Sob. It’s Over. We Recap Salon Melbourne

All the goss from Melbourne’s biggest beauty expo, where – yes, we admit it – we went a little crazy…

This week saw another successful year of Salon Melbourne come to an end, and Professional Beauty were on the floor to get the exclusive scoop on all the action (our giant product haul was for research purposes only. We swear.) Here’s what happened…

On the floor

Over 250 national and international hair, beauty, nails, spa and software brands took to the expo floor to show off their latest and greatest innovations, from nail art kits and quick-drying spray tans to high tech devices for resolving an array of issues, the event hall was buzzing with the hum of excitement that only comes when a bunch of beauty therapists realise it’s 20 per cent off everything, while several show-goers were seen staring bewilderingly at their wallets, declaring, “But I’m sure I only spent $200…”

It was every beauty therapist for themselves when the expo hall doors on March 1 in Melbourne's Convention & Exhibition Centre.
It was every beauty therapist for themselves when the expo doors opened on March 1.

In the classroom

For those wanting a more up-close-and-personal experience, industry legends from Rae Morris to Jazz Pampling lead intimate education sessions in classrooms speckled around Melbourne’s iconic Convention & Exhibition Centre, where attendees learned everything from botox and brow sculpting to what to do when you’re at a photo shoot with Miranda Kerr and your makeup bag shows up without any bushes in it (Hint: if you’re Rae Morris, you get creative with smudged lipstick as eyeshadow.)

Oh Rae, if only we could put you in our makeup bags and take you home...
Oh Rae, if only we could put you in our makeup bags and take you home…

On the stage

There was no shortage of entertaining bites on the Main Stage in the middle of the expo floor where celebrities like Mediterranean Tan ambassador and Real Housewives of Melbourne star Gina Liano captivated audiences with personal stories and insider know-how that blew us away (we’re looking at you, Donna Mee and Becca Gilmartin) and covered topics ranging from contouring to celebrity makeup secrets.

The mesmerising Becca Gilmartin proves why she won ABIA Makeup Artist Of The Year.
The mesmerising Becca Gilmartin proves why she won ABIA Makeup Artist Of The Year.

What was, like, so hot

In the words of Paris Hilton, there were many exclamations of ‘That’s hot!’ heard around the expo over the two days it ran this week, but here are the product trends we spotted that really stole the show:

  • Body sculpting technologies
  • Nail art
  • Salon software and apps
  • Lash extensions
  • Vegan makeup
  • Gel nail polish
  • UV finger and toe shields
From stenci8ls to stamps and stick-on embellishments, nothing was off limits at Salon Melbourne when it came to nails.
From stencils to embellishments, nothing was off limits at Salon Melbourne when it came to nails.

It’s a wrap!

Well, sadly, that’s a wrap from us for another year. It’s time for us to fill those extra empty suitcases with our beauty loot and head home to convince ourselves that with a few of the right products, we really can contour like Rae. Sigh…

Have your say: Were you at this year’s Salon Melbourne show? What did you love/hate most about it?

 

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