Welcome to Polished with Elise Wilson, where Daily Mail’s qualified makeup artist and hair stylist answers your questions, shares advice, and trials the up-and-coming beauty and skincare trends so you don’t have to.
For years, the beauty industry has convinced us that looking more polished requires an overflowing skincare cabinet, and a face made up of only the latest viral makeup products.
But if there’s one beauty lesson I’ve learnt, it’s that nothing transforms your overall appearance quite like great hair.
Glossy, healthy locks are the ultimate status symbol.
Scroll through your feed and you’ll find thousands of women chasing everything from ‘glass brunette’ and ‘velvet blonde’ to the perfectly bouncy blow-dry that somehow manages to have enough volume to defy gravity.
So, it was music to my ears when one of Australia’s leading hairstylists said that achieving that coveted ‘rich girl’ finish has very little to do with spending a fortune.
To find out exactly where my money was best spent, I handed my own tired winter hair over to Mary Alamine, Co-Owner and Creative Director of Royals Hair in Sydney.
Having created runway looks for some of the biggest Fashion Week’s biggest shows across the world, Mary has built a career around making hair look effortlessly luxurious.
After a few hours in her chair, I quickly realised the biggest transformations weren’t necessarily the most expensive ones.
For years, the beauty industry has convinced us that looking more polished requires an overflowing skincare cabinet, and a face made up of only the latest viral makeup products. But glossy, healthy locks have become the ultimate status symbol. Pictured: Daily Mail’s Beauty Expert Elise Wilson
Luckily for us, one of Australia’s leading hairstylists, Mary Alamine, said that achieving a coveted ‘rich girl’ finish has very little to do with spending a fortune and more to do with some minor tweaks to our weekly haircare routines. Pictured: Elise’s hair before her transformation
1. A great haircut outperforms a dramatic colour change
Like many people, I’d fallen into the trap of believing that longer hair automatically looked more boujee, but Mary quickly challenged that thinking, explaining that healthy, well-shaped hair will always appear more expensive than ratty, damaged lengths any day.
Rather than suggesting a dramatic restyle (thank god she talked me out of the bob), she refreshed my existing drab cut with soft, bouncy layers and subtle face-framing pieces that immediately created more movement without sacrificing thickness.
I know what you’re think – layers (!) – but the difference was pretty dramatic if I’m honest. And it proved that by removing just a few centimetres and keeping my hair cut strategic and very personalised, it made it appear so much fuller rather than thinner.
‘The first thing I notice is the condition of someone’s hair,’ Mary explained.
‘Healthy ends make the biggest difference. Sometimes taking off just a couple of centimetres can make your hair look twice as expensive.’
She says heavily layered cuts of the past have largely given way to softer, invisible layers that create movement while maintaining density, giving hair that effortless finish that literally swishes as you walk.
I think she nailed the swishy part.
Mary explained that healthy, well-shaped hair will always appear more expensive than damaged lengths that have simply been left to grow
Rather than suggesting a dramatic restyle, she refreshed Elise’s existing drab cut with soft, bouncy layers and subtle face-framing pieces that immediately created more movement without sacrificing thickness
2. If you only splurge on one salon service, make it a gloss
One of the biggest surprises during my appointment was discovering that Mary wasn’t recommending a complete colour overhaul for me and in fact talked me out of adding highlights.
When you look at brunette a-listers like Eva Longoria and Kaia Gerber, it’s easy to assume that you have to add face framing lightness or balayage to get a multi-dimensional look. But that’s luckily not the case – and also great for the wallet.
Instead, she insisted that one of the most transformative, and affordable, services available is a simple gloss treatment.
Rather than dramatically changing the colour of my brunette hair, she refreshed it using O&M’s Clean Liquid High Gloss colour in a rich chocolate shade. This can range between $80-130 depending on hair length and thickness
‘It’s one of the most underrated salon services we offer in my opinion. It refreshes your colour, adds incredible shine, makes your hair look healthier instantly, and lasts up to six weeks.’
For anyone trying to stretch the time between full colour appointments, it’s a great investment that delivers maximum visual impact without the ongoing maintenance of a complete recolour.
For anyone looking to stretch the time between full colour appointments, an in-salon gloss is one of the smartest beauty investments. Lasting up to six weeks, it refreshes faded colour while boosting shine without the ongoing maintenance of a full recolour. Elise opted for O&M’s Clean Liquid High Gloss treatment in a rich chocolate shade, which costs $80 – $130
3. Healthy hair needs regular treatments
Before a single styling product came anywhere near my hair, Mary treated it with Kérastase’s Chronologiste Caviar Ritual (from $75), which was a boujee in-salon treatment that sounded every bit as luxurious as it felt.
