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Gritty Pretty

Summer doesn’t stand a chance.

When it comes to a standout beauty look, summer is the best of times and the worst of times. Sure, you’ve got the prolonged golden hour to show off your new highlighter, your skin is fresh from days by the ocean and bright colours have slowly worked their way back into your repertoire. But summer is also defined by one sinister environmental factor: humidity. 

You can blame this bad boy for most of the beauty blunders you’ll face in the warmer months. Think uncontrollable hair, skin irritation and, you guessed it, sweating off your makeup. Whether you’re enjoying an afternoon Negroni by the beach, working up a brunch appetite on a morning walk (aka gossip session) or just dashing from meeting to meeting during the day, everyone has that ‘wait, why is that pimple visible again?’ moment. 

But do not fear, Gritty Pretty is here! And with the help of makeup artist Michelle Cox (who is the maestro behind the beauty looks featured below), we divulge all of the best beauty hacks for sweat-proofing your makeup look.

Marie Claire september 2022

In May 2022, Leah Purcell marked the completion of a monumental hat-trick when the cinematic incarnation of The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson – her third reimagining (preceded by a bestselling novel and award-winning play) of Henry Lawson’s iconic 1892 short story – was released in cinemas across the country to critical acclaim. A true creative force, Purcell wrote, directed and starred in the film, which retells the seminal colonial tale from the perspective of an Indigenous woman struggling to protect her children and survive in the harsh frontier of the Australian bush. For the proud Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri woman, who left rural Queensland as a 19-year-old single mother with a copy of the story in her car boot, it is a deeply personal achievement.

“My mother would read me The Drover’s Wife when I was a little girl. The words from that story resonated with my life, and when my mum passed away her copy was the one thing I took from her house. Thank goodness I did.”

When reflecting on her bravery, throughout her life and career, Purcell is matter-of-fact.

“You have to be brave to be in this industry,” she says. “As an Indigenous woman, I am the truth-teller of my people’s plight and I want to do that to the best of my ability. That’s what drives me and gives me my determination to kick down doors.”

Despite her recognition as one of the country’s most respected actors and highly regarded showrunners, Purcell has no intention of slowing down, revealing to marie claire that she is currently working on adapting the story into a limited series for TV, a children’s book and an opera.

“We’ve got to bring our stories home because there’s still a lot not known about our history, Black and white.”

With Purcell’s fierce determination and talent one can only expect great things (and the completion of another impressive hat-trick before too long).