGE’s star ingredient, Vanilla Planifolia, help to reduce signs of ageing?
MELANIE GRANT: The various textures of SUBLIMAGE LA CRÈME (Fine, Universelle & Supreme) provide the capacity to customise your regime depending on the unique needs of your complexion, while still enjoying the renewing benefits of the clinical actives and plant extracts they contain. Vanilla Planifolia is rich in polyphenols that work to target signs of cell degeneration like laxity, fine lines, deeper set wrinkles, dullness and a loss of lipids in the complexion that all start to present as we age.
GRAZIA: How do you see SUBLIMAGE LA CRÈME best fitting into a client’s skin routine? And what skin type is this product best suited to?
MG: SUBLIMAGE LA CRÈME is a wonderful option underneath your SPF in the morning to add layers of hydration, antioxidants and essential fatty acids derived from the beautiful Vanilla Planifolia plant. In the evenings, layering LA CRÈME over your active serums helps seal in actives and support the skin’s own processes of healing and repair overnight as you sleep.
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GRAZIA: Victoria Beckham, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman. Your high-profile clients have gone on the record to let the world know one of their skin health secrets: you. How do you manage/oversee your busy roster of celebrity clients?
MG: I split my time equally between my studios in London, Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles and spend time in Paris for our residency four times each year. The travel can be intense, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love spending time with my clients; when I’m in treatment with them I feel most connected to my sense of purpose and my happiest.
GRAZIA: Why is it super important to cement a relationship with a regular skin therapist?
MG: Having a trusted facialist that can offer guidance and care for your skin helps to ensure you’re using the right products and carrying out the right treatments for your unique skin. Skincare is an ever-evolving journey and it’s very personal. Finding reliable sources online, reading authentic product reviews and exploring educational content on social media and YouTube can also be really helpful if you don’t have a facialist on call.
GRAZIA: It’s been a pleasure watching your name skyrocket to one that is now recognised internationally. Do you feel like you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career?
MG: I hope I’m always presented with opportunities to develop my practice and technique, grow as a business owner and have the potential to challenge myself creatively. Adopting a mindset of “the best is yet to come” really helps keep me inspired and open to the possibilities that life might send my way. I try to balance this with presence and gratitude for how far my team and I have come and all we have accomplished so far.
GRAZIA: Lastly, Gabrielle Chanel loved to travel and was a pioneering force in introducing mini beauty products for travelling. As someone who travels a lot, what’s in your beauty purse on the plane?
MG: I always travel with as many multi-use products as possible so I can streamline my luggage and routine as much as possible. Some of my must-haves are CHANEL HUILE DE JASMIN which I like to use as a face and massage oil, hair moisturiser, fragrance and hand and nail treatment, as well as Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum that can be used day and night to address key oxidative stressors and blue light radiation.
