What I Put On My Face is Mamamia’s celebrity beauty series that takes you inside the beauty cabinets of some of Australia’s most influential women. From what skincare products they use to their go-to makeup tips, it’s a pervy look at exactly what they put on their face. And body. And hair. You get the idea.

This week, we spoke to Martha Kalifatidis. If you’re a Married at First Sight fan (no judgement here), you’ll remember Martha as one of the most extra contestants fromMAFS2019. And regardless of whether reality TV is your cup of tea or not, there’s no denying Martha knows her stuff when it comes to beauty.

The makeup artist and beauty influencer gave us her best makeup, skincare and haircare product recommendations, as well as some hilarious insights into what it was like wearing those Kardashian-style hair extensions.

You can watch Martha sharing the advice she’d give to her five-year-old self in the video below. Post continues after video.

Martha’s skincare routine.

I have oily skin, really oily skin, actually. Big pores, it’s that European sort of skin type. But lately, I’ve found I’m getting dry, probably because I’m 31 and things are starting to dry up. My skin’s also reactive to things like foods, gluten and dairy, and I get really red down the bottom of my cheeks. And wine flushes me so badly, so I drink organic and preservative-free wine and I don’t get the redness.

I love the NIP+FAB Vitamin C Fix Cleanser. It’s gentle, but thorough. Generally, I find it’s hard to get both together. It’s either something that strips you down to the bone or something so gentle you’ve still got makeup left on your skin. It’s not foaming or a gel that will strip the skin. It does brighten the skin, too. I use chemical exfoliants like the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and the NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads. If you’ve not used these two products, I don’t think we can be friends. I’ve been using them since as far as I can remember. I used to work at Mecca and they stock the Dr Dennis Gross peel pads that are $200 a box. Customers used to always come in and ask ‘what do you use?’ and I’d be like, ‘go to the chemist and get these cheaper peel pads’.

I have a few favourite serums – La Mer The Concentrate, Dr. Barbara Sturm Calming Serum and DMK Pore Reduction Drops. The Barbara Sturm one is amazing, especially for reactive skin. If you get carried away with your skincare and strip your skin down, this serum will take you straight back. I’m obsessed with the DMK Pore Reduction Drops because, obviously, I’m super porey, but they help to reduce hair growth on the face. I quite literally am covered in a light layer of fur over my whole body. I’m basically a marsupial. When I was younger, I hated it, but now I’m into it.

Dermalogica have two great moisturisers for every skin type. You know when you run a dry sponge under a tap and it fluffs up? That’s what these do to your face. The Dermalogica Active Moist Moisturiser is a little lighter and the Intense Moisture Balance is richer. Tata Harper do great face oils too. I would rather eat a really sad and depressing lunch every day for a month, and then buy the Tata Harper face oil. At night, I might do the NIP+FAB Retinol Fix Over-Night Cream. This one is so gentle. It’s not abrasive or volatile and it’s comfortable to wear on the skin. I also like to layer eye creams, the La Mer one is expensive but you only have one face.

Martha’s makeup routine.

I’m getting a bit lazy with my makeup as I get older. I’ve really paired it back a lot. Travelling so much, you have to curate. You can’t be travelling with heaps… says the girl who took 20kg of makeup travelling through Europe and America. The Benefit POREfessional Primer is my go-to summer primer because it gives a really nice blurred matte finish, and I love the Too Faced Hangover Primer in winter when we’re all a bit crusty because it’s more hydrating.

My past full coverage foundation self is dead and buried. I wore full coverage foundation while filmingMAFSbecause I was so stressed and my skin was sh*t, and I felt like I need this mask on. Now, I wear the Marc Jacobs Shameless Foundation. It’s quite sheer coverage and you can build it up if you want. It just looks like skin and it’s so comfortable, and I don’t feel like rushing home so I can wash my face. The Revlon Colorstay Foundation is actually colour stay. You could jump into the pool and come out with perfect foundation.