While the name might seem a little over-the-top, the mirror-like shine and silky softness it delivered after were unlike anything I’d experienced before.
After my gloss she massaged through this indulgent in-salon treatment that combines freshly activated caviar-like pearls with ingredients including hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and Abyssine to deeply hydrate both the hair and scalp while dramatically boosting shine.
The difference afterwards was immediately obvious. My hair didn’t just feel softer – it literally reflected light.
Elise’s hair was treated with Kérastase’s Chronologiste Caviar Ritual (from $75) that combines freshly activated caviar-like pearls with ingredients including hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and Abyssine to deeply hydrate both the hair and scalp while dramatically boosting shine
‘You can have the most beautiful colour in the world, but if your hair is dry and damaged, it won’t have that expensive finish. Healthy hair reflects light, feels softer and simply looks better.’
That philosophy has completely changed how I’ve approached my own routine since leaving the salon.
Rather than relying solely on styling products, I’ve become far more consistent with weekly treatments and scalp care, including Type Bea’s new G0 Exfoliating Scalp Treatment ($60), which is applied before shampooing to exfoliate away dead skin, rebalance excess oil.
As someone who is very (read: extremely) prone to greasiness, I’d previously focused almost entirely on shampoos to help me out, but now I’m paying just as much attention to the skin underneath my hair.
‘Rather than relying solely on styling products, I’ve now become far more consistent with weekly treatments and scalp care, including Type Bea’s new G0 Exfoliating Scalp Treatment ($60)’
After applying a leave-in ghd styling cream to provide heat protection and enhance shine, Mary reached for a round ceramic barrel brush to create a voluminous blow-dry. Pictured: Elise’s before and after hair comparison
The growing obsession with scalp care isn’t another passing beauty trend, either.
Certified trichologist Guy Parsons explains that every strand of hair grows from an individual follicle in the scalp, making scalp health fundamental to healthy hair growth.
He likens it to the soil in which a flower grows, explaining that follicles clogged with excess oil, dead skin or product build-up can affect the quality of hair produced and, in some cases, may eventually stop producing hair altogether.
That’s why regular cleansing, brushing and weekly exfoliation have become such important parts of my haircare routine.
4. It’s not just what you use – it’s how you style it
As my appointment continued, it became increasingly obvious that salon-quality hair isn’t created by expensive products alone, because technique plays an equally important role.
After applying a leave-in ghd styling cream to provide heat protection and enhance shine, Mary reached for a round ceramic barrel brush to create the kind of voluminous blow-dry I’d spent years unsuccessfully trying to recreate at home.
She grabbed medium sections, applied tension, and directed the hair away from my face to maximise movement and polish.
Royals by Mary Ceramic Round Brush – Large (Price POA)
‘If you’ve only got five minutes in the morning, use a smoothing brush with a tiny amount of serum through the mid-lengths and ends to tame any flyaways and then tidy your part line,’ Mary advised
Mary is so passionate about the importance of quality brushes that she has developed her own professional range, designed specifically to help clients recreate that salon finish at home. Needless to say, I walked out with more than one.
‘If you’ve only got five minutes in the morning, use a smoothing brush with a tiny amount of serum through the mid-lengths and ends to tame any flyaways and then tidy your part line.
‘Those little details instantly make your hair look more polished.’
Mary finished the look with the new ghd Sculpt styler ($599), designed to create sleek, glossy hair without heat damage
Pictured: Elise and Mary in-salon
5. One investment genuinely worth making
Although Mary’s philosophy centres around spending smarter rather than spending more, she does believe there is one category where quality genuinely matters, and that’s your heat tools.
To finish my hair, she reached for the new ghd Sculpt styler ($599), using it to softly smooth each section while maintaining movement through the ends rather than flattening everything into submission.
Unlike traditional straighteners that can compromise the condition of your hair over time, the Sculpt is designed to deliver sleek, glossy results without heat damage, making it one of the few styling investments Mary believes genuinely pays for itself in the long run.
‘It’s all about the finish,’ Mary urged.
‘No matter what colour you have, the common thread is that they all look healthy. None of them are frazzled or overdone.’
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely my own and do not reflect those of any brands or companies mentioned. This content is not sponsored or endorsed.
